NOTES ON THE BLICKLING HOMILIES.

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "NOTES ON THE BLICKLING HOMILIES."

Adrian Ryan
6 years ago
Views:

1 NOTES ON THE BLICKLING HOMILIES. I. ST. MARTIN.1 IN addition to the Blickling MS the Life of St. Martin is contained in two other MSS, both unprinted: (1) MS Junius 86, foll (=J), and (2) the Vercelli MS, foll (= V). A comparison of these with BI enables us to correct the text in a number of passages, and the object of the following notes is to make these corrections. The source of the Homily is, as M. Forster pointed out,2 the Vita S. Martini of Sulpicius Severus (ed. Halm, in the Corpus script. eccles, Vol. I, p. 109), and for the last portion, the death of the saint, Sulpicius's Epistula tertia (ibid., p. 147). The English version is very much shortened and the translation is free, so that only in comparatively few cases does the Latin original afford help in the correction of the English rendering. The relationship of the three English MSS may be represented by the following diagram, which does not indicate possible inter- mediate links: Original MS X V BI J As was pointed out by Hardy,3 the three MSS evidently fall into two groups, the first comprising Bl and J, which are derived from a common source X, and the other consisting of the single MS V. That Bl and J form a narrower group is shown by the passage missing in Bl and J, but preserved in V (No. 32, below), I The Blickling Homilies, ed. R. MORRIS, pp. 211 ff. 2 Archiv ffir das Studium der neueren Sprachen, Vol. XCI, p F. also discusses four passages of the Homily, viz., 215:22, 221:26, 227:10, 227:20. The Latin original is quoted as L. 3 A. K. HARDY, Die Sprache der Blickling Homilien (Leipzig, 1899), pp. 116 ff. 303] 1 [MODERN PHILOLOGY, October, 1903

2 2 ARTHUR S. NAPIER as well as by a number of passages in which BI and J have a wrong reading in common where V reads correctly. These are Nos. 4, 7, 14, 26, 31, and 36. That, on the other hand, X is not derived from V is shown by numerous errors in the latter, where BI and J both have the correct reading. The following instances will suffice: 211: 24, 25. ah he sona.... ponne pa] ac he wces on Godes beowdome mycle swidor & lufode ba V. tonne 213:24. forylde] forgulde V. 213: 27, 28. Martinus.... man] M. dyde. He sona in cnihthade gedyde beah bara godra dweda ma wcere bonne hit wanig man V; etc. That J is not derived from BI is proved by Nos. 2, 3, 6, 11, 15, 20, 21, 24, 34, 38, 39. Nor, on the other hand, is BI derived from J, as shown by the numerous errors of the latter: 211: 22. cininges degna, omitted J. 213:12. geferum] gerefum J. 215:13. mare B1, md V, mete J. 217: 17. dagas] gcer J. L has triduum; etc. The following are the emended passages: : 14. After weordiad add & maersiad J, V : 23. Read luliani J, or -nus V. L has sub luliano caesare : 26. For freas read dreamas, as in J. V has ha dreamas &,a welan :28, 29. For ]et se ceresta.... gecyrred, with which J substantially agrees, read with V acrt bid sio onginnes & se aeresta dawl fere halgan fulwihte. L has nothing corresponding. Martin was as yet only a catechumen, the fulwiht (baptismum) did not follow till he was eighteen years old; cf. 215: 34-36, 213: 3 (see below, No. 6), also 213: 14-16, and 215: 22. The preliminary ceremony (cristnung) is here described as the first part of the fulwiht : 30. For wuldorlice (om. in J) read wundorlice with V. L has mirum in modum. 304

3 NOTES ON THE BLICKLING HOMILIES : 3. For feower readf reo with J, V.1 L has triennium fere ante baptismum in armis fuit :4. For wcepnum (in both BI and J) read synnum with V. L has integer tamen ab iis vitiis :7. For wcernesse (Bl, J) read swetnesse V? L has caritas : 34. For & celmessan read on cel. with J, V : 35. For ncenigre read cenige with J, V :3. After naht elles add nctfde J, or haefde V. Zupitza,3 who had not access to J or V, suggested adding nahte before naht :4. For healf read eall with J, V. In Bl eal was originally written :20, 21. Read Da geseah he myccle mengeo engla emb Drihten standende (or standan?) & da gehyrde he hine, Drihten sylfne, mid switolre stefne to dcem englum cwedendne (or cwedan?). The readings of J and V are: Da geseah he mycele mcenigo cengla ymbe hine Drihten stdndan & da gehyrde he Drihten selfne mid swa cudre stdfne & to ]an cenglum cwcea J, & ]a ges. he m. engla weorod ymbe ]ane Dr. standende, & Pa geh. hine Dr. eac mid switolre st. to englum cwedan V. L has Mox ad angelorum circumstantium multitudinem audit lesum clara uoce dicentem : Martinus.... gegyredest. L has Martinus adhuc catechumenus hac me ueste contexit. The readings of J, V are: M. nu du eart gecristnod c'r his fulwihte mid 4isum hrcegle du me gegyredest J, M. nu iu cwced bus gecristnod cer his fulwihie he mid pysse hrcegle me gegyrede V. The reading of V is obviously the best. I should, however, propose to delete the cwcea ]us :25. Delete ge cwcedon, which is wanting in J, V :9. geornful & be gewyrhtum ymb(e) Drihtnes idre B1, J. Morris renders it by "diligent in his works concerning the Lord's lore," thus ignoring the &. Instead of be gew. we should expect an adjective. V reads geornful & 1 Already noted by HARDY, p Already noted by HARDY, p Zeitschriftffir deutsches Alterthum, Vol. XXVI, p

4 4 ARTHUR S. NAPIER biwyrde in Dr. 1. Had the original some compound of -wyrde meaning "eloquent"? An adjective biwyrde is improbable :21. Read stodan, fa.1 Cf. unr6te wceran ymbe hfct lie da J, unr. leton ymbe bcet lic & hie utan stodon fa V :26. For inbeleac read beleac, as in J, V For deadan read aswoltenan. Cf. asw6dltonan J, aswoltenes V :29. For unsorh read unforht, as in J. Cf. unforhtlice V, intrepidus L : 32. For ncefde read ncafre,l as in J. The passage is wanting in V : 33. J has the better reading & ealle men da de feor ge noah dyses eadigan weres lif cudan odde gehfrdan. Wanting in V : 14. For acem gelicost swylce read on da gelicnesse swa with J. V has in bam gelicnesse swa : 28. For heora geatwum read heregeatwum, as in J, V : 33. For eal read d as in J, V : 12. For the mcegene of B1 and J the original probably had egesan, as in V. L has diuino metu : 21. Before fyldon add brcecon &, as in J, V : 32. After fordemde add ne ne witnode, as in V. J has ne he wite ne nam : 36. Read aht elles of his mude with J, V : 1. Read ne aht elles on his heortan, with J, V :4. For the rihte of BI and J read cetrihte, as in V. Cf. dixitque fratribus dissolutionem sui corporis imminere, L : 9 After ferde the following passage, which is wanting both in BI and J, occurs in V. As a corresponding passage is found in the Latin,3 there can be no doubt that this formed part of the OE. original. Da cwomon hie to sumre ea, fa gesawon hie welfeala fara fugela fe we scealfras nemnajb, & hie da fixas up tugon of fcre ea, & feah be 1 Already suggested by ZUPITZA, p Already noted by HARDY, p L, p. 147,?? 8,

5 NOTES ON THE BLICKLING HOMILIES 5 heora hwylc tone fisc forswulge, honne waes he eft swa gifre swa he eer waes, fiet he oderne gename. ]Da Sas cwede Martinus, "Hwaet, wiht habbad ]as deofla onlicnesse, swa se' deofol d saetap hwcer he maege unware men beswican, & he to feala neefre ]xes berceded he cefre ful sie." Da bebead Scs Martinus ]eet bam fugelum }iet hie fanon fram fam weatere gewiten & on westen & drige2 land sohton. & efne on ba gelicnesse swa he hone deoful of stowa gehwylcre geflymde ]aeer he bonne wces, swa da fugelas sona ealle ftsomne onweg gewiton, heora nan ieet cetstod furdum3 behindan. & hie iaet wundredon be Pbet gesawon & his feran wceron, faet da fugelas sylfe eac Sae Martine gehyrdon : 14. For wceron.... unrote read weopon hie ealle sona with V. J has wdopan hie s6na ealle : 17. For arisende read risende "rapacious" with J. Cf. L, lupi rapaces. V has rixiende :18. Read & todr. with J, V :21, 22. Da he.... geseah. V has here preserved the best reading da he da heora sprcece byllice gehyrde & he hie ealle wepende geseah. J has da he da Ods word gesprcec & dis gehyrde & he ealle wdpende geseah :26. For nedb- read dearflic with J, V : 28. Before ge he leng supply ge ]ieet ]icet he da brodor (gebrodran J) forlete, as in J, V :29. For ftone gesawe read da ne gesawe "should not see it," as in J, V. After gesawe a piece is missing in V :34. For for binre campunga read for de campige with J. Cf. L militabo : 36. For deah read di, "therefore," as in J : 10. J as well as B1 has earan, but we must no doubt alter to hearan, as suggested by M. Forster, p : 20. J reads respicere; cf. Zupitza, p. 219, and M. F6rster, p MS be. 2 MS drige. 3 MS fur6dn. 4 Fol. 100b of V ends with gesawe, and fol. 101 begins with heofonlican (see below, No. 44, note 4). The missing passage corresponds in length to about two pages of the Vercelli MS, so that no doubt a leaf has been lost between fols. 100 and

6 6 ARTHUR S. NAPIER : 25. The remainder of the homily, which is wanting in B1, is contained in J, and the last portion also in V. It runs in J: stdndest du, Hweet wwelgrim wildeor? Ndfast du mdde aht wet me, ac me scyl Abrahames bdarm, atd is seo 6ce rdst, onf6n." Da he da dis da weard his & wlita cweed, swa blidelic, & his m6d swa geftonde, hie 4fne mdahtan leet on dan gtdre ongytan /bet he gastlicne gefdan geseah, & hine ]beet hdofonlic werod gefttode. & he da swa gefeonde das sarlican....' ofo2 gelet, & hine da ire Dri....3 to his dam hdofonlican4 rice nam. wf nu Hweet, gehdrad hu5 eadmodlice6 des dadiga wer7 his lif for Gode gelyfode da hwile de he her on wurolde weas, & hu fdwger8 edlean he'9 et urum Drihtne onftng; & nu d da hwile de deos wilrold stdnded his god"' mcenn mcersiad geond 6alne disne' middangdard on Godes cyricean; & hu nu mid eallum halgum to13 widan fdore on heofena rice for Drihtnes onsyne"1 gefehd & blissad. Ac utan'5 tyligan bcvt16 we dyses 6adigan weres lif & his dceda onhyrigan ades de dre gemdt sige; & utan hine biddan &dtt he us sige"1 on heofonum dingere wid drne Drihten, nu we her on 6ordan his"8 gemynd wyrdiad. To"9 dan ls gefiltumige ure Drihten, se leofad & ricsad a20 butan kende, Amen. ARTHUR S. NAPIER. OXFORD. 1A portion of the parchment has crumbled away here. 2So MS. Read hofo? 3 The edge has crumbled away. Read drihten. t V begins again here. I give the variants other than those of spelling. 5 Before hu V has M = Menba leofestan. 6 haliglice V. 7 wer Ss Martinus V. 8faegerum edleanum V. 9hebPes V. l0g6d V. 11 man mcersad V. 12 disne om. V. 13d to V. 14 onsyne V, in J only ne is left. 15 utan we la V. 16 M cet we Abes halgan w. Scs Martinus V. 17Sige is guessed from the sie in V. It has been inked over by a later hand to site, and the original letters cannot be made out. 18 his gem.] hine geond middangeard V. 19 Dr. us to bam gef. se de V. 20 dd in eallra worulda woruld a V. 308

The anonymous law known as Ordal [ Ordeal ]: Textus Roffensis, ff. 32r-32v Translated from Old English and edited Dr Chris Monk

Published online by Rochester Cathedral Research Guild Homepage: www.rochestercathedralresearchguild.org The anonymous law known as Ordal [ Ordeal ]: Translated from Old English and edited Abstract: And