Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookeem to have been written together, somewhere about 1380, and took up a considerable time, and the apparent date of the Legend is 1385, the probable date of the House of Fame is about 1383 or 1384. Ten Brink further remarks that the references to Jupiter suggest to the reader that the 10th of December was a Thursday (see note to 111). This would give 1383 for beginning the poem; and perhaps no fitter date than the end of 1383 and the spring of 1384 can be found. § 6. METRE. Many of Chaucer's metres were introduced by him from the French; but the four-accent metre, with rime as here employed, was commonly known before Chaucer's time. It was used by Robert of Brunne in 1303, in the Cursor Mundi, and in Havelok. It is, however, of French origin, and occurs in the very lengthy poem of Le Roman de la Rose. Chaucer only employed it thrice: (1) in translating the Roman de la Rose; (2) in the Book of the Duchesse; and (3) in the present poem. For normal lines, with masculine rimes, see 7, 8, 13, 14, 29, 33, &c. For normal lines, with feminine rimes, see 1, 2, 9, 15, 18, &c. Elision is common, as of _e_ in _turne_ (1), in _somme_ (6), in _Devyne_ (14); &c. Sometimes there is a middle pause, where a final syllable need not always be elided. Thus we may read:-- 'By abstinencë--or by seknesse' (25): 'In studie--or melancolious' (30): 'And fro unhappë--and ech disese' (89): 'In his substáuncë--is but air' (768). Two short syllables, rapidly pronounced, may take the place of one:-- 'I noot; but who-_so of_ these mirácles' (12): '_By a_visiouns, or bý figúres' (47). The first foot frequently consists of a single syllable; see 26, 35, 40, 44; so also in l. 3, where, in modern English, we should prefer _Unto_. The final _e_, followed by a consonant, is usually sounded, and has its usual grammatical values. Thus we have _think-e_, infin. (15); _bot-e_, old accus. of a fem. sb. (32); _swich-e_, plural (35); _oft-e_, adverbial (35); _soft-e_, with essential final _e_ (A.S. _s[=o]fte_); _find-e_, pres. pl. indic. (43); _com-e_, gerund (45): _gret-e_, pl. (53); _mak-e_, infin. (56); _rod-e_, dat. form used as a new nom., of which there are many examples in Chaucer (57); _blind-e_, def. adj. (138). The endings _-ed_, _-en_, _-es_, usually form a distinct syllable; so also _-eth_, which, however, occasionally becomes _'th_; cf. _comth_ (71). A few common words, written with final _e_, are monosyllabic; as _thise_ (these); also _shulde_ (should), and the like, occasionally. Remember that the old accent is frequently different from the modern; as in _orácles_, _mirácles_ (11, 12): _distaúnc-e_ (18), _aventúres_, _figúres_ (47, 48): _povért_ (88): _málicióus_ (93): &c. The endings _-i-al_, _-i-oun_, _-i-ous_, usually form two distinct syllables. For further remarks on Metre and Grammar, see vol. v. § 7. IMITATIONS. The chief imitations of the House of Fame are The Temple of Glas, by Lydgate[6]; The Palice of Honour, by Gawain Douglas; The Garland of Laurell, by John Skelton; and The Temple of Fame, by Pope. Pope's poem should not be compared with Chaucer's; it is very different in character, and is best appreciated by forgetting its origin. § 8. AUTHORITIES. The authorities for the text are few and poor; hence it is hardly possible to produce a thoroughly satisfactory text. There are three MSS. of the fifteenth century, viz. F. (Fairfax MS. 16, in the Bodleian Library); B. (MS. Bodley, 638, in the same); P. (MS. Pepys 2006, in Magdalene College, Cambridge). The last of these is imperfect, ending at l. 1843. There are two early printed editions of some value, viz. Cx. (Caxton's edition, undated); and Th. (Thynne's edition, 1532). None of the later editions are of much value, except the critical edition by Hans Willert (Berlin, 1883). Of these, F. and B., which are much alike, form a first group; P. and Cx. form a second group; whilst Th. partly agrees with Cx., and partly with F. The text is chiefly from F., with collations of the other sources, as given in the footnotes, which record only the more important variations. § 9. SOME EMENDATIONS. In constructing the text, a good deal of emendation has been necessary; and I have adopted many hints from Willert's edition above mentioned; though perhaps I may be allowed to add that, in many cases, I had arrived at the same emendations independently, especially where they were obvious. Among the emendations in spelling, I may particularise _misdemen_ (92), where all the authorities have _mysdeme_ or _misdeme_; _Dispyt_, in place of _Dispyte_ (96); _barfoot_, for _barefoot_ or _barefote_ (98); _proces_ (as in P.) for _processe_, as in the rest (251); _delyt_, _profyt_, for _delyte_, _profyte_ (309, 310); _sleighte_ for _sleight_ (462); _brighte_[7], _sighte_, for _bright_, _sight_ (503, 504); _wighte_, _highte_, for _wight_, _hight_ (739, 740); _fyn_, _Delphyn_ (as in Cx.), for _fyne_, _Delphyne_ (1005, 1006); _magyk_, _syk_, for _magyke_, _syke_ (1269, 1270); _losenges_, for _losynges_ (1317), and _frenges_ (as in F.) for _frynges_, as in the rest (1318); _dispyt_ for _dispite_ (1716); _laughe_ for _laugh_ (Cx. _lawhe_, 1809); _delyt_ for _delyte_ (P. _delit_, 1831); _thengyn_ (as in Th.) for _thengyne_ (1934); _othere_ for _other_ (2151, footnote). These are only a few of the instances where nearly all the authorities are at fault. The above instances merely relate to questions of spelling. Still more serious are the defects in the MSS. and printed texts as regards the sense; but all instances of emendation are duly specified in the footnotes, and are frequently further discussed in the Notes at the end. Thus, in l. 329, it is necessary to supply _I_. In 370, _allas_ should be _Eneas_. In 513, Willert rightly puts _selly_, i.e. wonderful, for _sely_, blessed. In 557, the metre is easily restored, by reading _so agast_ for _agast so_. In 621, we must read _lyte is_, not _lytel is_, if we want a rime to _dytees_. In 827, I restore the word _mansioun_; the usual readings are tautological. In 911, I restore _toun_ for _token_, and adopt the only reading of l. 912 that gives any sense. In 1007, the only possible reading is _Atlantes_. In 1044, Morris's edition has _biten_, correctly; though MS. F. has _beten_, and there is no indication that a correction has been made. In 1114, the right word is _site_; cf. the Treatise on the Astrolabe (see Note). In 1135, read _bilt_ (i.e. buildeth); _bilte_ gives neither sense nor rhythm. In 1173, supply _be_. Ll. 1177, 1178 have been set right by Willert. In 1189, the right word is _Babewinnes_[8]. In 1208, read _Bret_ (as in B.). In 1233, read _famous_. In 1236, read _Reyes_[9]. In 1303, read _hatte_, i.e. are named. In 1351, read _Fulle_, not _Fyne_. In 1372, adopt the reading of Cx. Th. P., or there is no nominative to _streighte_; and in 1373, read _wonderliche_. In 1411, read _tharmes_ (= _the armes_). In 1425, I supply _and hy_, to fill out the line. In 1483, I supply _dan_; if, |