BOOK VI. LITERARY HISTORYOF All these specimens were written before the Arabians invaded Spain, and fully prove the anterior use of rime by a Roman in Africa, St. Austin; by a priest in France, Venantius Fortunatus; by an Irishman at St. Gall, Columbanus; by Drepanius Florus; and by an Anglo-Saxon in England, St. Aldhelm. These instances fully destroy the Arabian theory of the origin of rime. The following specimens are from the Welsh bards, who lived between 500 and 700. MYRDDHEN.-580. Oian a parchellan bychan breichfras Heb godwyd wyneb, hebran urddas.-Welsh Arch. 137. To the citations in the Essay from our Boniface, I will add the following, also from him, because it exhibits that precise metre and rime, which nearly four centuries afterwards became the great characteristic of the Anglo-Norman poetry-the eight-syllable rimed verse. BONIFACE.-Died A. D. 755. Imi Cosmi contagia Temne fauste tartaria Hoc contra hunc supplicia Altaque super æthera Rimari petens agmina.—16 Mag. Bib. 49. The Antiphonarum of the Bangor monastery, in Wales, written in the seventh, or at latest, in the eighth century, has a hymn of St. Cangill, which is rimed. Recordemur justitiæ A juventate florida.-Murat. Ant. p. 688. All these specimens concur to prove the following facts: That rime was, in the year 384, used in the vulgar poetry of the Romans. СНАР. VIII. ORIGIN AND PRO GRESS OF RIME IN THE MID DLE AGES. BOOK LITERARY HISTORY OF And in the years 570 and 650 by the Latin ecclesiastics. And in 550, 580, and 600, by the ancient Welsh bards, and in the Bangor monastery. And in 700, by the Anglo-Saxon Aldhelm, and before 750, by Boniface. To these established truths we may add, that in the sixth century it was also used in the vernacular Irish poetry, and is the regular accompaniment of their ancient historical ballads." Their language also contains words, which, in their verbal sound express it.10 Descending to later times, I have observed the following authors who have written in rime. The MS. of the work of Theobaldus on animals has been declared to be of the eighth century; if so, I learn this from Dr. O'Conner's Prolegomena. He has printed the Irish poem on St. Patrick, ascribed to Frecus Sleibhhenses, from the very ancient Dungal MS., and justly placed by the Irish antiquaries in the sixth century. It is in thirty-four stanzas. Its first and last are, First Genair Patraic i Nemthur. An tan do breth fo dheraibh. Last Patraic cen airde nuabhair, Bha sen gaire in genuir.-xc.-XCVI. 9 See those quoted in the preceding 1st volume of this History, page 275, note, of the dates of 1057 and 1143. To Dr. O'Connor says, 'The Irish ascribe no other meaning but rime to their words rann, rimh, riomh, renn, which are ancient Irish words.' Prel. 2. p. lxviii. He remarks, Bede, l. 5. c. 18, that Aldhelm was educated by the Irish Maildulph, and instructed by him in Latin learning, and therefore infers, that Aldhelm took his rime from his Irish tutors. ib. I have no objection to his conclusion. It is not improbable, but as it is as likely, that Aldhelm was acquainted with the British bards, the Latin ecclesiastics, and St. Austin, and learnt it from them, and as it may have been used in the popular songs of England, I cannot affirm that the Doctor is as right in his deduction as he is patriotic in urging it. But from whatever source Aldhelm became acquainted with it, we cannot for a moment believe that rime originated in Ireland. СНАР. VIII. it proves that rime was then in use, altho his authority has not hitherto been known or referred to. But out of his Latin verses on his twelve animals, ORIGIN those on two of them, the spider and the turtle-dove, GRESSO are in rime. As the work has not been quoted be- RIME IN fore, I will subjoin them. THEOBALDUS.-A. D. 800. The lines on the spider are very flowing and easy: Vermis aranea licet exiguus, Huic placet illud opus tenue Hos sequitur homo vermiculos Ille tamen vicium quandoque facit, Quammodo dictus aranea facit. His rimed verses on the turtle-dove are not un AND PRO THE MID DLE AGES. BOOK VI. LITERARY HISTORYOF ENGLAND. His moral application of it is also rimed. Namque maritus, est sibi Christus. Ut microcosmum judicet omnem. Theob. Physiologus. OTFRED.- —A. D. 870. Petrus auur zeli mir Bin in liob filu thir? Ist thaz herza thinaz Mir unarlicho holdas? HARTMANNUS, a Monk of St. Gall.-A. D. 870. |