Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

masses and prayers for him, which they readily promised; but they all mourned and wept, especially because he said, "They should no more see his face in this world." They rejoiced for that he said, "It is time that I return to Him who formed me out of nothing: I have lived long; my merciful Judge well foresaw my life for me; the time of my dissolution draws nigh; for I desire to die and to be with Christ." Having said much more, he passed the day joyfully till the evening; and the boy, above mentioned, said: “Dear master, there is yet one sentence not written." He answered, "Write quickly." Soon after, the boy said, "The sentence is now written." He replied, "It is well, you have said the truth. It is ended. Receive my head into your hands, for it is a great satisfaction to me to sit facing my holy place, where I was wont to pray, that I may also sitting call upon my Father." And thus on the pavement of his little cell, singing, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost," when he had named the Holy Ghost, he breathed his last, and so departed to the heavenly kingdom. All who were present at the death of the blessed father, said they had never seen any other person expire with so much devotion, and in so tranquil a frame of mind. For as you have heard, so long as the soul animated his body, he never ceased to give thanks to the true and living God, with expanded hands exclaiming, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost!" with other spiritual ejaculations. But know this, dearest brother, that I could say much concerning him, if my want of learning did not cut short my discourse. Nevertheless, by the grace of God, I purpose shortly to write more concerning him; particularly of those things which I saw with my own eyes, and heard with my own ears.

The torch passed from Bede to Alcuin, born, probably, in the year of the death of Bede, a.d. 735. Alcuin, like Cadmon and Bede, was a North countryman. He was taken as an infant into the monastery at York, there trained to the service of the Church, and when his studious character had declared itself, he acquired charge over the minster school and the library, then one of the best in England. On the library wall Alcuin caused four lines to this effect to be inscribed in Latin verses of his own :

ON A LIBRARY.

"Small is the space which contains the gifts of heavenly Wisdom

Which you, Reader, rejoice piously here to receive; Richer than richest gifts of the kings this treasure of Wisdom;

Light, for the seeker of this, shines on the road to the Day."

Charlemagne was in those days establishing his rule; and looking to First-English civilisation for the guidance of his own attempts to civilise his empire, he drew to his side the learned Yorkshireman as a sort of Minister of Public Instruction. Alcuin established discipline in the monasteries under Charlemagne's dominion, wrote text-books for their schools, attacked what he believed to be heresies of the time, was not less religious than Bede, though less gentle, for he was stern of opinion and energetic in administration, while recognising all the Christian graces, and labouring to temper even Charlemagne's delight in war with the spirit of mercy. His phrase

for himself was "the humble Levite." He was in a position favourable in the highest degree to selfseeking, but there is not a trace in his life or writing of any thought that set advantage of his own before the well-being of humanity. He gathered to himself no riches, but spent shrewd energies, that would have enabled him to compass any low object of worldly ambition, in strenuous labour to serve God by establishing His kingdom in the hearts of men. Alcuin died in the year 804. One of his books (written in Latin) is a short treatise "On the Virtues and Vices," written for Wido, Margrave of Brittany, governor, therefore, of the province that contained the Abbey of Tours, in which Alcuin died. This treatise, written at Wido's request to help him in the government of his own life, began with Wisdom

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

1 The Four Virtues. He means the four Virtues called cardina! which were Prudence or Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Temperance. It Plato's Republic the orders in a state are said to be three-Guardians. Auxiliaries, Producers; the virtues of a state three-Wisdom (quality of the Guardians), Courage (of the Auxiliaries), Temperance of the Producers and of all); Justice, the fourth Virtue, being the Haruny of All. These virtues correspond also, said Plato, in the individual të

things, as far as that is given to man; by which is to be understood what a man should avoid, or what he should do: and this is what is read in the Psalm, Depart from evil and do good. Justice is a nobility of the mind, ascribing to each thing its proper dignity. By this, the study of divinity, rights of humanity, just judgments, and the equity of our whole life may be preserved. Courage is a great patience of the mind and long suffering, with perseverance in good works, and victory over all kinds of vices. Temperance is the measure of the whole life, lest a man love or hate too much, but that a considerate attention temper all varieties of life. But to those who shall keep these in faith and charity, are promised the rewards of eternal glory by the truth itself in Christ Jesus. There is no better Prudence than that by which God is understood and feared according to the measure of the human mind, and his future judgment is believed. And what is more Just than to love God and keep his commandments? through whom, when we were not, we were created, and when we were lost we were created anew, and freed from the bondage of sin; who freely gave us all the good we have. And in this Courage what is better than to overcome the devil, and triumph over all his suggestions, to bear firmly in God's name all the troubles of the world? A very noble virtue is Temperance, in which stands among men all the honour of this life; that a man shall, in whatever cause, think, speak, and do all things with regard to his well-being. But these things are light and sweet to the man loving God, who says, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Is it not better and happier to love God, who is eternal beauty, eternal fragrance, eternal rapture, eternal harmony, eternal sweetness, honour perpetual and happiness without an end, than to love the vain shows and disquiets of this age-the fair appearances, sweet savours, soft sounds, fragrant odours and things pleasant to the touch, the passing delights and honours of the world, that all recede and vanish as a flying shadow, deceive the lover of himself, and send him to eternal misery? But he who faithfully loves God and the Lord, unceasingly worships Him, and steadily fulfils His commandments, shall be made worthy to possess eternal glory with His angels.

CHAPTER XXXVI.-Peroration of the Work.

These things have I set down for you, my sweetest son, in short discourse, as you requested; that you may have them always in your sight as a little handbook, in which you may consider with yourself what you ought to avoid, or what to do, and be exhorted in each prosperous or adverse accident of this world how you should mount to the height of perfection. And do not let the quality of the lay habit or secular companionship deter you, as if in that dress you could not enter the gates of heaven. Since there are preached, equally to all, the blessings of the kingdom of God, so to every sex, age, and person equally, according to the height of merit, does the way into the kingdom of God lie open. There it is not distinguished who was in this world layman or clerk, rich man or poor, youth or elder, master or slave; but each one according to the merit of his deeds shall be crowned with eternal glory. Amen.

three qualities-Wisdom to the Rational, Courage to the Spirited, Temperance to the Appetitive; while Injustice disturbs their Harmony. It is the Just aim alike of a Man and of a State to be Temperate, Brave, and Wise. In his Protagoras Plato added to these four cardinal virtues Holiness (oσtorns); the evσeßcia frequently mentioned as a virtue by the Socrates of Xenophon. Aristotle omitted this, distinctly separating Ethics from Religion.

Apart from Cædmon's Paraphrase, the religious poetry of the First English is now chiefly in two collections: the one known as the "Vercelli Book," because it was discovered in 1823 by Dr. Friedrich Blume, in a monastery at Vercelli; the other known as the "Exeter Book," because it is in the Chapter Library of Exeter Cathedral, to which it was given, with other volumes, by Bishop Leofric between the years 1046 and 1073. The Exeter Book" begins with a fine poem, in nearly 3,400 lines, on Christ, by Cynewulf, who is represented also in the Exeter Book' by a long poem on the Legend of St. Juliana, and in the "Vercelli Book" by nearly 3,000 lines on the Legend of St. Helen, or the Finding of the Cross. Jacob Grimm was probably right in suggesting that this poet was a Cynewulf, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who died in the year 780. He associated his name with his work by scattering the letters of it conspicuously over some short passage in each of his longer poems. Other metrical legends

66

in these books are that of St. Andrew, in 3,444 lines, and a shorter legend of St. Guthlac. There are also two poems of a form that survived FirstEnglish times, Addresses of the Soul to the Body, several religious allegories, of the Phoenix, of the Panther, concerning whom a fable is applied to the Resurrection, and the Whale, "cruel and fierce to seafarers," who is described as a type of the Devil. Of him the fable is that he draws his prey by sending a sweet odour from his mouth. "Then suddenly around the prey the grim gums crash together. So it is to every man who often and negligently in this stormy world lets himself be deceived by sweet odour. ... Hell's latticed doors have not return or escape, or any outlet for those who enter, any more than the fishes sporting in ocean can turn back from the whale's grip." In the First-English artist's illustration to Cadmon's Fall of the Angels1 and other drawings of his, the open jaws of the whale represent the mouth of hell. We shall find this symbol retained in medieval literature. Among the shorter poems is one called "The Sea-farer." This builds an allegory upon our English desire towards the sea, and represents under the figure of seafaring the leaving earth behind and its unstable joys, for lonely watching and striving, against all cold discouragements and through all trial in the tumults of the spiritual storm, uncared for by those who choose earth and its pleasures. Let me try to translate

[blocks in formation]

At the dark prow in danger Of dashing on rock,

Folded in by the frost,

My feet bound by the cold

In chill bands, in the breast

The heart burning with care. The soul of the sea weary Hunger assailed.

Knows not he who finds happiest

Home upon earth

How I lived through long winters

In labour and care,

On the icy-cold ocean,

An exile from joy,

Cut off from dear kindred,

Encompassed with ice.

Hail flew in hard showers,

And nothing I heard

But the wrath of the waters,
The icy-cold way;

At times the swan's song;

In the scream of the gannet

I sought for my joy,

In the moan of the sea-whelp

For laughter of men,

In the song of the sea-mew
For drinking of mead.

Starlings answered the storm

[blocks in formation]

Beating stones on the cliff,

Icy-feathered, and often

The eagle would shriek,

Wet of wing.

Not one home-friend could feel

With the desolate soul;

For he little believes

To whom life's joy belongs

In the town, lightly troubled

With dangerous tracks,

Vain with high spirit

And wanton with wine,

How often I wearily

Held my sea-way.

The night shadows darkened,

It snowed from the north;
The rime bound the rocks;

The hail rolled upon earth,

Coldest of corn:

Therefore now is high heaving In thoughts of my heart,

That my lot is, to learn

The wide joy of waters

The whirl of salt spray.

Often desire drives

My soul to depart,

That the home of the strangers Far hence I may seek.

There is no man among us
So proud in his mind,
Nor so good in his gifts,
Nor so gay in his youth,

Nor so daring in deeds,
Nor so dear to his lord,
That his soul never stirred

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Cynewulf's" Christ," of which the original opening is lost, begins for us with praise of Christ as the corner-stone that the builders rejected, and with looking to Christ from the prison of this world. The poet then dwells on the mystery of the pure birth of the Saviour, and passes to a hymning of praise of the Virgin, "the delight of women among all the hosts of heaven." The theme of the Nativity is approached with an imagined dialogue between Joseph and Mary, and passes again into a strain of joyous hymning. In the one measure common to all FirstEnglish poetry, which I put into another form without change of his thoughts, Cynewulf sings his

[blocks in formation]

CALL FOR CHRIST.

Come now, thou Lord of Victory, Creator of Mankind,
Make manifest Thy tenderness in mercy to us here!
Need is there for us all in Thee thy Mother's kin to find,
Though to thy Father's mystery we cannot yet come near.

Christ, Saviour, by Thy coming bless this earth of ours with love;

The golden gates, so long fast barred, do Thou, O Heavenly King,

Bid now unclose, that humbly Thou, descending from above, Seek us on earth, for we have need of blessing Thou canst bring.

With fangs of death the accursed wolf hath scattered, Lord, the flock

That with Thy blood, in time of old, O Master, thou hast bought;

He has us in fierce clutch; we are his prey, his mock, He scorns our soul's desire; wherefore, to Thee is all our thought.

2 Though written without break, the original is here defective, through some oversight of the copyist.

Thee, our Preserver, earnestly we pray that Thou devise
For sad exiles a speedy help; let the dark spirit fall
To depths of hell; but let thy work, Creator, let man rise
Justly to that high realm whence the Accursed drew us all.

Through love of sin he drew us that, bereft of heaven's light,

We suffer endless miseries, betrayed for evermore, Unless Thou come to save us from the slayer, Lord of Might! Shelter of Man! O Living God! come soon, our need is sore!

Cynewulf then continuing the theme of the Nativity with renewed praise of the Virgin, passes to the resurrection, the ascension, the descent into hell, and liberation of the souls who there awaited the Lord's coming; and he closes his poem with hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God who gives us food and all blessings of this life, the sun and moon, the dew and rain, the increase of the earth, and the salvation of the soul through Christ.

Outside the Exeter and Vercelli Books, the most important First-English religious poem is a fragment on the story of Judith, which, although a fragment, includes the part to which the poet gave his highest energy, the slaying of Holofernes, and the welcoming of Judith by the city she had saved. This poem is in the same MS. which contains the great poem of Beowulf, not religious, but a record of the Northern

to the eighth century, and was, perhaps, by Aldhelm. I give one of these versified Psalms of David-the sixty-seventh-as an example of First English.

FIRST-ENGLISH METRICAL VERSION OF

Verse 1. Miltsa us, mihtig drihten, and us on móde eác gebletsa nu!

beorhte leóhte

thinne andwlítan and us
on móde weorth
thuruh thíne mycelnesse
milde and blithe!

2. And we thæs on eorthan andgyt habbath

and úre wegas wide
geond thas wertheóde
on thinre hælo
healdan mótan.

3. Folc the andette!
thu eart fæle God;
and the andetten
ealle theóda!

1 Miltsa, Be merciful.

PSALM LXVII,1

"Milts," mercy; "milts-ian," to pity, to be gracious. Allied to the word "mild."-Mihtig, mighty; the h having been strongly aspirated is now represented by gh, the softened g by y.-Drihten, Lord; "driht," a household; "drihten," lord, as the supreme father and ruler. - On móde, in mind (mood).Gobletsa nu, bless now.-Beorhte, brightly; e, a case-ending, passed into adverbial sign.-Leóhte, make shine.-Thinne andwlitan, thy face "andwlita" German "antlitz." It is a masculine noun ending in a, and therefore of the first declension, which consists only of nouns ending in the vowels a or e, and is thus inflected

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

THE PSALMIST.

From a Psalter of the Tenth Century, Cotton MS. Tiberius, C. vi.

life of our forefathers before they had received Christianity. The place for some representation of Beowulf will be in the section of this Library that describes our larger works in verse and prose. There are also First-English hymns and prayers in various MSS., and a version of the Psalms, partly in prose, partly in verse, which from Psalm li. to cl. belongs

Weorth, become; "weorthan," to become, be. The word is used in such a phrase as "woe worth the day."-Thuruh thine mycelnesse, through thy (mickleness) greatness.-Thas (adverb), for this.-Andgyt, understanding.-We habbath, we have, or shall have. There was no future tense in First English; the present represented it. -ath was the plural sign in the present indicative of verbs where the pronoun preceded the verb, e if the pronoun followed. The present of "habban," to have, in which the v is formed by soft pronunciation of the b, shows the original softening of the b into an f, which has since been softened out of existence altogether. Ic habbe or hæbbe = have; thu hæfst-ha(f)st; he hæfth-ha(f)th; we, ge or hi hab bath, or habbe we, ge or hi. So in the past "hæfde" becomes "ha(f)d."-Ure regas, our ways. "Weg," way, a masculine noun ending in a consonant, is of the second declension, which contains

« AnteriorContinuar »