SCOGAN'S MORAL BALADE: EXPLANATORY NOTES
Before 1 The heading from Ashmole 59 contextualizes this piece as an occasional poem, sent to and read at a supper of the Merchants' Guild in the Vintry, in the presence of the four sons of Henry IV when they were teenagers. John was not created duke of Bedford until 1415; the other sons are Henry ("my lord the Prince"), Thomas (duke of Clarence), and Humphrey (duke of Gloucester). Skeat, who dates the poem c. 1406-07, probably correctly suspects that the biographical information was supplied by the scribe John Shirley, who is well-known for his personalized, chatty marginal notes. See Connolly, John Shirley, pp. 145-69.
On Henry Scogan, see Farnham, "John (Henry) Scogan"; Kittredge, "Henry Scogan"; and Hallmundsson, "Chaucer's Circle."
feorthe merchande. The fourth meeting of merchants or the fourth of four quarterly meetings of the guild (Skeat, Chaucerian, p. xlii).
Lowys Johan. Connolly describes the Welshman Lewis John, Esquire, who, among other things, served as steward to Henry IV's dowager queen, Joan of Navarre, and as chief butler under Henry V, as a "protégé of Thomas Chaucer" (John Shirley, p. 137). See Carr, "Sir Lewis John."
26 Latin marginalia: Delicta juventutis mee et ignorancias meas ne memineris me domine ["Lord, do not remember the sins of my youth and my idiocies"].
49 Latin marginalia: nota per Shirley ["written by Shirley"].
51 Latin marginalia: fides sine operibus nihil est ["Faith without works is nothing"], from James 2:17: "So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself."
67-68 He saide that the fader . . . Beqwathe nothing. The sentiment is found in both Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale (CT III[D]1121-22), and Gentilesse (lines 16-18).
97 By auncestrye thus may yee no thing clayme. The quotation is from Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale (CT III[D]1131-32): "For of oure eldres may we no thyng clayme / But temporel thyng, that man may hurte and mayme."
105 Latin marginalia:"Geffrey Chaucier made theos thre balades nexst that folowen." The poem is Chaucer's Gentilesse, which touches upon one of Chaucer's favorite Boethian themes: that nobility depends upon character, not birth. See also the"pillow sermon" in The Wife of Bath's Tale (CT III[D]1111-76).
112 first stocke. Variously interpreted by Chaucerians as referring to a first human ancestor, to the first generation of nobles, to Adam, or to God. Scogan explicitly chooses a genealogical source of virtue:"Thane is Gode stocke of vertuous noblesse" (line 100). See Allen,"'Firste Stok.'"
119 richchesse. The doubling of the double consonant is a habit of the scribe, John Shirley.
121 Latin marginalia (in later hand): Nam genus et proauos et quae non fecimus ipsi Vix ea nostra voco ["For race and ancestors and whatever we ourselves have not made, those things I scarcely call ours"].
150 Boece. Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c. 480-524). The allusion appears to be to 1.me.6.11-15, which, in Chaucer's translation of Boece reads:
Yif thou desirest or wolt usen grapes, ne seek thou nat with a glotonos hand the streyne and presse the stalkes of the vyne in the first somer sesoun; for Bachus, the god of wyn, hath rather yyven his yiftes to autumpne (the lattere ende of somer).
162 vertue causethe suffisaunce. This is ultimately a Boethian notion. See Consolation of Philosophy 3.pr.9-11.
166 Tulius Hastilius. Tulius Hostillius (673-42 BC), the legendary third king of Rome popularly known for his humble origins and his charity to the poor. Also cited in Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale (CT III[D]1165-67): "Thenketh hou noble, as seith Valerius, / Was thilke Tullius Hostillius, / That out of poverte roos to heigh noblesse."
168-79 eke redethe . . . what meschaunces they hade. Scogan no doubt culled his exemplary figures -- Julius Caesar (line 168), Nero (line 174), Balthasar (line 175), and Antiochus (line 177) -- from Chaucer's Monk's Tale. Compare, for instance, Scogan's description of Antiochus (lines 177-78) to Chaucer's: "For he so soore fil out of his char / That it his limes and his skyn totar" (CT VII[B2]2610-11).
SCOGAN'S MORAL BALADE: TEXTUAL NOTES
Skeat's text of the poem is based on Thynne, with some variants supplied from Caxton, A, and H. H lacks the text of Gentilesse; I have based my text on A, correcting some of its obvious errors with readings from H. Since the texts of H and Ff are not readily available, I have provided their significant variants here.
Abbreviations: see the Introduction to Good Counsel, Wisdom, and Advice.
1-8 Ff omits.
called. H omits.
balade folowing. H: litel tretice.
ful. H omits.
Yitte howe. H: Although.
estates. H: estate.
yet. H omits.
That. H omits.
yee take. H: takith.
8 herkyne. H: herk.
9 sore. Ff: me sore.
10 is upon me. Ff: uppon me is.
11 juventé. H: yong age.
13 comunely. H, Ff: certaynly.
14 beon. H: be.
15 And. H, Ff omit.
wolde. Ff: ne wolde.
no. H: never no.
to. H: un to.
17 I aske. H: yowth (error).
of. Ff: to.
18 lorde. H, Ff: god.
20 Bytwene. H: betwixt.
Thee. Ff: me.
21 ne. H: nor; Ff: and.
blynde prosperitee. Ff: parfyte unyte (error).
22-23 Ff omits.
24 vyce. H: vyces.
25 lyf. H: tyme.
27 me. A: thee (error).
29 Of. Ff: In.
forgete. Ff: to f.
32 or Thou. Ff: or that you.
33 lordes. Ff: maysters.
34 alle whome. H: whiche that; Ff: whiche.
36 eloste. H: lost.
38 vyces list t'. Ff: lustes and vyces.
39 Therfore. H: Wherfor; Ff: Wherfore syrs.
lordes tendrely. H: lordis especially; Ff: specyally.
41 Plantethe. Ff: And p.
42 vertue . . . beo. H: vertu yowre growyng be.
43 ay. H: alwey.
44 make. Ff: makyn.
45 For to withstonde . . . affraye. H: The fiende for to withstond and his affray; Ff omits for.
47 use it. H: werke it; Ff: worcheth.
48 That. H: And that.
yowe. H omits.
49 heede alsoo. H: also heede; Ff: hede.
50 wrote. H, Ff: writen.
noble. H, Ff: grete.
52 estate. H: eche estate.
withoute intelligence. H: with necligence.
53 Ff transposes with 129.
54-56 Ff transposes with 131-33.
56 youre. H omits.
57-88 Ff transposes with 134-65.
57 ne. H: nor.
59 Thenkethe also. H: Thynk eke.
vertue. H: vertues.
60 whiles. H: while.
beon. H: be.
64 alle. H omits.
loke that yee folowe. H: therfor folowith.
65 Chaucier. H: Chaunchier; Ff: Chauncer.
66 langage. Ff: longe age.
67 He. H omits.
that. H, Ff omit.
nowe. H, Ff: that is.
68 nothing. Ff: not.
69 Unto his sone; therfore. Ff: Therfore every wy ??? to be.
70 beseching. H: sechyng.
Ff transposes with 102.
71 for. H omits.
72 feyre. H omits.
Ff transposes with 104.
73 Here. H: Here by.
74 of youre. H: by wey of.
76 of. H: be.
78 soo wyse. H: suche a.
80 wawes. H: welthis.
85 vertue. H: the vertu.
vyce. H: the vyces.
86 awe. H: hym away.
87 leese. H: lesith.
88 give. H omits (error).
89-93 Ff transposes with 65-9.
89 Takethe. H: Take.
folkes. H: men.
poure. H: yowre.
92 By. H: Thurgh.
94 Offt. H omits.
Ff transposes with 102.
95 for. H: of.
Ff transposes with 71.
96 Ff transposes with 104.
97 By auncestrye thus may yee. H: Thus by youre auncestris ye may.
98 my. H omits.
Chaucier. H: Chauncer.
dothe. H: sayde.
102 That. H: And.
mankynde that. H: us al.
Ff: Besychynge hym oft that for us all deyed.
103 his. H: hym in.
105-25 H omits.
120 se. A: seeme (error).
127 he. H omits.
128 losse. A: lesse.
129 Wherfore. H: Therfor; Ff: Wherfore syrs.
130 estates. H: estate.
131 T'enprynte. Ff: To plant.
132 into. Ff: in.
134 For. H omits; Ff: But.
lordes. Ff: yonge men.
of coustume. H, Ff: have a maner.
135 of you here of a gode. H, Ff: shewe you a vertuous.
136 unsure youthe. H: fervent love; Ff: fervent youthe.
137 Suche artes. H, Ff: that art.
list not. H, Ff: have no joy.
139 variaunce. H, Ff: governaunce.
140 calme. A: worlde.
laste yeere. H: laste.
142 not, by. Ff: not.
143 there. H, Ff omit.
rage. H, Ff: full rage.
144 Right even so. H, Ff: In the same wise.
his. H omits.
145 croked. H: febilnes.
146 Soone affter that. H, Ff: And sone after.
kalendes. H, Ff: the k.
147 And of youre. H: And if; Ff: Yf ye in.
148 Alle folke. H: Thanne men; Ff: All men.
149 youthe and slouthe you al misgyded. H: yowth from worshyp yow devided; Ff: slouthe from worshyp yow devided.
150 that. H, Ff: the.
Boece. H: Boys.
153 Plenty of. H, Ff: Plentyuous.
155 whylest. H, Ff: while.
156 Yee may wele. Ff: Thus may ye.
157 ay michil. H, Ff: moche.
158 Sithe, there ageinst, that. H, Ff: Seeth here ageyn how.
161 Al. H, Ff: As.
al ryots. H, Ff: riot.
163 H omits (error).
164 Thus who. H: And who so.
gret. H, Ff: al.
167 came frome povertee. H: from poverte cam.
168 eke redethe. H: redith eke.
169 poure. A: a poure (error).
171 lande. H: contre.
the. H omits.
172 unto. H: us to (error).
173 do to. H: to do.
174 of. A: to.
175 heede also. H: also heede.
177 Looke. H: Lo.
178 That. H: There.
also heos. H omits.
totare. H: altotare.
179 meschaunces. H: mychaunce.
180 that. H omits.
181 is. H: he is.
182 more. H: no more.
hereby. H: here
184 done exyle. H: exilen al.
185 eche to cheesen. A: dethe to cheesen; H: to chese. I follow Skeat's emendation.
186 Dothe as yowe. H: Do ye as ye.
me. H: myn (error).
187 wil. H: wolde.
188 you conferme. H: conferme yow.