Poetrie, 1586, ranges them in the following order: "The E. of Surrey, the Lord Vaux, Norton, Bristow." And Gascoigne, in the place quoted in the first volume of this work [B. ii. No. 2.] mentions Lord Vaux after Surrey. Again, the stile and measure of Lord Vaux's pieces seem too refined and polished for the age of Henry VII., and rather resemble the smoothness and harmony of Surrey and Wyat, than the rude metre of Skelton and Hawes. But what puts the matter out of all doubt, in the British Museum is a copy of his poem, I lothe that I did love [vid. vol. i. ubi supra], with this title, "A dyttye or sonet made by the Lord Vaus, in the time of the noble Quene Marye, representing the image of Death." Harl. MSS. No. 1703, sec. 25. It is evident then that Lord Vaux, the poet, was not he that flourished in the reign of Henry VII., but either his son or grandson; and yet, according to Dugdale's Baronage, the former was named Thomas and the latter William: but this difficulty is not great, for none of the old writers mention the Christian name of the poetic Lord Vaux,* except Puttenham; and it is more likely that he might be mistaken in that lord's name, than in the time in which he lived, who was so nearly his contemporary. Thomas, Lord Vaux, of Harrowden, in Northamptonshire, was summoned to parliament in 1531. When he died does not appear, but he probably lived till the latter end of Queen Mary's reign, since his son William was not summoned to parliament till the last year of that reign, in 1558. This lord died in 1595. See Dugdale, vol. ii. p. 304. Upon the whole I am inclined to believe that Lord Thomas was the poet. The following copy is printed from the first edition of Surrey's Poems, 1557, 4to. See another song of Lord Vaux's in the preceding volume, B. ii. No. 2. [Percy is correct in his supposition that the poet was Thomas, second Lord Vaux, and not his father Nicholas, who died May 14th, 1524, only seventeen days after he was advanced to the peerage.] In the Paradise of Dainty Devises, 1596, he is called simply "Lord Vaux the elder." HEN Cupide scaled first the fort, That I must yelde or die therfore. There sawe I Love upon the wall, And bad his souldiours kepe aray. The armes, the which that Cupide bare, The stedfast love, he alwayes ment. There might you se his band all drest To bring the fort to spoile and sacke. Good-wyll, the maister of the shot, There might you heare the cannons rore; And even with the trumpettes sowne* [1 besprinkled. 2 rampart. 3 expense. 4 sound.] 5 10 15 20 25 Then first Desire began to scale, And shrouded him under 'his' targe;1 Then pushed souldiers with their pikes, And duns the ayre with misty smokes. And, as it is the souldiers use When shot and powder gins to want, I hanged up my flagge of truce, And pleaded up for my livès grant. When Fansy thus had made her breche, Then Beautie bad to blow retrete, Madame, quoth I, sith that this day Here of the fortresse all the kayes. And sith that I have ben the marke, 30 35 40 45 50 55 [1 shield. Ver. 30. her, ed. 1557, so ed. 1585. 3 simple.] IX. SIR ALDINGAR. HIS old fabulous legend is given from the Editor's folio MS. with conjectural emendations, and the insertion of some additional stanzas to supply and compleat the story. It has been suggested to the Editor that the author of this poem seems to have had in his eye the story of Gunhilda, who is sometimes called Eleanor, and was married to the Emperor (here called King) Henry. [Percy's MS. note in his folio is as follows: "Without some corrections this will not do for my Reliques." Readers will be able to judge for themselves as to the relative beauties of the two, now that the original is printed at the end of Percy's amended copy. To make the interpolations more apparent, Percy's added verses are placed between brackets, and it will be seen that these contain much of the phraseology and many of the stock prettinesses of the polite ballad-monger; some of the most vivid bits of the old ballad being passed over. Percy keeps tolerably to the story, except that he makes the second messenger one of the queen's damsels instead of a man. Sir Walter Scott supposes Sir Aldingar to be founded upon the kindred ballad of Sir Hugh le Blond, but, as Professor Child says, without any reason. The story occurs in most of the literatures of Europe.] UR king he kept a false stewàrde, He wolde have layne by our comelye queene, Our queene she was a good womàn, 5 Sir Aldingar was wrothe in his mind, There came a lazar2 to the kings gate, "Lye still, lazàr, wheras thou lyest, Ile make thee a whole man and a sound Then went him forth sir Aldingar, [And hyed him to our king "If I might have grace, as I have space, Say on, say on, sir Aldingar, Our queene hath chosen a new new love, "If shee had chosen a right good knight, But she hath chose her a lazar man, A lazar both blinde and lame." If this be true, thou Aldingar, Then will I make the a rich rich knight, *He probably insinuates that the king should heal him by his power of touching for the king's evil. [1 burnt. 2 leper. 3 truth.] |