MEDIEVAL LORE.* Mn. STEELE'S gleanings from the encyclopee lia of
Bartholo- mew Anglicanus, De Proprietatibus Berzon, which form this epitome of the science of the Middle Ages, is interesting from many points of view. In the matter of literature, it is of very considerable interest. The original work, written by Barthblomew, an English Franciscan, in Latin, somewhere about the middle of the thirteenth century, was translated into English by John of Trevisa in 1397; and this translation, of which subsequent editions appeared from time to time, is the one from which the present editor has compiled his collection. The style of the medifeval author is excellently simple and direct, and the language of his translator gives us an admirable example of English in the fourteenth century. Then, too, the book explains many of the allusions and much of the science that is to be found in later English literature. Jonson, Spenser, Marlowe, Messinger, and Shakespeare himself all derived the most of their ideas of natural history from this popular guide to knowledge ; and of more than natural history, for the old monk's learning embraced every known field of knowledge, from astronomy to the proper conduct of a dinner-table. Moreover, it is of interest in that it affords us a curious in- sight into our ancestors' ideas upon natural phenomena, and the somewhat credulous attitude of their untravelled minds with regard to the wonders that were reported to them from far countries. Bartholomew's own ideas, be it observed, are derived chiefly from the most ancient authorities ; his physics he gets from Aristotle, his astronomy from the Arab writers, and the more correct portions of his natural history from Pliny. But his treatment of extracts from a hundred or so ancient writers is entirely his own, and his style is as pleasing as it is original. We confess, however, in this connection, that we do not quite follow the argument of Mr. Williath Morris, who has written a very sympathetic preface to this edition. Mr. Morris, it would appear, has been chiefly struck by the superior picturesqueness of the Middle Ages in the matter of knowledge to our own "epoch of intel- ligence, dominated by Whig politics, and the self-sufficiency
* Modi.eral Lore. Edited by Robert Steele. Loudon: Elliot Stook.
of empirical science ; " and he hopes that students of science will be persuaded to turn their attention more towards its historical aspect, with a view to enlarging minds which are
apt to get narrowed by special studies. Surely that is taking rather a superficial view of the case P There is plenty of romance in poetry, in even the most modern science, if one knows how to see it.
It is difficult to say in what particular branch of knowledge our medimval author is most entertaining, though, on the whole, we are inclined to give the palm to his natural history. Chapter xxiii., "Of the Crocodile," as given by the editor, is almost as short as the well-known "Snakes in Ireland," and much more pleasant. "Of the Crocodile :"— " If the Crocodile findeth a man by the brim of the water, or by the cliff, he slayeth him if he may, and then he weepeth upon him, and swalloweth him at the last."
What more can a student of natural history want ? If he require a more detailed description, let him turn to the account of the dragon :—" The Dragon is most greatest of all serpents," and slayeth everything, from an elephant down- wards, with or without the use of venom. "Oft four or five of them [dragons] fasten their tails together, and rear up their beads, and sail over seas and over rivers to get good meat."
Then when they meet with an elephant, it goes hard with the elephant, though it appears that the latter has generally the better of his enemy before the last, and as to the dragon's victory, "be buyeth it full sore : for while he slayeth the elephant, the elephant falleth upon him and slayeth him."
But the most interesting combat between them occurs when the elephant espies a dragon in a tree :—
"He busieth him to break the tree to smite the dragon, and the dragon leapeth upon the elephant, and busieth him to bite him between the nostrils, and assaileth the elephant's eyes, and maketh him blind sometimes, and leapeth upon him sometimes behind, and biteth him and sucketh his blood. And at last, after long fighting, the elephant waxeth feeble for great blindness, in- somuch that he falleth upon the dragon, and slayeth iu his dying the dragon that him slayeth. The cause why the dragon dosireth his blood, is coldness of the elephant's blood, by the which the dragon desireth to cool himself. Jerome saith, that the dragon is a full thirsty beast, insomuch that unneth he may have water
enough to quench his great thirst when he seeth ships sail in the sea in groat wind, he flieth against the sails to take their cold wind, and overthroweth the ship sometimes for great- ness of body."
Is that the reason that a flying-dragon and a ship in full sail are so often depicted upon ancient charts P The chapter upon the properties of hounds does not give a very agreeable pic- ture of kindness to animals in the Middle Ages. The dog deserves well of his master :—" nothing is more busy and wittier than a hound, for he bath more wit than other beasts. And hounds know their own names, and love their masters, and defend the houses of their masters, and put themselves wilfully in peril of death for their masters,"—and notwith- standing these virtues, this is its treatment in old age:—" And at the last the hound is violently drawn out of the dunghill with a rope or with a whip bound about his neck, and is drowned in the river, or in some other water, and so he endeth his wretched life." Curious,.in many ways, is the account of the peacock who has a tail "of wonder fairness," and "the foulest feet." "And he wondereth of the fairness of his feathers, and arreareth them up as it were a circle about his head, and then he looketh to his feet, and seeth the foulness of his feet, and like as he were ashamed, he letteth his feathers fall suddenly, and all the tail downward, as though be took no heed of the fairness of his feathers." The editor quotes, in a note, an Elizabethan poet :—
" But when he looks down to his base black feete. He droopes, and is asham'd of things unmeete."
Bartholomew, as we have said, is chiefly dependent upon his reading, but he 9ornetimes speaks from his own observation, and his observations are not unfrequently peculiar. Is any modern naturalist aware of the effect of a sapphire upon a spider? "The virtue of a sapphire is contrary to venom, and quencheth it every deal" [there is a strangely American ring about that phrase] "and if thou put an addercop (spider) in a box, and hold a very sapphire of Ind at the mouth of the box any while, by virtue thereof the addercop is over- come and dietb, as it were suddenly. And this same I have seen proved oft in many and divers places." We fear that our medneval naturalist pursued his investigations in a somewhat credulous spirit. But the great charm of his descriptions consists in his happy confusion of accidental with essential properties. Take, for instance, this account of the birch-tree It bath many bard twigs and branches with knots, and therewith often children are chastised and beaten on the bare buttocks and loins,"—and that is the distinguishing quality of the birch-tree. Most interesting, too, are the dis- courses upon the duties of husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants, illustrating as they do the life of the time. Also upon the duty of a good leech, "who leaveth not cutting or burning for weeping of the patient. And drinketh and tasteth of the medicine though it be bitter." Medimval doctoring must have been almost as un- pleasant to the physician as to the sufferer.
One cannot but regret that some of the words used by the translator have dropped out of use. What an expressive word is "to slubber," to do anything carelessly ! " Glimy," " gratching," " boystous," " ghastful," and " werish," almost explain their own meaning without the aid of a glossary. How much better it would be, too, if we could say " ayenward" instead of "vice vers4," or " beshine" instead of "illuminate" ! To poets and novelists who wish to enrich their vocabularies we confidently recommend Bartholomew Anglicanus in his English dress. For Mr. Steele's part of the work we have nothing but praise. He proves himself to be an admirable editor ; his comments, his preface, and his notes are just what are required, and no more; and his diligence in explana- tion is only equalled by the great discretion he has shown in his Selections.
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