The history and antiquities of the parish of Tottenham Highcross, Middlesex

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1790 Excerpt: ..." that this Turnament "was afted before this proclamation of king Edv "ward. For how dürft any to attempt to do that, "although in fport, which was fo ftraightly for"bidden, both by the civil and ecclefiaftical "power. For although they fought not with He is not in Newcoiut's lift. f lances, "lances, yet as our author fayeth, It was was no "children's game; and what would have become of him, thinke you, which ihould have flay ne "another in this manner of jeafting? Would he "not, trow you, have bene hang'd for it in e' earneil? Yea, and have bene buried like a ' dogge?" It is, however, well known that Turnaments were in ufe down to the reign of Elizabeth. "Without pretending to afcertain the date of this poem, the obfoletenefs of the ftyle ihews it to be very ancient: it will appear from the famenefs of orthography in the above extract, that Bedwell has generally reduced that of the poem to the ftandard of his own times; yet notwithilanding this innovation, the phrafeology and idiom Ihew it to be of an early date. The poem had, in other refpefts, fuffered by the ignorance of tranferibers, and therefore a jew attempts are.here made to reftore the text by amending fome corruptions, and removing fome redundancies j but left this freedom ihould incur cenfure, the former readings are retained in the margin. A farther liberty is alfo taken: what is here given for the concluding line of each fianza, ilood in the former edition divided as two: e. g. Of them that were doughty And hardy indeed. But they feemed moil naturally to run into one, and the frequent negleft of rhime in the former of them feemed to prove that the author intended no fuch divifion." Percy's Reliques of antient Engliih. Poetry...