New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-24


does not correspond precisely IN souhi WI" "''
one with which 1t rhymes.
The. present edition is conspicuous Illustration
Of this tendency II is certainly to be regretted
that a scholar so accomplished as Professor Skeat
has not only fallen In with 1t. but is disposed 10
carry II 70 the farthest extreme. His prevailing
fault as an editor IL 10 sacrifice CA2ucer on lhe
score If an assumed regularity To support his
views he has not the slightest hesitation ABOUT
adopting an inferior reading. or the readihg oi an
inferior manuscript: or when all manuscript au-
thority fails. he boldly changes the text 10 su''
his nre"onceived views, or at least ihss's III
M, ought to be changed 1t Is somewhat
annoying to find course like this taken ny
scholar in whom one naturally wishes To Fepose
implicit confidence. Yet the truth Of each one OF
these charges will be fully substantated. FOR
the 90 Of making every point perfectly clear
only few examples will be selected But THESE
u.,u no significant ones and their fewness will
permit all the facts In each case to ne July pre-
sented The reader in consequence will De left
in a position to decide for himself on the Justice
or Injustice OF the criticism.
In the limited space at command. my IMAM op-
ect will he to show how this fondness for artifi-
c,oI reyu,aritv works harm on the purely literary
side The first example will be the substitution
If n word by Professor Skeat for word OF Chau-
cor In the Book Of the Duchess" the hero Is
portrayed as ceebra ting the virtues and depiorng
the death of the heroine In lines lo3'-4o Tor IL
lustraton, he Is represented As expressing hi"seh
as follows. according to all the existing original
authorities:
For certes she was. that swete wyf.
Ny suiisaunce. my lust. my lEi,
Myn hap. myn hce, and al my bfsse'
NV worldes welfare and my goddesSe
.,Ft hn
last lines Of this quotation there is regular
climax in the thought. In the final line the Oh
max. as we should expect in the work of great
poet reaches its utmost height. In 1t the sor-
rowful husband terms the woman he has loved
and lost his goddess" 1t is the language Il ex-
aggeration but ii is also the natural language oil
ardent devotion.
Now IL is a pet theory OF Professor Skeat mat
Chaucer was incapable Of perpetratng what he
calls a bad rhyme When such occur. hey are
either explained away various grounds or
emended out of existence In this instance ne
resorts 10 the latter course. For godGcsw he sub
stitutes Iissc which he defines as "aleviatoh'
solace comfort" These are meanings imposed
upon the word 10 suit the context. rather ihan
those strictly belonging to II. L'Sw ordinarily
signifies either rest. peace, or cessation HOW
ever let us take without grumbng the gifts inc
editor provides. Il here he says, substitute
Hssc for goddcsw as In the authorities. The
hIunder is obvious Goddcsw clogs the line with
an extra syllable. and gives false rhine sucn
as Chancer never makes" Nol. t.. p 4Ss)
Chaucer might or might not have felt trans
ported with JOY at being told that he never Tade
a false rhyme. But there can be no question as
70 what his feelings would have been in being held
responsible for such example II prosalc anti
oil
For pathos we have bathos There is certainly
something diverting in a lover declaring Of his
mistress that she was his life his bliss. ais wei
fare in this world. and then rising to the oul-
minating point Of panegyrc by termng her his
alienation The diversion. however. such "a IT IL.
is not due to the poet. but to his editor Professor
Skeat explains the presence OF goddess by saying
that lise was going out 81 use. and the scrihes
did not understand IT, Accordingly ihey suos,i-
tuted for II Codd,sw being led doubtless To- the
choice Of this particular word 10y Is exceedingly
close resemblance to the word whdsc place II
takes There is one objection 1T least 10 this
view. LiSsc occurs several times In chaucer As
a noun 1t appears in line 22O II IN" "ious" ~
Fame" in line 3i2 II book III 81 "TroHus ana
Criseyde." and in line 80 81 the Franklin tale. rs
a verb IT appears also in line AZ Of the last named
piece In none Of these instances has ~ terrified
the -cribes who have unnlnchingy set IL down.
without feeling the necessity OF substituting an
other word IN its place
1t is the so-calcd false rhyme. a has been seen.
that leads Professor Skeai in this example 10
turn oodd,sN into NSNc. But another reason Civ
en- FOR this alteration Is found In The undying hos
tty b. feels to lines that come short ~ or over
run the ideal number \ first foot consisting u a
single syllable is the only concession he will make
to poetic liberty All other sins oi reiundan-
cy or deficiency must be- severely chastened SO as
to preserve the perfect purity Of chauccrs verse.
method Of correcting the former iniqulty has
lust been furnishcd: now comes similar cNhibi-
ton OF a method Of correcting the latter. In the
House of Fame" occur the following lines:
"A good persuasion
Quod t. "hit is: and lyk t. be-
Right 50 a. thou hast proved me" H'2-iJ
Here in verse written in the octo-syllabc meas
ure is a line plainly consisting Of but three feet
All the authorities agree in the reading. 50 far
as the evidence that has come down can be
trusted. 1t is the very reading that came from
the author himself But such a state II things
is distressing to an editor whose belief Is that
Chaucer could not have slept peacefully il his
verse were not In strictest accordance with the
metrical rules laid down by modern scholars for
his guidance. Accordingly We find the first line
| amended i'm Professor Skeat's edition to read as
follows:
Quod he "A good persuasion
This added "quod he belongs to the previous
speech. to which the lines quoted above
answer. But IN This same previous speech "quod
he" has already been employed. One appearance
IL amply sufficient for IT to do all the duty II is
| ca He'd upon to perform It's duplication according
| ~ is not only unnecessary. 1t Is positively often
sivc Yet I'm order fo force The line 10 conform 10
| an imaginary model of prosodical propriety
| Chaucer Is made guilty If "A piece Of tautology Of
| which "A schoOboy ought 10 be ashamed.
Now comes the consideration Of an example
| about which there can be- and perhaps always
| will be- difference Of opinion. inasmuch AS the
| Interpretation is one that depends upon indvid-