THE HARMONY OF BIRDS @L 3Poem. FROM THE ONLY KNOWN COPY, PRINTED BY JOHN WIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THF SIXTEENTH CENTURY. AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES. LONDON : PRINTED FOR THE PERCY SOCIETY. 3t.DCCC.XLIH. COUNCIL OP Cl )t pmp &oikty. President . The Rt. Hon. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A. THOMAS AMYOT, Esq. F.R.S., Treas. S A. WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq. J. A. CAHUSAC, Esq. F.S.A. WILLIAM CHAPPELL, Esq. F.S.A., Treasurer. J. PAYNE COLLIER, Esq. F.S.A. T. CROFTON CROKER, Esq. F.S.A., M.R.I.A. PETER CUNNINGHAM, Esq. REV. ALEXANDER DYCE. WILLIAM JERDAN, Esq. F.S.A., M.R.S.L. SIR FREDERICK MADDEN, K.H., F.R.S., F.S.A. T. J. PETTIGREW, Esq. F.R S, F.S.A. E. F. RIMBAULT, Esq. F.S.A. Secretary . WILLIAM J. THOMS, Esq. F.S.A. JAMES WALSH, Esq F.S.A. THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq. M.A., F.S.A. INTRODUCTION. The ensuing tract has been attributed to John Skelton on the authority of Herbert, who was not aware of its existence until after he had published his edition of the “ Typographical Antiquities" of Ames. He subsequently saw a copy of it in the hands of Latham, and from Latham it found its way into the library of the late Mr. Heber. Our re-impression is made from a trans- cript of that copy, for no other is known to be in existence. Whether “ A proper new Boke of the Armonye of Byrdes" were really the authorship of Skelton, is a point which we shall probably find consi- dered and determined in the long promised, and, we hope we may now say, speedily forthcoming edition of that author’s multifarious works, under the care of the Rev. Alexander Dyce. Herbert seems to have thought that this tract was u in the manner" of Skelton, but we own that it does not strike us at all in that light ; it is of too moral VI a turn, as well as in too modern a style, for his pen, however becoming its tendency might have been to his profession. Neither is the versification at all like that of any other produc- tion by Skelton with which we are acquainted. However, this is a point on which we do not feel well qualified to decide, and it is the less necessary that we should finally make up our mind upon the point, in as much as we are soon likely to have it decisively settled. It has never, that we are aware of, been attributed to any other author, and we are without any extrinsic evidence either way; none at least has come to our knowledge, beyond the fact that Wight was the printer of two of Skelton's admitted works, “ Phillip Sparrow," and Colyn Clout." Both these are dateless, but pur- port to have been printed u by John Wight," and the last of them has the same imprint as the tract now offered to the members of the “ Percy Society." As to the date of the piece reprinted on the following pages, John Wight did not begin to print, as far as the fact can now be ascertained, until 1551, and books with his name attached to them, as a stationer, are extant dated 1588 ; but he appears to have left off printing on his own account early : “ Ferrarius of a Common Weale," 4to. 1559, purports to have been printed, not by Vll John Wight, but “ by John Kyngston, for John Wight,” and he subsequently employed as his printers, Henry Denham, John Awdeley, Thomas Dawson, John Charlewood, Thomas East, Newton and Hatfield, Edward Bollifant, Henry Bynne- man, &c. As “ A proper new Boke of the Ar- monye of Byrdes"’ professes to have been printed not for, but by John Wight, we may fairly pre- sume that it came from his press between 1551, when he began, and 1559 when he left off printing in his own name. We believe that the poem is not only unique in itself, but unique in its kind, and on every account it deserves reprinting and preservation. Into whose hands it devolved on the dispersion of Mr. Heber's Library we are not informed, but before his death he gave us permission to copy it, with a view to a reimpression : his notion was, that the value of the original copy of a tract was not lessened by its being rendered accessible, but he was influenced, besides, by higher and better motives than mere pecuniary considerations. — We have good reason to know that he felt none of that literary dog-in- the -mangerism, which interferes with the employment by others of what the pos- sessor cannot himself enjoy. A PROPER NEW BOKE OF THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. Imprinted at London by John Wyght dwelling in Poules -church yarde, at the sygne of the Rose. A PROPER NEW BOKE OF THE ARMONY OF BYRDES. Whan Dame Flora, In die aurora, Had coverd the meadow with flowers, And all the fylde Was over distylde With lusty Aprell showers ; For my disporte, Me to conforte, Whan the day began to spring, Foorth I went, With a good intent To here the byrdes syng. I was not past Not a stones cast, So nygh as I could deme, But I dyd se A goodly tree Within an herbor grene ; b 2 4 THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. Whereon dyd lyglit Byrdes as thycke As sterres in the skye, Praisyng our Lorde Without discorde, With goodly armony. The popyngay Than fyrst dyd say, Hoc didicit per me, Emperour and kyng Without lettyng Discite semper a me. Therfore wyll I The name magnify Of God above all names ; And fyrst begyn In praisyng to him This song, Te Deum laudamus. Then sang the avys Called the mavys The trebble in ellamy, That from the ground Her notes round Were herde into the skye. Than all the rest, At her request, Both meane, basse, and tenur, TIIE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. 5 With her dyd respond This glorious song, Te Dominum confitemur. The partryge sayd, It may not be denayd, But that I shall use my bath, In flood and land, In erth and sand, In hygh way and in path ; Than with the erth Wyll I make merth, Accordyng to my nature. She tuned then, Te, eternum Patrem, Omnis terra veneratur. Than sayd the pecocke, All ye well wot I syng not musycall ; For my brest is decayd, Yet I have, he sayd, Fethers angelicall. He sang, Tibi Omnes angeli, Tibi celi, he dyd reherse, Et universi, Bot estates on hye, And so concluded the verse. 6 THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. Than sayd the nightyngale, To make shorte tale, For wordes I do refuse, Because my delyglit, Both day and nyght Is synging for to use : Tibi cherubin Et seraphin, Full goodly she dyd chaunt, With notes merely Incessabile Voce proclamant. Than sang the tlirusshe, Sanctus, sanctus, Sanctus, with a solempne note, In Latyn thus, Dominus Deus, In Hebrew Sabaoth. Than sayd the larke, Bycause my parte Is upward to ascend, And downe to rebound Toward the ground, Singyng to discend ; Than after my wunt Pleni sunt, Celi et terra, quod she, THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. 7 Shall be my song On briefe and long, Majestatis glorie tue. The cocke dyd say, I use alway To crow both fyrst and last : Like a postle I am, For I preche to man, And tell him the nyght is past. I bring new tidynges That the Kynge of all kynges In tactu profudit chorus : Than sang he mellodius Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus. Than sayd the pye, I do prophecye, Than may I well syng thus, Sub umbra alarum Te prophet arum Laudabilis numerus. Than the byrdes all Domesticall, All at once dyd crye, For mankyndes sake, Both erly and late, We be all redy to dye. 8 T11E ARMONYE OF BYRDES. Te martyr um, Both all and sum, They sang mellifluus, Candidatus so bright, One God of myght Laudat exercitus. Than the red brest His tunes redrest, And sayd now wyll I holde With the churche, for there Out of the ayere I kepe me from the colde. Te per orbem terrarum, In usum Sarum, He sange cum gloria ; Sancta was nexte, And then the hole texte * Confitetur ecclesia. Than the egle spake, Ye know my estate, That I am lorde and kyng ; Therfore wyll I To the father only Gyve laude and praisyng. He toke his flyght To the sonnes lyght, Oculis aure verberatis; THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. 9 Patrem, he sang, That all the wood rang Immense majestatis. Than sayd the phenix, There is none such As I, hut I alone ; Nor the Father, I prove, Reygnyng above, Hath no mo sonnes but one. With tunes mylde I sang that chylde Venerandum verum ; And his name dyd reherse In the ende of the verse, Et unicum filium. Than sayd the dove, Scripture doth prove, That from the deite The Holy Spiright On Christ dyd lyght In lykenesse of me ; And sytli the Spiright From heven bright Lyke unto me dyd come, I wyll syng, quod she, Sanctum quoque Paracletum Spiritum, 10 THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. Than all in one voyce They dyd all rejoy ce, Omnes vos iste, Chaungyng their key From ut to rey, Et tu rex glorie Christe. Then sayd the wren, I am called the hen Of our Lady most cumly ; Than of her Sun My notes shall run, For the love of that Lady. By tytle and ryght The Son of myght, She dyd hym well dyscus, Tu Patris syngyng, Without any endyng, Sempiternus es filius. The tyrtle trew, With notes new, The lady of chastyte, Of a vyrgins wombe Was all her songe, And of mannes libertye ; Tu ad liber andum, Et salvandum Ilominem perditum, THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. 11 Non horruisti Sed eligisti Virginis uterum. Than sayd the pellycane, Whan my byrdes be slayne With my bloude I them revy ve ; Scrypture doth record The same dyd our Lord, And rose from deth to lyve. She sang, Tu devicto Mortis aculeo, Ut Dominus dominorum, Tu ascendisti Et apparuisti Credentibus regna celorum. The osyll dyd pricke Her notes all thycke, With'blacke ynke and with red ; And in like facyon With Christ in his passyon, From the fote to the crown of the lied. But now he doth raygne With his Father agayne, In dextera majestatis : Than sang she with joye, Tu ad dexteram Dei Sedes, in gloria Patris. 12 THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. The swalowes syng swete, To man we be mete, For with him we do buylde : Lyke as from above God, for mannes love, Was borne of mayden milde. We come and go, As Christ shall do, To judge both great and small : They sang for this, Judex crederis Esse venturus all. Than in prostracion They made oration To Christ that died upon the rood, To have mercy on those For whom he chose To shed his precious blood. Te ergo quesumus, We pray the Jesus, Famulos tuos subveni Ab omni doloso, Quos precioso Sanguine redemisti. The haukes dyd syng, Their belles dyd ryng, Thei said they came from the Tower : THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. 13 We hold with the kyng, And wyll for him syng To God, day, nyght, and hower. The sparrowes dyd tell, That Christ in his Gospell A texte of them dyd purpose ; Suis heredibus Multis pastoribus Meliores estis vos. They fell downe flat With Salvum fac Populum tuum, Domine, In heven to sit Et benedic Hereditate tue. Than all dyd respond, Lorde, helpe at hond, Ne cadant ad internum ; Et rege eos, Et extolle illos Usque in eternum. They toke their flyght, Prayeng for the ryght, And thus their prayer began; Pater noster, qui es Per singulos dies, Benedicimus te, God and man. 14 THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. Et laudamus Et gloriosus Nomen tuum so hye, In seculum here, In this militant quere, Et in seculum seculi. They dyd begyn To pray that syn Shuld clene from us exire ; Dignare Domine Die isto sine Peccato nos custodire. With supplication They made intercessyon, And sung, Misere nostri, Rehersyng this texte In Englysh nexte, Lorde, on us have mercy. Than dyd they prepare Away for to fare, And all at once arose, Singyng in ara, Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos. With tunes renude They dyd conclude Whan they away shuld flye, THE ARMONYE OF BYRDES. 1 To syng all and sum Quemadmodum Speravimus in te. Than dyd I go Where I came fro, And ever I dyd pretend, Not to tary long, But of this song To make a fynall ende. I sayd, In te, Domine, Speravi cotidie, That I fall not in infernum ; And than with thy grace, After this place Non confunder in eternum. FINIS. Imprinted at London, by John Wyght dwelling in Poules church yarde, at the sygne of the Rose. NOTES. P. 4, 1. 11, — Without lettyng] i.e. without hindrance or obstruction . P. 4, 1. 22, — Called the mavis] Sir W. Scott, in a note to his ballad of “ Alice Brand,” in The Lady of the Lake, informs us that the mavis is a thrush, but in this poem the thrush is afterwards mentioned as a different bird. Tyrwhitt in his notes upon Chaucer informs us that the mavis is Saxon for a thrush ; but according to Todd, it is rather to be derived from the French mauvis , and he quotes a passage from Lord Bacon, which shews that he did not consider the mavis and the thrush the same bird. P. 4. 1. 21, — The treble in ellamy] e la mi seem to have been the names of musical notes in singing. P. 5. 1. 21, — For my Brest is decay d~\ The word “ breast” was of old constantly used for voice. P. 6, 1. 11, — Incessabile] In the original this word is mis- printed as two words, In cessabile. P. 6, 1. 25, — Than after my wunt] i.e. after my wont , or cus- tom, so spelt for the sake of the rhyme. c 18 NOTES. P. 7, 1. 2, — On brief e and long] Brief and long were the names of notes in music. P. 8, 1. 12, — I kepe me from the eolde] Of all birds the robin is supposed most to prefer and resemble man, and his reason for “ bolding with the church,” because it keeps him warm, is certainly a very human one. P. 8, 1. 14, — In usum Sarum\ Missals in usum Sarum, were such as were employed at Salisbury. P. 8, 1. 24, — Gyve laude and praisyng ] Misprinted in the original “ Gyve luade &c. P. 10, 1. 5, — From ut to rey\ ut and re were also the old names of musical notes in singing. P. 10, 1. 10, — Than of her sun] Sun for son: it is rightly spelt in the next stanza. P. 10, 1. 17, — Without any endijing] It is hardly worth notice, but in the original “Without” is misprinted Witout. P. 11, 1. 16, — The osyll did pricke\ Shakespeare introduces “ the oozel cock” in Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, Act iii. sc. 1 . It differs from the blackbird chiefly by having a white crescent on its breast. P. 11, 1. 18 —With black ynke and with red~\ So of old musical notes were written and printed : to “prick,” used two lines earlier, was a technical expression in the com- position of music. NOTES. 19 P. 12, L 26, — Their belles dyd ryng] At the time when hawk- ing was in fashion, hawks carried bells, that they might be heard, as well as seen. P. 13, 1. 11, — Multis pastorirus] So in the original ; the misprint is obvious. Vide Luke, c. xii. v. 7. P. 14, 1. 5, — In this militant quere\ Formerly quire was not unfrequently spelt quere , especially if it were wanted for the sake of the rhyme. P. 14, 1. 15,— And suny misere nostri ] Another misprint, which the reader will at once detect and correct. P. 14, 1. 20, — Aivay for to fare] To fare in its oldest sense is to go, from far an. Sax. W e still use it in the compound thoroughfare, if not in farewell. P. 15, 1. 6, — And ever I did pretend] Nothing was much more common of old, than to use “ pretend 5 ’ in the sense of intend. THE END. RICHARDS, PRINTER, ST. MARTIN’S LANE.