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Lydgate's Influence on the Aureate Terms of the Scottish Chaucerians
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
Extract
Aureate terms are defined by J. C. Mendenhall in his thesis of that name as “those new words, chiefly Romance or Latinical in origin, continually sought under authority of criticism and the best writers, for a rich and expressive style in English, from about 1350 to about 1530.” Mendenhall sketches the history of “flourished words” before Chaucer's day but reminds the reader that “All this development was in a sense merely preliminary. It was Chaucer, who, according to the universal opinion of his age, really gave us a stylistic vocabulary.” In other words, he admits that whatever may have been the ultimate background of the fifteenth century's enthusiasm for ornate diction, its actual inception is traceable directly to Chaucer. His most essential assertion is that Chaucer followed the accepted rules and traditions of rhetorical art, but that his vocabulary was, nevertheless, distinctly choice and unusual.
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- Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1932
References
1 J. C. Mendenhall, Aureate Terms, A Study in the Literary Diction of the Fifteenth Century. Thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 1919, p. 12.
2 Idem, p. 38.
3 Idem, p. 39.
4 J. C. Mendenhall, Aureate Terms, p. 69.
5 Id., p. 48. Though the thought in the last sentence of this quotation is valuable, it does not fully explain Lydgate's significance in the development of aureate terms.
6 The following words, introduced into English by Chaucer, illustrate his leaning towards aureate diction: abusion, ancille, disesperat, dispone, disseveraunce, diurne, endyte, governeresse, gyderesse, laureat, mansuwtude, mediacion, oriental, palestral, predestinacioun, prolixitee, protestacioun, replicacioun, transmutacioun, visitacioun.
7 G. Reismüller, Romanische Lehnwörter, p. 18 ff. Münchener Beiträge, xlviii, 1911.
8 T. R. Lounsbury, Complete Works, Minor Poems No. i, p. 76.
9 H. N. MacCracken, Minor Poems of Lydgate, E.E.T.S., E.S., i, 107.
10 Robert Henryson, Poems, S.T.S., 55, 58, 64. iii, 164. ed. G. G. Smith.
11 Poems of Wm. Dunbar, ed. J. Schipper. Denkschriften der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften 40–43, Nos. 84, 85.
12 J. Schipper, Poems of W. Kennedy. Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 48, No. 4.
13 G. G. Smith, Specimens of Middle Scots, pp. 107–123.
14 Complete Works of Chaucer, T. R. Lounsbury, “An A.B.C.,” line 89.
15 H. N. MacCracken, Minor Poems of Lydgate, i, 300, 46.
16 W. Dunbar, “Ane Ballat of Our Lady” (Forrest Text), line 38. See Mod. Lang. Notes, xxiv, 110–111.
17 Chaucer, “An A.B.C.,” line 91.
18 Lydgate, “Veni Coronaberis,” line 17. E.E.T.S., E.S. 24.
19 Schipper, Poems of Wm. Dunbar. No. 84, line 22.
20 Chaucer, “An A.B.C.,” line 177.
21 H. N. MacCracken, Minor Poems of Lydgate. “Ave Jesse Virgula,” line 10.
22 Idem., “Balade at the Reverence of Our Lady,” line 37.
23 Schipper, Poems of Wm. Dunbar, No. 85, line 43.
24 Poems of Robert Henryson, ed. G. G. Smith.
25 Robert Henryson, “Prayer for the Pest.” See Poems of Robert Henryson, ed. G. G. Smith. S.T.S. 64. iii, 164, 65–73.
26 See H. N. MacCracken, Studies in the Life and Writings of Lydgate, Thesis, Harvard University Library, 1907, pp. 382 ff., pp. 412 ff.
27 Words introduced by Lydgate and used by Dunbar: abuse v., agilitie, amene, angelical, aureate; balmy; celestiali, clemence, conspiratour, contem, criminali; deceptioun, defamowss, depend, depurit a., derisioun; exampler, excell, expeditioun; fary sb.., fassoun v., fortify; gardevyance; include, incomparable, indiscreit, intemperat, intollerabili, invincible, lamentable; macule, mating a., matutine, mediatrix, militant; obteyne, ordinare; permanent, permansible, piscence, plenytude, posseid, prodissioun, promotioun, propyne v., provyde, punytioun; quintessance; rebellare, rebuik sb., recompense sb., recompense v., remeid v., repell, retreit v.; sanatiue, satisfie, solistar, sufficience; tapestrie, tardation, terrible, transgressioun, triumphal; vnfaidit a., vnsatiable, vex, virginal; wardraipper.
Four additional words used by Lydgate and Dunbar in a new figurative sense: closet, nobleness, sugrid (of eloquence), pavis.
28 Fifty words introduced by Chaucer and used by Dunbar: abusioun, armonye, arlelleries, audience, benignitee; conceite, coniuracioun, consequent, consolacioun, constant, continuance, continuacioun, convenient, compleyne; diurne, dispensacioun, dispense v., dispone, dissolve, devyne, dominatioun; equates a., eternal, felicite, fortitude; gracelees, guerdon, gyde v.; habitacioun; ignorant, infernal, infortunat, iocounde; mansuetude, mavis, miserie, musiciens; Occident, offende, operacioun; philosophical, pultrye; refere, resoune; subtil; transitorie, tresse v.; unspied, victorious, village.
29 From these two lists given above, there have been eliminated one hundred and ninety-seven words which were introduced by Chaucer and used by Lydgate as well.
30 J. Schipper, Poems of Wm. Dunbar. “The Goldin Terge.” No. 17, lines 4, 5.
31 Idem, “Ane Ballat of Our Lady.” No. 84, lines 77–80.
32 J. Metham, Works, p. 80, E.E.T.S. 132, ed. Hardin Craig.
33 Cf. Metham's stanzas with Hawes' definition of aureate terms in The Pastime of Pleasure. Cap. xi, pp. 37–38, st. 2, 3. ed. T. Richards.
So that Elocucyon doth ryght well claryfy
The dulcet speche from the language rude,
Tellynge the tale in termes eloquent:
The barbry tongue it doth ferre exclude,
Electynge words which are expedyent,
In Latin or in Englyshe, after the entente,
Encensyng out the aromatyke fume,
Our langage rude to exyle and consume.
34 As a small bit of contributory evidence, it is worthy of note that the earliest use of the word “aureate” in a rhetorical sense occurs in Lydgate's Troy Book. Its second appearance is in Dunbar's Golden Targe, v. New Eng. Dict. s.v. aureate.
35 J. C. Mendenhall, Aureate Terms. p. 40.
36 J. Schipper, Poems of Wm. Dunbar. No. 17, line 257.
37 Idem, No. 17, line 262 ff. No. 60, line 49 ff.
38 J. Small, Poetical Works of Gavin Douglas. Palice of Honour, ii, 9–11. Vol. i, 36.
39 Sir David Lindsay, Complaynt of Papyngo, Prologue, lines 10–14. ed. D. Laing, V. i, 61.
40 Max Förster, Über Benedict Burgh's Leben und Werke. Herrig's Archiv, 101, 29.
41 Lydgate's Assembly of Gods, ed. O. L. Triggs, Notes p. 94.
42 H. N. MacCracken, Studies in Lydgate. Thesis. Harvard University Library, 1907. See Preface and p. 381.
43 G. Reismüller, Romanische Lehnwörter (Erstbelege) Bei Lydgate, (Leipzig 1911). Münchener Beiträge xlviii.
44 I wish to acknowledge here an exceptionally large debt to President H. N. MacCracken's writings concerning the Monk of Bury, particularly his comprehensive thesis, Studies in the Life and Writings of John Lydgate, Harvard University Library, 1907. To a large extent these works supplied a basis for my investigations, and they have given me a number of valuable suggestions.