ESSAY

ON THE

ANTIQUITY OF RIME IN EUROPE.

2

It has been lately asserted, that “the only opinions which now divide the learned on this subject, are, whether the use of rime originated from the Saracens, who took possession of Sicily in the year 828, or arose among the Italian monks in the eighth century.” 1

Both these opinions may be shown to be incorrect; a few facts will prove that rime was much earlier in existence. It is also declared to be “ certain that it was totally unknown to the ancient languages of Europe."? This opinion is as erroneous as the others.

The most important specimen of rime, between the years 800 and 900, is Otfrid's Paraphrase on the Gospels, written in the Franco-theotisc language. The author lived in the middle of the century. It occupies 380 folio pages, and is all in rime, generally very exact. The work will be found in the first volume of Schil. ter's Thesaurus. It was originally printed by Flacius, Basil, 1571. 8vo.

There is extant a letter of Otfrid to Leutbert, archbishop of Mentz, prefixed to his paraphrase, in which he explains his reasons for undertaking this work. He says, that some worthy persons, offended at the obscene songs of the laics, had particularly requested him to write part of the Gospels in the vernacular Theotisc language, that the singing of this might supersede the others. They told him that many heathen poets, as Virgil, Lucan,

. and others, had written much in their native language, while the Frankish nation had been very tardy in expressing the divine word in its own tongue. Otfrid adds, that, impelled by this importunity, he had composed a part of the Gospels in the Frankish language, that they, who had dreaded the difficulty of a foreign tongue, might read the sacred word in their own.

If these were the motives of Otfrid in this composition, is it not most probable that it was not only written in the vernacular language, but in the popular form of his nation? If rime had not been a great companion of Frankish poetry, is it likely that he who wrote a poetical work to supersede the use of their popular songs, would have composed it in rime? If rime had been then a novelty in France, would he not in this letter have apologised for introducing it into the Franco-theotisc language? Would he not have given his reasons for departing from its popular style ? On the contrary, he expresses himself as if he had composed his work in the usual poetical form of his countrymen.

Indeed, that rime was the usual companion of their poetry seems to be clearly deducible from another of his phrases. In describing the peculiarities of the Franco-theotisc language, he says, “it perpetually seeks rime." “ Schæma omoeteleuton assidue quærit.” This remarkable expression seems to me to have the force that rime was much in use in its poetry; for certainly the Franco-theotisc language is not so peculiarly musical, as to seek or tend to rime more than than any other.

Otfrid's aim was popularity. But if the Francs had not used rime, he could have reached his aim more certainly by using the ancient metres of his country, than by the difficult labour of writing so large a work in rime. I should also conceive, that if rime had then been a novelty in the Frankish language, Otfrid could have scarcely used it with so much ease and perfection. Yet, though his work has no fewer than 380 pages, it exhibits the use of Frankish rime in a remarkably easy, fluent, and harmonious

There is another proof that rime was an appurtenance of ancient Frankish poetry. In the life of St. Faron, bishop of Meaux', which was written by Hildegarius, another bishop, who lived in the same century with Otfrid, the successes of Chlotarius the Second, against the Saxons in the year 622, are mentioned. The author adds, “ on this victory a public song (juxta rusticitatem), in the rustic manner, was in every one's mouth, the women joining in the chorus."

He then gives this extract from the song which we shall find to be rime:

manner.

“ De Chlotario est canere rege Franconum,

Qui ivit pugnare in gentem Saxonum,
Quam graviter provenisset missis Saxonum,
Si non fuisset inclytus Faro de gente Burgundionum."

He adds, that at the end of the song was,
“ Quando veniunt missi Saxonun in terra Francorum,

Faro ubi erat princeps –
Instinctu Dei transeunt per urbem Meldorum
Ne interficiantur a rege Francorum.”

See it in Bouquet's Recueil, v. iii. p. 505.

After these quotations he says: “ We choose to show (rustico carmine), in rustic verse, how famous he was deemed.”

This rustic verse we see was rimed verse. Does not this confirm the inference I have made from Otfrid, that rime was an appendage of the popular poetry of this people? This song was made in the year 622.1

Another instance tempts me to suspect that rime was not unknown to the ancient languages of Europe. The ancient song once so popular in Gothland, which narrates the emigration of the Lombards, and which ends with their humiliation by Charlemagne, is thus mentioned by Stephanius : “ Among the inhabitants of Gothland, a very ancient song was formerly sung in rime in their vernacular language, in which the circumstances concerning the emigration of the Lango-bardi are celebrated more truly and accurately than by Paulus Diaconus." He afterwards says, “ from the last verse it may be understood that this song was made after the close of the Lombard empire, while Charlemagne was reigning so extensively in Germany and Italy." Charlemagne died in 814. This poem is in exact riming couplets, of which the first may be adduced as a specimen :

“ Ebbe oc Aage de Hellede fro

Siden de for hunger aff skaane dro." 2 If this song was written at the close of the eighth century, as Stephanius intimates, I presume it was in the customary style of the national poetry. The vernacular poetry of every country more commonly follows ancient rules and forms than it adopts new, unusual, and difficult modes.

That rime arose among the Italian monks of the eighth century, wiil be found an untenable opinion, if we inspect the works of those who wrote poetry in that and the preceding centuries.

The first that may be mentioned is Boniface, the Anglo-Saxon missionary, who went to convert the uncivilised Germans, and who perished about the year 755. He closes a letter to Nithard with fourteen riming couplets. I will cite the two first as a specimen :3

« Vale fratres forentibus

Juventutis cum viribus
Ut floreas cum domino

In sempiterno solio." One of his correspondents, Leobgytha, also uses them. She ends a letter to Boniface with four riming lines. She says she learnt the art from Eadburga, his pupil. 4 Cona, another of his correspondents, adds to a letter to Lullus, six hexameters, which rime in the middle. 5

4

Before Boniface lived Aldhelm, one of the bishops of the West Saxons. He was most highly esteemed by his countrymen as a poet. His death is placed in 709, and therefore his works properly belong to the preceding century, because in that he must have principally lived. Lullus, the contemporary of Boniface, says to a friend, " I pray you to direct to me some little works of bishop Aldhelm, either of prose, metre, or rime. (Seu prosarum, seu metrorum, seu rythmicorum.)?

Whether either of the long riming poems annexed to Boniface's letters, and which have at the end the words “ finit carmen Aldhelmi?,” were written by Aldhelm, I will not determine; but the three lines, which Simon of Durham quotes from him, rime in the middle.3 The two lines which Ducange cites 4 from his treatise De octo Vitiis, are a rimed couplet. The verses which he made at Rome, and which are given by Malmsbury', contain several rimes, as well as some lines which do not rime. I can only speak of his poems by these fragments, because I have not seen any of his whole poems, of which some are yet extant.

But we have Aldhelm's own evidence that rime was used in his time. On looking into his prose treatise on Virginity, I perceived that he had two riming couplets, which he expressly calls rime. His words are, ut non inconvenienter CARMINE RYTHMICO dici queat," · as may be expressed, not unsuitably, in rimed verse.' 6

The verses are :

.

“ Christus passus patibulo

Atque læti latibulo
Virginem virgo virgini
Commendabat tutamini."

Here is a very striking example of rime in an author, who chiefly lived in the seventh century. It may be suspected from the introductory words “dici queat," that they are of Aldhelm's own composition, written in a momentary whim of making a rime. The same caprice seems to have seized him in several other parts of this little treatise ; for rimes often occur in it, as p. 342., p. 344., p. 362., and in other places. See also another specimen of his rime, quoted in p. 337. of this volume, on the Anglo-Saxons, which also exhibit a poem of Bede, of which the first part is in rime, p. 352.

Other authors of the seventh century have rime. Eugenius was a Spanish bishop, who died 657. His little poem on the inventors of letters is in rime. In his poem on Old Age, rime is

also frequent. Sometimes, as in the beginning of it, the rimes are alternate; sometimes they are triplets ; sometimes couplets. It has also several middle rimes. His Monosticha on the Plagues of Egypt has also much rime.

Depranius Florus was another poet of this century who used rime. He lived about 650. His Paraphrase of the twenty-seventh Psalm consists of stanzas of four lines. Some of these are partly rimed. The two following are wholly so:

“ Audi precantis anxia

Pater super me murmura
Dum templa cæli ad ardua
Elata tollo brachia.

a

“ Hic namque virtus inclita

Plebis beatæ premia:
Hic ipse Christo proflua

Servat salutis gaudia.” His poem De Cereo Paschali contains fifty lines, of which seventeen rime at the end, and sixteen in the middle. 2

To the beginning of this century belongs the rimed poem of another author, as he is placed by Usher 3 and Fabricius. * He is Columbanus the Irishman. There have been more than one either of the same name or of one very similar. But the person who was an abbot in Gaul, and afterwards in Italy, died in 615, according to Fabricius. He was the author of a few poems which have been oftentimes printed. The structure of some is singular and capricious. The one with which I am concerned consists of fortyone rimed couplets of Latin verse.

Leyser says, “ it does not seem to be of this age.” He gives no reasons for his opinion. I presume the rime was one cause of his doubt, and its not having appeared before Usher, and its being unknown to Goldastus, who published the poems of Columbanus, were other causes of scepticism. The rime, however, can be no objection, because I have already proved that rime was used in

As to Goldastus not knowing it, the facts are, that Goldastus did publish it, without knowing that he did so; I mean without knowing it to be a poem. After the poetry of Columbanus, Goldastus edited two of his letters, as he called and thought them; one of which is the rimed poem in question. It is curious, that neither Goldastus, Usher, Leyser, nor Fabricius, discerned that this letter of Columbanus was a poem. Usher says the bishop of Kilmore first remarked it to him. This is surprising, as it is very exactly rimed. Goldastus therefore actually published it in 1601, among his Parænetici Veteres. 5