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The next poet in succession is Laurence Minot, whose name was unknown to our antiquaries, till Mr. Tyrwhitt, in searching after the manuscripts of Chaucer, accidentally discovered a copy of his works, consisting of a collection of poems upon the events of the former part of this reign. It is sufficient in this place to have mentioned his name, as a very elegant edition of his works, accompanied with all the illustrations that could be drawn from contemporary history, has, within these very few years, been published by Mr. Ritson.

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Laurence Minot appears to have flourished about the year 1350, a few years after which was written very curious poem called "The Vision of Pierce Ploughman." Its reputed author is Robert Langland, a secular priest, born at Mortimer's Cleobury, in Shropshire, and fellow of Oriel College, Oxford.* His work is divided into twenty distinct passus, or breaks, forming a series of visions, which he supposes to have appeared to him while he was asleep,

*That Robert Langland was the author of this work, seems to have been solely admitted on the authority of Crowley, its earliest editor. The only remaining evidence on the subject appears to indicate, that the writer's name was William: but a discussion which can only end in uncertainty is not worth the undertaking.

after a fatiguing walk amongst the Malvern Hills, in Worcestershire.

A dream is certainly the best excuse that can be offered, for the introduction of allegorical personages, and for any incoherences that may result from the conduct of a dialogue, carried on between such fanciful actors: and it must be confessed, that this writer has taken every advantage of a plan so comprehensive and convenient, and has dramatized his subject with great ingenuity. His work may be considered as a long moral and religious discourse, and as such, is full of good sense and piety; but it is farther rendered interesting, by a succession of incidents, enlivened sometimes by strong satire, and sometimes by the keenest ridicule on the vices of all orders of men, and particularly of the religious. It is ornamented also by many fine specimens of descriptive poetry, in which the genius of the author appears to great advantage.

But his most striking peculiarity is the structure of his versification, which is the subject of a very learned and ingenious essay in the second volume of the "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry." His verses are not distinguished from prose, either by a determinate number of syllables, or by rhyme, or indeed by any other apparent test, except the studied recurrence of the same letter three times in each

line; a contrivance which we should not suspect of producing much harmony, but to which (as Crowley, the original editor of the poem, justly observes) even a modern ear will gradually become accustomed. This measure is referred by Dr. Percy to one of the 136 different kinds of metre which Wormius has discovered amongst the works of the Islandic poets; but the principal difficulty, is to account for its adoption in Pierce Ploughman's Vision.

Perhaps this alliterative metre having become a favourite with the northern Scalds, during the interval which elapsed between the departure of the Anglo-Saxons from Scandinavia, and the subsequent migration of the Danes, may have been introduced by the latter into those provinces of England, where they established themselves; and, being adopted by the numerous body of minstrels, for which those provinces were always distinguished, may have maintained a successful struggle against the Norman ornament of rhyme, which was universally cultivated by the poets of the south. This at least seems to be suggested by Mr. Tyrwhitt, who observes, that Giraldus Cambrensis describes by the name of "Annomination," what we now call alliteration, and informs us that it was highly fashionable amongst the English, and even the

Welsh poets of his time. That it effectually stood its ground in some parts of the kingdom during the reign of Edward III. and even long after, appears from the numerous imitations of Langland's style, which are still preserved; and it is evident, that a sensible and zealous writer in the cause of religion and morality, was not likely to sacrifice those great objects, together with his own reputation, to the capricious wish of inventing a new, or of giving Currency to an obsolete, mode of versification.

Mr. Warton is of opinion, that "this imposed "constraint of seeking identical initials, and the "affectation of obsolete English, by demanding a "constant and necessary departure from the natural "and obvious forms of expression, while it cir"cumscribed the powers of our author's genius, ❝ contributed also to render his manner extremely "perplexed, and to disgust the reader with ob"scurity." But it may be doubted whether a work apparently addressed to the plain sense of common readers was written with an affectation of obsolete English; and much of its obscurity may perhaps be ascribed to the negligence of the transcriber of the MSS. from which the printed copy is taken. Neither is it certain that the "imposed constraint of seeking identical initials" is at all more embarrassing to those, whose ear is accustomed to such a scheme

of poetry, than the imposed constraint of identical final sounds; a constraint which, by exacting from the author, greater attention to the mode of expressing his thoughts, is rather likely to increase than to diminish, the precision and clearness of his language.

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The following extract will give a good general idea of this author's manner, because it contains some of those practical and simple precepts, in which he so much abounds, and a little accidental ridicule of physicians, together with a very curious picture of the domestic economy of the poor of this country, in the middle of the fourteenth century. It is a scene in which Pierce Ploughman, the favourite character of the piece, addresses himself to HUNGER, and (to use the expressions in the margin of the original)" prayeth hunger to teach him a leech-craft for him and for his servants."

I wot well, quoth Hunger, what sickness you aileth.

Ye have manged over much; and that maketh

you groan:

And I hote2 thee, quoth Hunger, as thou thy heal3

willest,

That thou drink, no day, ere thou dine somewhat:

1 Eaten. Fr.

Advise, exhort.

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