140 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[Aug. 25. 1855. 



roughs always lost their right by non-residence ; 

 and it was not till the 13th Elizabeth, that an 

 attempt was made by a bill to give " validity to 

 burgesses non resiant" — the term burgesses here 

 meaning representatives. And the independence 

 of cities and towns is illustrated by the unchal- 

 lenged assertion of a member, in 1604, that the 

 interference of a sheriff would be tantamount to 

 " the disinherison of any corporation." 



Plan for keeping Members to their Seats. — 

 *' Ordered : That if, after the reading of the first 

 bill, any of the House depart before the rising of 

 Mr. Speaker, to pay to the poor men's box four 

 pence." (Nov. 9, 9 Elizabeth.) J. W. 



INEDITED POEM BT CHAUCEK. 



I have ventured, and I think justly, to desig- 

 nate as inedited the following poem by Chaucer, 

 although it has been printed by Leyden in his 

 Introduction to The Complaynt of Scotland, be- 

 cause from the year 1801, when Leyden so printed 

 it, until the present time, it has, I believe, been 

 overlooked by the editors of Chaucer's works. 

 Having, by the kindness of a friend, procured an 

 accurate collation of the poem as given by Ley- 

 den with the original MS. in the Advocates' Li- 

 brary, Edinburgh, it seemed well to put such 

 version on record in " N. & Q." for the benefit of 

 future editors of Chaucer generally, and more 

 directly for the benefit of Mr. Robert Bell, who, 

 in his Annotated Edition of the British Poets, is 

 labouring so earnestly and with such good effect 

 to give us not only a new but a more perfect edi- 

 tion of Chaucer than we now possess. 



I will merely add that the poem is preserved in 

 a MS. System of Theology, composed by John de 

 Irlandia in 1490, and that he attributes, I have no 

 doubt correctly, the poem to Chaucer in the fol- 

 lowing passage : " And, sene I have spokin same- 

 kle of this noble and haly virgin, I will, on ye end 

 of yis buk, writ ane orisoune, yat Galfryde Chau- 

 ceir maid and prayit to yis lady ; " while Leyden, 

 whose opinions on all such matters are deserving 

 of the highest respect, observes that " its authen- 

 ticity derives probability from the antiquity of the 

 authority by which it is ascribed to him." 



"INCIPIT ORATIO GELFRIDI CHAUNCER. 



" Orisoune to the Holy Virgin. 



*• Moder of God, and virgin wndefould, 

 blisfuU quene, oure quenis emperice ! 

 Preye j'ou for me yat am in syn ymould, 

 One to yi sone, the punysar of vice, 

 That of his mercy, yo' I be nyce 

 And neclegent in keping of his law, 

 His hie mercy my soule on to him drawe. 



" Thou moder of mercy, wey of indulgence^ 

 That of all wertu art superlatif, 

 Sauo"^ of saulis, throw yi beneuolence ; 

 No. 304.] 



O humyll lady, mayde, moder, and wyve, 

 Causar of pes, strynthar of woe and strive ; 



My prayer to yi sone yat you present, 



Sene of my gilt hooly I me rapent. 



"Benyng comfort of us wreiches alle [waye] ; 

 Be at myn ending quhen v ^U deye, 

 well of piete, one to ye I 



FulfiUit of sueitnes, hoip rue .O; ^o weye 

 Agane ye feynd, yat w' his handis tweye. 

 And all his my*, wil pluk at ye ballance 

 To we3' us downe, kep us from his mischance ; 



" And for you art ensample of chastite, 

 And of all vyrtuis, worchip, and bono'', 

 Abone all women blisset mot you be, 

 Now speik, now prey, wnto o'' saluiour. 

 That he me send suyth grace and fouo'^ 

 That all the belt and byrnyng licherye 

 He slok in me, blissit madene marye. 



" Most blissit lady, cleir licht of the day ; 



Tempil of our lord, and woce of all gudnes ; 



That by yi prayer wipeth clene away 

 The filth of our soulis wikitnes : 

 Put fur' yi bond ; help me in my distres. 



And fro temptacioun, lady, deliuer me 



Of wikit thoS for yi benignite. 



" So that the will fulfiUit be of yi sone, 

 And yat of ye holigost he me illumyn ; 



Prey you for us, as euir lies bene ye wone, 

 Al suich emprice sekerly bene yin ; 

 For suich an aduocat maj' no man devin. 



As you, lady, our grevis to redres ; 



In yi refuce is all our sekernes. 



" Thou schapin art be goddis ordinaunce, 

 To prey for us, flour of humilite ; 



Quhairfor of yin office baue rememberaunce,. 

 Lest that the feynd, throw his subtilite, 

 That in await lyeth for to cautch me. 



Me neuir ouercum w' his trechery ; 



Unto my soule helle, lady, you me gy. 



" Thou art the way of our redemcioUn, 

 Ffor crist of the dedenyt for to tak ; 

 Both flesch and blood, to yis entencioun, 

 tJpone a croce to dyene for our sak : 

 His precius deth maid ye feyndis quaik. 

 And cristin folk for to reiosene euir. 

 Help from his mercy yat we no' disseuir. 



" Remember eik upone the sorow and peyue, 

 That you sufferit in to his passioun, 



Quhen watter and blud out of yin ene tweyn, 

 For sorow of him ran by yi chekis doune ; 

 And sone you knowest weil ye enchesone 



Of his duing", was for to saif mankind ; 



You moder of mercy, haueyat in thi mynd. 



« Weill ouchtene we the worschip and bono"". 

 Palace of crist, floure of virginite ; 

 Seing yat upone ye was laid the cure. 

 To here the lord of hevin, of erth, and see, 

 And of all thingis yat formyt euir my* be, 

 Of hevynis king you was predestinat, 

 To hell our saulis of thyn sic hie estait. 



" Thy madynis wambe, in quhich that o'' lord lay ^ 

 Thy pappis quhit, yat gaf him souk also ; 

 Unto our sauffing, blissit be you ay ; 



The birth of crist, our tliraldome put us fro ; 

 Joy and bono"" be now and euir moo. 

 To him and the, that unto liberte, 

 Fra thraldome haue us brot, blessit be ye. ' 



