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William Dunbar as a Scottish Lydgatian
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
Extract
All the accepted authorities agree in stating first, that William Dunbar was not wholehearted in his devotion to Chaucer, but followed him “at a distance and, perhaps, with a divided affection” for some other school of poetry; and secondly, that the other influence which divided his affection was that of French poets such as Alain Chartier, Charles of Orleans, and above all Villon.
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- Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1931
References
page 214 note 1 G. Gregory Smith, Camb. Hist. of English Lit., II, 251 ff. Cf. also Mackay's Introd. to Small's Ed. of The Poems of Wm. Dunbar (S.T.S.), I, cxliv ff., J. J. Jusserand, Literary Hist. of Eng. People, II. Pt. 1, 116,—T. F. Henderson, Scottish Vernacular Lit., p. 185. Miss E. P. Hammond, the most recent scholar to discuss Dunbar (English Verse between Chaucer and Surrey, Introd. pp. 24–25), does not challenge these time-honored assertions.
page 214 note 2 For detailed evidence see Chapter iv of the writer's unpublished dissertation (1923), Sources and Influences Traceable in the Poetry of William Dunbar, in the Harvard University Library.
page 214 note 3 H. N. MacCracken, Studies in Lydgate, unpublished dissertation, 1907, Harvard Univ. Library, App. p. 178.
page 214 note 4 The Minor Poems of Lydgate, ed. H. N. MacCracken, EETS., Ex. Ser. CVII, p. xi ff.
page 214 note 5 “How Sal I Governe Me?”, “Of Deming,” “In Asking Sowld Discretioun Be,” “Of Discretioun of Geving,” “Of Discretioun in Taking.”
page 214 note 6 T. F. Henderson, Scottish Vernacular Literature, p. 181.
page 214 note 7 Small, Gregory, and Mackay, Poems of Wm. Dunbar (S.T.S.) I, xxix; I, cxxxi; III, 90.
page 214 note 8 Cf. MacCracken, Studies in Lydgate, dissertation, Harvard Univ. Library, 1907, p. 414.
page 214 note 9 On this poem see MacCracken's note (Minor Poems of Lydgate, p. xxx): “151. Timor Mortis Conturbai Me. Beg. So as I lay this othir niht; 16 stanzas of 8 short lines. MS. Harley 2255. At least three other poems with this refrain exist, exclusive of Dunbar's Lament for the Makaris. Lydgate's is probably the earliest.” Photo-facsimile in Harvard University Library.
page 214 note 10 Lydgate's Minor Poems, ed. J. O. Halliwell, Percy Soc. II, 239 ff.
page 214 note 11 Poems of Wm. Dunbar, ed. J. Schipper. Denkschriften der kaiserl. Akad. der Wissensch., xl–xliii, No. 60.
page 214 note 12 I quote from the A-version or recension of Lydgate's Daunce Machabree printed by Tottel with the 1554 Fall of Princes; reprinted by Dugdale in his Monasticon Anglicanum, 1673, Vol. iii, pp. 333–339. See English Verse between Chaucer and Surrey, ed. E. P. Hammond, p. 124 ff.
page 214 note 13 “In many of the early versions of the ‘Dances of Death,‘ after the example started at Basle, portraits of well-known characters were introduced by way of giving extra piquancy to the devices, an interesting example of which occurs in the St. Paul's series, in which is a portrait of Rekyll, the royal juggler, or tregetour, in the reign of Henry V.….” H. N. Humphreys, Holbein's Dance of Death, pp. 18–19.
page 214 note 14 Dunbar's “occasional-political” poems: In Honour of the City of London, To the Princess Margaret on her Arrival at Holy-Rood, To the Queen Margaret, Ballad of Lord Bernart Stewart, Elegy on the Death of Bernard Stewart, Blyth Aberdein, To the Queen Dowager.
page 214 note 15 See J. Schipper, Poems of Wm. Dunbar, Nos. 84, 85.
page 214 note 16 See H. N. MacCracken, Minor Poems of Lydgate. I, 329 ff.
page 214 note 17 See J. Schipper, Poems of Wm. Dunbar, Nos. 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88.
page 214 note 18 Bannatyne MS., ed. Hunterian Club, Edinb., 1894. 4 vols. “Thingis in Kynd” (Lydgate?) II, 217 ff. “O Creaturis creat of me your Creator,” II, 112 ff. “For Helth of Body couer weill thy Heid,” II, 196 ff.
page 214 note 19 Makculloch and Gray MSS, ed. Geo. Stevenson, Edinb., 1918.
“Christe Qui Lux Es et Dies,” pp. 20 ff.
“For Hail of Body Keip fra Cald pi Heid”, pp. 30 ff.
page 214 note 20 Maitland Folio MS., ed. W. A. Craigie, Edinb., 1919. 2 vols. “Thingis in Kynd” (Lydgate?) I, 195.
page 214 note 21 Minor Poems of Lydgate, ed. E.E.T.S., p. 218.
page 214 note 22 Register of Middle English Religious Verse, ed. Carleton Brown, Oxford Univ. Press, 1916. Part I, p. 217.
page 214 note 23 This figure is based on the works of Lydgate obtainable in the Harvard University Library.
page 214 note 24 Georg Reismüller, Romanische Lehnwörter bei Lydgate (Münchener Beiträge zur rom. u. engl. Philol. xlviii) Leipzig, 1911.
page 214 note 25 Reismüller's List: (See Romanische Lehnwörter pp. 12, 13.) acceptable, accident, accidental, adulacioun, adverse a., advertence, affiled, altercacioun, amenuse, ammonicioun, anclile, angelic, annexyd, antertik pole, apparence, appertene, apperteinent, apace, ariete, arimille, armypotent, astrologer, attemperaunce, attendaunce, auncitrye, aventurons; bawdrye, benyvolence, blasphemour, boystous; cadence, capricorn, castigation, causeles, causer, chekmate, citrin, collateral, collecte, collusioun, commytted, coniunccioun, conserve, contract, cordyal, coryouste, corrumpable, costage, countertaile, coye; degre, demonyak, deprave, disarm, disavaunce, disceivaunce, disconsolat, disespeired, disesperaunce, disfigured, disobeisaunt, disordinate, disseveraunce, dormaunt table, dotage; elat, elacion, embelisshyng, enchaufynge, enchaunteresse, entirchaungis, entrecomownyd, entremete, entreparte, entun sb., epicicles, erect, estres, exaltat, excuse sb., expelle, expert; familiarite, feminite [sic], fortuned, frowne, foleye vb., funeral; gipoun, governeresse, guerdone, vb., gyderesse; impossible sb., inconstaunce, incurable, inestimable, infortune vb., insolence, intercepte, invocacioun, iocounde; library, loodmanage, lyonesse; maister streete, malleable, mansuet, marcial, mediacioun, misgovernaunce, monstruous, mortifie, motleis, multiplicacioun, multiplie; natif, noble vb., no certeyn; obsequies, obstinate, odious, opposicioun, oportunyte, oriental; palestral, palm, palpable, passaunt, perverse, philologie, plat and playne, policie, possessioner, prescience, predestinate, pronostic, prolixite, protestacioun; rebounde, recognisaunce, recompensation, refreyn, renegat, replenisshed, replicacioun, resiste, revoke; suggestioun, supersticious, supportation, sursanure; touret, transmutacioun; undefouled, unmesurable, unpunisshed, visitacioun.
page 214 note 26 J. Lydgate, Fall of Princes, ed. Henry Bergen, 1927. E.E.T.S. 121–124.
page 214 note 27 Additions to Reismüller's list of words introduced by Chaucer and used by Lydgate: abusioun, armonye sb., audience sb.; benignitee; compleyne vb., conceite sb., coniuracioun, consolacioun, continuance; desolate, devyne vb., dispensacioun, dispense vb., distill, dominatioun; endyte vb., eterne, exceed, excellence, exception; felicite, feminine, famous, furious; garnison, guerdon sb.; hardiment; imperial, imprint vb., inclinacion, infect a., infernal, infortunat a., iocounde; laureate, liberty; mortal, murmur; offende vb., offense, operacioun, orator; persevere, perturb, port (bearing), portraiture; recomfort vb., redress vb., refuge, renew, report vb., resoun, return vb., royal, royalty, rumour; sessioun, subtil, surprise vb., surmount; transitorie, tressed pp.; vapour, vary, victorious.
page 214 note 28 Words introduced by Lydgate and appropriated by Dunbar: abuse vb., agilitie, amene, angelical, aureate; balmy; celestiali, clemence, conspirateur, contem, criminali; deceptioun, defamowss, depend, depurit a., derisioun; exampler, excell, expeditioun; fary sb., fassoun vb., fortify; gardevyance; include, incomparable, indiscreit, intemperat, intollerabili, invincible, lamentable; macule, moling a., matutine, mediatrix, militant; obteyne, ordinare; permanent, permansible, piscence, plenytude, posseid, prodissioun, promotioun, propyne vb., provyde, punytioun; quintessance; rebellare, rebuik sb., recompense sb., recompense vb., recompense sb., remeid vb., repell, retreit vb.; sanatiue, satisfie, solistar, sufficience; tapestrie, tardation, terrible, transgressioun, triumphal; vnfaidit a., vnsatiable, vex, virginal; wardraipper.
page 214 note 29 Words used by Lydgate and Dunbar in a new figurative sense: closet, nobleness, sugrid (of eloquence), pavis.
page 214 note 30 Words introduced by Chaucer, used by Dunbar, and not used by Lydgate: artelleries; consequent, constant, continuacioun, convenient; diurne, dispone, dissolve; equates a., eternal; fortitude; graceless, gyde vb.; habitacioun; ignorant; mansuetude, mavis, miserie, musiciens; occident; philosophical, pultrye; refere; unspied; village.
page 214 note 31 “Bei der Durchsicht der Zitate wird man nicht ohne Verwunderung bemerken, dass Lydgate vom Oxford Dictionary vernältnismässig noch wenig ausgebeutet ist: in Dutzenden von Fällen finden sich bei Lydgate Belege von Wörtern die nach dem OD [Oxford Dictionary] erst 40 oder 50, ja 100 und 200 Jahre später in der Literatur nachweisbar sind.” G. Reismüller, Romanische Lehnwörter, p. 2. Cf. E. P. Hammond, English Verse between Chaucer and Surrey, p. 87.
page 214 note 32 Cf. similar statements made by O. L. Triggs, The Assembly of Gods, E.E.T.S., E. S. 69. Notes p. 94, by Max Förster, “Ueber Benedict Burgh's Leben und Werke,” Herrig's Archiv. CI, 29. and by H. N. MacCracken, Studies in Lydgate, Harvard dissertation. Preface and p. 414. I wish to acknowledge here an exceptionally large debt to President MacCracken's writings concerning the Monk of Bury, particularly his unpublished dissertation. These works supplied to a large extent the basis for my investigations, and they have given me a number of valuable suggestions.