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

, ,orrectIv orthodox rhyme and his feelings
find expression in the notes 1T mas oeeh
,oi,ted out" h. there says that Syke is
Tot perfect rhyme to MoD"' "ny''
hut only an assurance 1t is difficult TO peheVe
| chaucer guilty of this oversight; and hence
would suggest with all submission to the crites'
| that possibly Chaucer wrote SWf lhls "ofu'
/ no goes on to explain. Is found III the Curs'r
Mundi" and signifies in that work 10 DC a"N-
Ions" There is something almost patheuc III
this nrotestation Of answering loyalty to an
impossible faith. One Is reminded py IL OF the
saving attributed to Cambronne Ine euaru
dies bu. 1t never surrenders'
IN truth # Is Professor skeats intense and un-
reasoning partisanshp in favor OF the views ne
has advoca ted which at times prevents his con-
illusions from being unheslatingly adop'eu vi
even his statements of fact accepted. lie mas
no intention 70 mslead but his convictions are so
! strong that they unconscousy influence his ex-
nresson Having once taken a particular posi-
ton he shuts his eyes to any further consldera-
! ton Of the case save what makes Tor MS o""
side He hides from himself and naturally from
! others considerations and arguments that "ou'"
expose his views to doubt or denial. But the HIST
| duty Of editor or commentator II 10 seaiV"
| not only for the truth, but for the wnoie Uu.''
II facts initiate or seem 10 initiate against his
conclusions he Is bound to state them In all their
force and fulness How constantly Professor
Skeat fails to do this Is particularly noticeable In
! his discussion Of the genulneness OF the Ro-
! nance of the Rose" For the sake. however, OF
Illustrating this point fully and of showing that
the charge Of intense partisanship made against
him is no, unjust. shall here limit myself to his
treatment Of a single point Of language but that
a crucial one.
/ IN han one Professor
committed himself to the theory that Chaucer not
rarely but as matter Of fact never, rhymed
preterite of a weak verb. which should END In
! with past particple Of verb Of the same con-
juga tion that Is to say, for illustration. the pre-
terite fcrde Jared" could not rhyme with the
past partciple h"rd heard" On this point he
il very earnest In order to make the poets prac-
tice conform 10 his rule he has had no scruple In
one particular instance In following the authority
| Of single manuscript Of the Canterbury
! Tales" out Of the seven printed. and that one
! inferior to at least three OF the others. But In
the course OF his investigation he has had trials
/ in enforcing this doctrine and has resorted at
different times to different methods Of removing
! the obstacles that lay in his path. In the Book
Of the Duchess We meet with this couplet be-
/ longing to different sentences:
| And wento his wcy. whan ne had sayd.
Anon this god Of sleep abrayd-1ines 19l-2.
The following similar couplet is found in the
House OF Fame:
Now herkneth. as | have YOU seyd
What that | mette. or | abreyd.
! In Professor Skeats edition OF the Minor
Poems" %. 12D he appended to the last passage
/ quoted the following footnote: Grammar re-
qulres scyd abrcvdc, the rime is false In this
footno;e scyd is doubtless an oversight for seyic,
or obrcvdc for abrcyd.
There s II course. something dvertng In
man Of the nineteenth century assuring the great
est writer ~ the fourteenth century that his
grammar is bad because 1t does not fit in with
4 hi. own views: still more In declaring that one OF
the greatest masters Of metre the world has ever
known vas employing false rhyme because
| his EDITORS theory would suffer a staggering blow
| II 1t could be regarded as true one 1t was evil
| dent that this would never do. BY the time Pro-
| fcssor Skeat had reached the annotatons I'm the
latter part OF the work IN question. he had under
! gone a change OF heart He had found out. as he
! believed a method Of preserving the integrity OF
| Chaucer's metrical aud grammatical virtue with
oui infringing upon the rules which he himself
/ had Sc up for the poets guidance. So on pages
~ AID 327 Of the edition Of the Min n Poems
We find notes which directly contradict the foot
/ note on page III. The rme is correct he
writes on page 327 because db,fDd is a strong
verb Chaucer does not rime PIP with weak
pt which should have iiral :. 1t is a point as
TO which he is very particular"
Some two or three years later | pointed out
C'Studcs in Chaucer" vol p iOD that both
Lr, ydc and its compound dbTcydc though orig
nalIv strong verbs. had like many others
gone over I'm Chaucer's time to the weak conju-
CATION. Consequently the regular preterites with
him would be and were brcydc and db,cydt. not
brcm and dbrcyd Though usual in his ear
er Volumes Professor Skeat makes no reference
10 who sld Il what was said was sufficient 10
lead him in the present edition to qualify some
what his previous utterarce In the note To the
passage in the Book Of the Duchess the posi-
tive statement that tObrcvdc is a strong verb re-
ceved n slight modification. however he adds
"Lrdpde (as II w,ak) also occurs. Against the
passage in the House Of Fame" he appends his
old note with this further delverance Never
thelcss dbraydc also appears as weak form by
confusion with leyir. sayde. etc"
A man ignorant Of the actual facts would be
singularly constituted after reading the above
n Re did not infer from It that brfpdc and dorFboc
are regularly employed by Chaucer strong
verbs, and that his OF them as weak verbs
was the exception and no; the rule. That Is GER
tainly the natural Interpretation OF the IAN
guagc The consideration of the two passages
I'm dispute will be here laid aside In determining
the poets practice. What In that case VIII be the
evidence of the other passages in which these
words occur? In the light OF the editorial utter
anccs just recorded. Il may sound surprising out
| II Is nevertheless true. that both "tydf ana
! nbrfydc are always used by Chauoer as weak
verbs and never as strong. Here the evidence OF
| rhyme is absolutely conclusive. the preterite
brcydc appears as final rhyme just hNe times
! in the Canterbury Tales" and in every instance
/ f. RHYMES with weak preterie. Those disposed
to examine this point for themselves can md the
word In line 729 of the Man of Laws tale; In line
S65 of the Reeves tale: in line o4S OF the Monks
tale; in line 7a9 of the Prologue to the wife OF
! Baths tale and in limo 2s' oil me rrahkhh 'a'e'