tendaunce withoute fastynge of the stormes of aduersyte that may by the redyng of hystoryes conteynynge dyuerse customes, condycions, lawes, and actes of sondry nacyons come vnto the knowleche and vnderstandyng of the same wysedeme and polycye. In whiche hystoryes so wryten in large and aourned volumes, he syttynge in his chamber or studye maye rede, knowe, and vnderstonde the polytyke and noble actes of alle the worlde as of one Cyte. And the conflyctes errours, troubles, and vexacions done in the sayd vnyuersalle worlde. In suche wyse as he hadde ben and seen them in the propre places where as they were done. For certayne it is a greete fortune vnto a man that can be refourmed by other and straunge mennes hurtes and scathes. And by the same to knowe, what is requysyte and prouffytable for his lyfe. And eschewe suche erroures and Inconuenytes, by whiche other men haue ben hurte and loste theyr felycyte. ¶ Therfore the counseylles of auncyent and whyte heered men, in whome olde age bath engendred wysedome, ben gretely preysed of yonger men. And yet hystoryes so moche more excelle them. As the dyuturnyte or lengthe of tyme Includeth moo ensamples of thynges and laudable actes then the age of one man may suf fyse to see. ¶ Hystoryes ought not oonly to be Juged moost prouffy table to yonge men, whiche by the lecture, redynge, and vnderstandynge make them semblable and equale to men of gretter age, and to olde men, to whome longe lyfe hath mynystred experymentes of dyuerse thynges, but also thystoryes able and make ryght pryuate men dygne and worthy to haue the gouernaunce of Empyres and noble Royammes, hystoryes meone and withdrawe Emperours and kynges fro vycyous Ty rannye. Fro vecordyous sleuthe vnto Tryumphe and vyctorye in puyssaunt bataylles. Hystoryes also haue meoued right noble knyghtes to deserue eternall laude, whiche foloweth them for theyr vyctoryous merytes. And cause them more valyantly to entre in Jeopardyes of bataylles for the defence and tuycyon of theyr countree, and publyke wele. Hystorye also affrayeth cruell Tyrauntes for drede of Infamye & shame Infynyte, by cause of the detestable actes of suche cruell persones ben oftymes planted and regystred in Cronycles vnto theyr perpetuell obprobrye and dyuulgacion of theyr Infamye. As the Actes of Nero and suche other. Truly many of bye and couragyous men of grete empryse, desyrynge theyr famesto be perpetuelly conserued by lyberall monumentes, which ben the permanente recordes of euery vertuous and noble Acte, haue buylded and edefyed Ryall and noble Cytees. And for the conseruacion of the wele publycke haue mynystred and establysshed dyscrete and prouffytable lawes. And thus the pryncy pall laude, and cause of delectable and amyable thynges, in whiche

mannes

mannes felycyte stondeth and resteth ought and maye well be attrybuted to hystoryes, whiche worde hystorye maye be de scryued thus. Hystorye is a perpetuall conseruatryce of those thynges, that haue be done before this presente tyme, and also a cotydyan wytnesse of byenfayttes, of malefaytes, grete Actes and Tryumphall vyctoryes of all maner people. And also yf the terryble feyned Fables of Poetes haue moche styred & meoued men to pyte, and conseruytige of Justyce. How moche more is to be supposed, that hystorye assertryce of veryte as moder of alle Phylosophye, meouynge our maners to vertue, refourmeth and reconcyled ner honde all those men, whiche thrugh the Jufyrmyte of our mortall nature bath ledde the moost parte of they'r lyfe to Ocyosyte and myspended theyr tyme passed right soone out of Remembraunce. Of whiche lyfe and deth is egall oblyuyon. The fruytes of vertue ben Immortall, specyally whanne they ben wrapped in the benefyce of bystoryes. Thenne it inuste folowe, that it is moost fayr to men mortall to suffre labours and payne, for glorye and fame Inmortalle. Hercules whan he lyued suffred greete labours and perylles wylfully puttyng hymselfe in many terryble and ferdfull Jeopardyes to obteyne of all people the benefaytes of Inmortall laude and renomme. We rede of other noble men, some lordes and some other of lower estates reputed as goddes in dyuerse regyons, the whose famous Actes, and excellent vertues oonly hystorye hath preserued fro perysshyng in eternall memorye. Other monymentes dystrybuted in dyuerse chaunges, endured but for a short tyme or season. But the vertue of bystorye dyffused and spredde by the vnyuersall worlde hath tyme, which consumeth all other thynges as conseruatryce & kepar of her werke. Ferthermore Eloquence is soo precyous and noble, that almoost noo thynge can be founden more precyous than it. By Eloquence the Grekes ben preferred in contynuell honour to fore the rude Barbares. Oratours and lerned clerkes in lyke wyse excelle vnlerned and brutysshe people. Syth this Eloquence is suche that causeth men amonge them selfe some to excelle other, after the qualyte of the vertue and Eloquence be seyn to be of valewe. For some we Juge to be good men dygne of laude, whiche shewe to vs the waye of vertue. And other haue taken an other waye for tenflamme more the courages of men by fables of poesye than to prouffyte. And by the lawes and Instytutes more to punysshe than to teche. Soo that of these thynges the vtylyte is myxte with harme. For some sothly techeth to lye. But hy storye representynge the thynges lyke vnto the wordes, enbraceth all vtylyte and prouffyte. It sheweth honeste, and maketh vyces detestable. It enhaunceth noble men and depresseth wycked men and foules. Also thynges that hystorye

de cryneth

deseryueth by experyence, moche pronfyten vnto a ryghtfull lyfe. Thenne syth hystorye is so precyous and also prouf fytable. I haue delybered to wryte two bookes notable, re tenynge in them many notable hystory es, as the lyues, myracles, passyons, and dethe of dyuerse holy sayntes, whiche shall be comprysed by thayde and suffraunce of almyghty god in one of them, whiche is named Legenda aurea, that is the golden Legende. And that other booke is named Polycronycon in whiche booke ben comprysed bryefly many wonderfull hystoryes. Fyrste the descrypcyon of the vnyuersal worlde, as well in length as in brede with the deuysyons of countrees, Royammes and Empyres, the noble Cytees, hye Mountayns, famous Ryuers, merueylles and wondres, and also the hystoryall Actes and wonderful! dedes syth the fyrste makynge of heuen and erthe vnto the begynnynge of kyng Heary the seuenthe the .x. yere of his regne, and vnto the yere of our lorde a. M. CCCC. lxxxxv. As by thayde of almyghty god shall folowe all a longe, after the composynge and gaderynge of dan Ranulphe monke of Chestre fyrste auctour of this booke, and afterwarde Englysshed by one Treuisa vycarye of Barkley, whiche atte requeste of one Syr Thomas lorde Barkley translated this sayd booke, the Byble, and Barthylmew de proprietati bus rerut out of Latyn in to Englysshe. And now at this tyme symply emprynted newe and sette in forme by me Wyn. kyn de woorde and a lytyll embelysshed fro tholde makynge, and also haue added suche storyes as I coude fynde fro the ende that the sayd Ranulphe fynysshed his booke whiche was the yere of our lorde. M.CCC. and .lv. vnto the yere of the same .M.CCCC.lxxxxv. whiche ben an hondred and. xxxviii. yere. Whiche worke I haue fynysshed vnder the noble proteccyon of my moost drad naturell and souerayne lorde and moost crysten kyng, kyng Henry the seuenth humbly besechynge his moost noble grace to pardone me yf ony thynge therinne be sayd of Ignoraunce, or otherwyse than it ought to be. And also requyrynge all other to amende where as ther is defaute, wherin And I shall he or they maye deserue thanke and meryte.

praye for them that soo doo. For I knowleche myn Ignoraunce and also symplenes. And yf ther be thynge that maye please or prouffyte ony man I am gladde that I have achyeued

it.

And folowynge this my prohemye I shall sette a Table shortely touched of the moost parte of this booke. And where the sayde Auctour hath all his werke in seuen bookes. I haue sette that whiche I haue added to after parte, and haue marked

"The Byble," omitted by Treveris, and favours the pre sumption that Trevisa did not translate that work. See note in Dibdin's Ames, Vol. I. p. 141-3.

↑ Vide the present Vol. p. 107-10.

it

It the laste booke, and have made chapytres acordynge to the other werke. Of whiche accomplysshynge I thanke almyghty god. To whome be gyuen honour, laude, and glorye, in secula seculor. Amen. Explicit Prohemium.¶Deo gracias."

J. H.

[Colophon.] Explicit (Noua legenda anglie.) Impressa londonias: in domo Winandi de Worde: commorantis ad signum solis: in vico nuncupate (the flete strete). Anno dni M. CCCCC xvi. xxvii. die Februarii. ¶ Itaque omnes historie hic collecte: merito dicuntur noue: quia licet quedam etiam reperiuntur apud plures: non tamen ila emendate et correcte sicut in hoc volumen continentur.

This volume contains about 170 legends, or lives of Saints, and, according to Ames, is called Capgrave's lives of the Saints. The Prologue ends thus:

*

"Et quia maior pars sanctorum in hac presenti legenda jam noueter impressa contentorum fuerunt de ista patria que nunc anglia vocatur aut cum vocabatur britannia vel postquam nomen anglie sortita est in ea nati vel conversati. Et quia similiter predicte terre hibernie scotie et wallie: de jure subici debent et obedientes esse tenentur huic regno anglie. Presens volumen istud (ut videtur) non incongrue vocari potest (Nova legenda anglie)."

The following passage on the subject of early English Poetry, has escaped the notice of the biblio graphers. The running title is

"De Servo Dei Godrico et heremita,

"Scotorum Rex David exercitum in Angliam ducens : regionem rapiwis et incendiis deuastauit. Venientes igitur quidam irruunt in ecclesiam godrici cuncta dirripiunt: oblatas cum vino comedunt et bibunt et virum dei grauissime eesum capillis virga intorta decollare proponunt. Cumque mortem paratus expectans: ceruicem libenter extenderet: quidam potens ne perimeretur de manibus eorum eum eripuit.

See Dibdin's Ames, Vol. II. p. 209.

Dicebant

Dicebant enim ei ubi est thesaurus tuus? Ille autem eis non respondit: sed conuersus ad crucem ait Domine jhesu tu scis quia non est michi thesaurus in terra: nisi tu deus et domi nus meus. Unde indignati eum amplius verberabant. Unus autem eorum citra tertium miliare recedendo in insaniam versus: linguam suam propriis dentibus comedit; et in lacum se precipitavit. Alius furens in weri flumine se demersit et periit: nec aliquis qui sancto iniurias intulerat : ad castrum nouum viuus peruenit: sed diuersi casibus interiere diuersis. A latronibus frequenter godricus iniurias vincula verberaque sustinuit patienter: et illis recedentibus si quid forte remanserat currens post eos obsecrabat: ut etiam illud auferrent. Respiciens godricus ad altare beate Marie vidit duas virgines ad duo cornua altaris stantes. Erat autem illis species pulcherrima: et vestes niueo candore splendentes:. et ipse diu se inuicem contemplantes. Godricus admirans et stupefactus intremuit: et mox tanto repletus est gaudio: ut pene sibi videretur a terrenì pondere corporis liberatus: et tacens sepius in eas oculos conuertebat. Stante una stabat et altera: gradiente una gradiebat altera. Ad godricum denique accesserunt: et stantes aliquandiu tacuerunt. Tunc illa que a dextris erat: eum taliter est affata. Numquid me godrice cognoscis ? Et ille Domina hoc nemo potest: nisi cui tu volueris reuelare. Bene inquit illa dixisti : quia mater christi sum: et per me ipsius gratiam obtinebis. Ista est apostolorum apostola maria magdalena. Nos tibi patrocinabimur: et solatium in omni tribulatione prestabimus. Ille pedibus virginis aduolutus : tibi me inquit domina mea committo ut me perpetuo custodire digneris. Tunc utraque manus · super caput illius apposuit et cesariem complanantes domum odore dulcifluo repleverunt Post hec dei genitrix canticum coram illo quasi coram puero discente canticum cecinit et ipsum cantare docuit. Ipse vero post eam frequenter cecinit et memorie firmiter commendauit. Erat au tem rithmice in anglico compositum: quod hoc modo in latinum transferri potest. Sancta maria virgo mater ihesu christi nazareni admitte protege adiuua tuum godricum: suscipe adduc cito tecum in dei regnum. Precepit ut quoties temptationi succumbere formidaret: hoc se cantico solaretur. Quando inquit sic me inuocabis: meum senties instanter auxilium. Et signum crucis capiti eius impressit et altera idem fecit: et ipso cernente in alta conscendunt: odorem incomparabilem relinquentes. Yestes earum tante subtilitatis erant: quod hominis tactum sustinere non possent. Erant enim sicut pellicula que intra oui testam continetur. Fol. CLXI."

An