—— l. 21, que must, quod movit.
[P. 63], l. 4, Sire Willem le Latimer.—Sir William le Latimer was a firm adherent of the King, and held at different times several offices of trust. He suffered considerable losses in the Barons’ wars. He afterwards appears to have accompanied Prince Edward to the Holy Land, and was at the siege of Carlaverock in 1300. He died in 1305, at a very advanced age. Knighton calls him miles strenuissimus.
[P. 63]. Song of the Peace with England.—It has been suggested to me that the word cul in this song is only a form of col (collum); and I am told that among the titles of some fables in the same manuscript there is one of the stork “au long cul.” In this song, however, I am inclined to think such an interpretation not admissible. It is a rude burlesque not only upon the event to which it relates, but upon the English in general, and contains much coarse humour such as is not uncommonly used at the present day. The grammatical construction is, evidently by design, a complete confusion of tenses, numbers, and genders. It appears to me that not a little of the effect it was intended to produce, depended upon the coarse play upon words involved in the use of the expression above mentioned. When the reciter introduced King Henry to his auditors, and they expected he was going to sigh from his heart, instead of completing the sentence il suspire de cœur ([p. 65]), i. e. ille suspirat de corde, he introduces another word beginning with the same letter, and says il suspire de cul (ille suspirat de culo). That Trichart in the preceding line was intended for a pun upon Richard, we may conjecture from the rhymes in the English song on the same person’s name, [p. 69]. Again, at [p. 66], it would naturally be expected that he would place his lance against his enemy’s cœur; the blow was to be so strong, that if his opponent did not give way, he would himself suffer in that part which was in communication with the saddle, and where, of course, the resistance was concentrated. These jokes must have been extremely diverting to the class of people for whom this song was designed.
The Song of the Peace with England had been previously printed by Mons. Achille Jubinal, well known for his numerous publications of early French literature, in a very curious volume entitled “Jongleurs et Trouvères,” 8vo. Paris, 1835. M. Jubinal also gave a translation into modern French of this song, as well as of the piece I am now going to mention, in the “Journal de l’Institut Historique,” Jan. 1835, which has been reproduced in the Histoire de Saint Louis, by the Marquis de Villeneuve-Trans, 8vo. Paris, 1839, vol. iii. p. 614. In the manuscript from which this song is printed, it is accompanied by a piece in prose on the same event, and of a similar character, entitled Le Chartre de la Pais aus Anglois, which I venture to reprint here from M. Jubinal’s book, as the latter is now out of print, and very scarce. It will be observed that the same style of gross joking which is found in the song, runs through the charter; a double meaning was evidently intended, for example, in the words qu’il fu fet .i. gros pes entre, etc., which might be taken as signifying, in this broken French, either grossa pax, or grossus peditus.
La Chartre de la Pais aus Anglois.
“Ce sache sil qui sont et qui ne sont mi, et qui ne doivent mi estre, qu’il fu fet .i. gros pes entre ce rai Hari d’Ingleter, et ce riche homme Loys à Parris, sarra forretier de ce grant forrest à Normandi. Et quant ce rai Hari d’Ingleter voudra vauchier par son terre, ce riche homme Loys à Parris voudra donier à ce rai Hari meismes .ii. poronssores à mester soz son houses, por ester plus minet; et quant ce rai Hari voudra aler de mort à vie, cestui riche homme Loys à Parris, devra donier à d’Adouart sa fils cesti chos meism, souz vise quitement, francement di-je, c’avant c’arier. C’est donques à saver .i. poronssores quant il voudra vauchier par son terre à meter soz son houses, por ester plus minet aussinc comme à sa piere. Et por ce que je véele que ce chos fout fiens en estable, je véele pendez ma saiele à ce cul par derrier, avoecques la saiele à mi barons d’Ingleter. L’an de l’incarnacion nostres sinors Jesoucriet mimes qui souffri mort à la crucefimie por nous, m. cc. lx. i. ij. et iij., à ce jodi assolier, derrière ce vendredi, à orre que Marri Masalaine chata ce honissement à honissier les .v. plais Jesoucriet nostre sinors mimes, qui souffra mort à la croucefin por nous, et Marri Mauvaise-alaine portez ce honnissement à la Saint Supoucre; et Marri Mauvaise-alaine véez l’angiel, et l’angiel pona: “Marri! Marri! quei quieré vous quei?” Et Marri pona: “Je queres Jhesum qui fout à la crucefimie.” Et l’angel pona à Marri: “Marri! Marri! aléici, aléici: il ne fout pas çi, il fout alé cestui matin à Galerrie.”
[P. 64], l. 6, choison; from choir (cadere).
[P. 65], l. 6, gondre Glais grondier, contra Anglos grunnire.
—— l. 9, à l’art.—Perhaps it should be alart, and is derived from the Latin alacriter.
—— l. 11, la conte à Clocestre.—Gilbert de Clare, who succeeded his father in the Earldoms of Hereford and Gloucester in 1262, and was a zealous partizan of the Barons, until he deserted Simon de Montfort before the battle of Evesham.