I

ROBERT MANNYNG OF BRUNNE’S HANDLYNG SYNNE

A.D. 1303

What is known of Robert Mannyng of Brunne is derived from his own works. In the Prologue to Handlyng Synne he writes:

     To alle Crystyn men vndir sunne,

     And to gode men of Brunne,

     And speciali, alle be name,

     Þe felaushepe of Symprynghame,

     Roberd of Brunne greteþ ow

     In al godenesse þat may to prow;

     Of Brunne wake yn Kesteuene,

     Syxe myle besyde Sympryngham euene,

     Y dwelled yn þe pryorye

     Fyftene ere yn cumpanye. …

And in the Introduction to his Chronicle:

Of Brunne I am; if any me blame,

     Robert Mannyng is my name;

     Blissed be he of God of heuene

     Þat me Robert with gude wille neuene!

     In þe third Edwardes tyme was I,

     When I wrote alle þis story,

     In þe hous of Sixille I was a throwe;

     Dan Robert of Malton, þat e know,

     Did it wryte for felawes sake

     When þai wild solace make.

From these passages it appears that he was born in Brunne, the modern Bourn, in Lincolnshire; and that he belonged to the Gilbertine Order. Sempringham was the head-quarters of the Order, and the dependent priory of Sixhill was near by. It has been suggested, without much evidence, that he was a lay brother, and not a full canon.

His Chronicle of England was completed in 1338. It falls into two parts, distinguished by a change of metre and source. The first, edited by Furnivall in the Rolls Series (2 vols. 1887), extends from the Flood to A. D. 689, and is based on Wace’s Brut, the French source of Layamon’s Brut. The second part, edited by Hearne, 2 vols., Oxford 1725, extends from A. D. 689 to the death of Edward I, and is based on the French Chronicle of a contemporary, who is sometimes called Pierre de Langtoft, sometimes Piers of Bridlington, because he was a native of Langtoft in Yorkshire, and a canon of the Austin priory at Bridlington in the same county. Mannyng’s Chronicle has no great historical value, and its chief literary interest lies in the references to current traditions and popular stories.

Handlyng Synne is a much more valuable work. It was begun in 1303:

     Dane Felyp was mayster þat tyme

     Þat y began þys Englyssh ryme;

     Þe eres of grace fyl þan to be

     A þousynd and þre hundred and þre.

     In þat tyme turnede y þys

     On Englyssh tunge out of Frankys

     Of a boke as y fonde ynne,

     Men clepyn þe boke ‘Handlyng Synne’.

The source was again a French work written by a contemporary Northerner—William of Wadington’s Manuel de Pechiez. The popularity of such treatises on the Sins may be judged from the number of works modelled upon them: e. g. the Ayenbyte of Inwyt, Gower’s Confessio Amantis, and Chaucer’s Parson’s Tale. Their purpose was, as Robert explains, to enable a reader to examine his conscience systematically and constantly, and so to guard himself against vice.

Two complete MSS. of Handlyng Synne are known: British Museum MS. Harley 1701 (about 1350–75), and MS. Bodley 415, of a slightly later date. An important fragment is in the library of Dulwich College. The whole text, with the French source, has been edited by Furnivall for the Roxburghe Club, and later for the Early English Text Society. It treats, with the usual wealth of classification, of the Commandments, the Sins, the Sacraments, the Requisites and Graces of Shrift. But such a bald summary gives no idea of the richness and variety of its content. For Mannyng, anticipating Gower, saw the opportunities that the illustrative stories offered to his special gifts, and spared no pains in their telling. A few examples are added from his own knowledge. More often he expands Wadington’s outlines, as in the tale of the Dancers of Colbek. Here the French source is brief and colourless. But the English translator had found a fuller Latin version—clearly the same as that printed from Bodleian MS. Rawlinson C 938 in the preface to Furnivall’s Roxburghe Club edition—and from it he produced the well-rounded and lively rendering given below.

Robert knew that a work designed to turn ‘lewde men’ from the ale-house to the contemplation of their sins must grip their attention; and in the art of linking good teaching with entertainment he is a master. He has the gift of conveying to his audience his own enjoyment of a good story. His loose-knit conversational style would stand the test of reading aloud to simple folk, and he allows no literary affectations, no forced metres or verbiage, to darken his meaning:

     Haf I alle in myn Inglis layd

     In symple speche as I couthe,

     Þat is lightest in mannes mouthe.

     I mad noght for no disours,

     Ne for no seggers, no harpours,

     But for þe luf of symple men

     Þat strange Inglis can not ken;

     For many it ere þat strange Inglis

     In ryme wate neuer what it is,

     And bot þai wist what it mente,

     Ellis me thoght it were alle schente.   (Chronicle, ll. 72 ff.)

The simple form reflects the writer’s frankness and directness. He points a moral fearlessly, but without harshness or self-righteousness. And the range of his sympathies and interests makes Handlyng Synne the best picture of English life before Langland and Chaucer.

THE DANCERS OF COLBEK

MS. Harley 1701 (about A. D. 1375); ed. Furnivall, ll. 8987 ff.

KAROLLES, wrastlynges, or somour games,    1

     Whoso euer haunteþ any swyche shames

     Yn cherche, oþer yn chercheerd,

     Of sacrylage he may be aferd;

     Or entyrludes, or syngynge,    5

     Or tabure bete, or oþer pypynge—

     Alle swyche þyng forbodyn es

     Whyle þe prest stondeþ at messe.

     Alle swyche to euery gode preste ys lothe,

     And sunner wyl he make hym wroth    10

     Þan he wyl, þat haþ no wyt,

     Ne vndyrstondeþ nat Holy Wryt.

     And specyaly at hygh tymes

     Karolles to synge and rede rymys

     Noght yn none holy stedes,    15

     Þat myt dysturble þe prestes bedes,

     Or yf he were yn orysun

     Or any ouþer deuocyun:

     Sacrylage ys alle hyt tolde,

     Þys and many oþer folde.    20

But for to leue yn cherche for to daunce,

     Y shal ow telle a ful grete chaunce,

     And y trow þe most þat fel

     Ys soþe as y ow telle;

     And fyl þys chaunce yn þys londe,    25

     Yn Ingland, as y vndyrstonde,

     Yn a kynges tyme þat hyght Edward

     Fyl þys chau〈n〉ce þat was so hard.

Hyt was vppon a Crystemesse nyt

     Þat twelue folys a karolle dyt,    30

     Yn wodehed, as hyt were yn cuntek,

     Þey come to a tounne men calle Colbek.

     Þe cherche of þe tounne þat þey to come

     Ys of Seynt Magne, þat suffred martyrdome;

     Of Seynt Bukcestre hyt ys also,    35

     Seynt Magnes suster, þat þey come to.

     Here names of alle þus fonde y wryte,

     And as y wote now shul e wyte:

     Here lodesman, þat made hem glew,

     Þus ys wryte, he hyte Gerlew.    40

     Twey maydens were yn here coueyne,

     Mayden Merswynde and Wybessyne.

     Alle þese come þedyr for þat enchesone

     Of þe prestes doghtyr of þe tounne.

Þe prest hyt Robert, as y kan ame;    45

     Aone hyght hys sone by name;

     Hys doghter, þat þese men wulde haue,

     Þus ys wryte, þat she hyt Aue.

     Echoune consented to o wyl

     Who shuld go Aue oute to tyl,    50

     Þey graunted echone out to sende

     Boþe Wybessyne and Merswynde.

Þese wommen ede and tolled here oute

     Wyþ hem to karolle þe cherche aboute.

     Beu〈u〉ne ordeyned here karollyng;    55

     Gerlew endyted what þey shuld syng.

     Þys ys þe karolle þat þey sunge,

     As telleþ þe Latyn tunge:

‘Equitabat Beuo per siluam frondosam,

     Ducebat secum Merswyndam formosam.    60

     Quid stamus? cur non imus?’

‘By þe leued wode rode Beuolyne,

     Wyþ hym he ledde feyre Merswyne.

     Why stonde we? why go we noght?’

     Þys ys þe karolle þat Grysly wroght;    65

     Þys songe sunge þey yn þe chercheerd—

     Of foly were þey no þyng aferd—

     Vnto þe matynes were alle done,

     And þe messe shuld bygynne sone.

Þe preste hym reuest to begynne messe,    70

     And þey ne left þerfore neuer þe lesse,

     But daunsed furþe as þey bygan,

     For alle þe messe þey ne blan.

Þe preste, þat stode at þe autere,

     And herd here noyse and here bere,    75

     Fro þe auter down he nam,

     And to þe cherche porche he cam,

     And seyd ‘On Goddes behalue, y ow forbede

     Þat e no lenger do swych dede,

     But comeþ yn on feyre manere    80

     Goddes seruyse for to here,

     And doþ at Crystyn mennys lawe;

     Karolleþ no more, for Crystys awe!

     Wurschyppeþ Hym with alle oure myt

     Þat of þe Vyrgyne was bore þys nyt.’    85

For alle hys byddyng lefte þey not,

     But daunsed furþ, as þey þot.

     Þe preste þarefor was sore agreued;

     He preyd God þat he on beleuyd,

     And for Seynt Magne, þat he wulde so werche—    90

     Yn whos wurschyp sette was þe cherche—

     Þat swych a veniaunce were on hem sent,

     Are þey oute of þat stede were went,

     Þat 〈þey〉 myt euer ryt so wende

     Vnto þat tyme tweluemonth ende;    95

     (Yn þe Latyne þat y fonde þore

     He seyþ nat ‘tweluemonth’ but ‘euermore’;)

     He cursed hem þere alsaume

     As þey karoled on here gaume.

As sone as þe preste hadde so spoke    100

     Euery hand yn ouþer so fast was loke

     Þat no man myt with no wundyr

     Þat tweluemo〈n〉þe parte hem asundyr.

Þe preste ede yn, whan þys was done,

     And commaunded hys sone Aone    105

     Þat 〈he〉 shulde go swyþe aftyr Aue,

     Oute of þat karolle algate to haue.

     But al to late þat wurde was seyd,

     For on hem alle was þe veniaunce leyd.

Aone wende weyl for to spede;    110

     Vnto þe karolle as swyþe he ede,

     Hys systyr by þe arme he hente,

     And þe arme fro þe body wente.

     Men wundred alle þat þere wore,

     And merueyle mowe e here more,    115

     For, seþen he had þe arme yn hand,

     Þe body ede furþ karoland,

     And noþer 〈þe〉 body ne þe arme

     Bledde neuer blode, colde ne warme,

     But was as drye, with al þe haunche,    120

     As of a stok were ryue a braunche.

Aone to hys fadyr went,

     And broght hym a sory present:

     ‘Loke, fadyr,’ he seyd, ‘and haue hyt here,

     Þe arme of þy doghtyr dere,    125

     Þat was myn owne syster Aue,

     Þat y wende y myt a saue.

     Þy cursyng now sene hyt ys

     Wyth veniaunce on þy owne flessh.

     Fellyche þou cursedest, and ouer sone;    130

     Þou askedest veniaunce,—þou hast þy bone.’

ow þar nat aske yf þere was wo

     Wyth þe preste, and wyth many mo.

     Þe prest, þat cursed for þat daunce,

     On some of hys fyl harde chaunce.    135

     He toke hys doghtyr arme forlorn

     And byryed hyt on þe morn;

     Þe nexte day þe arme of Aue

     He fonde hyt lyggyng aboue þe graue.

     He byryed 〈hyt〉 on anouþer day,    140

     And eft aboue þe graue hyt lay.

     Þe þrydde tyme he byryed hyt,

     And eft was hyt kast oute of þe pyt.

     Þe prest wulde byrye hyt no more,

     He dredde þe veniaunce ferly sore;    145

     Ynto þe cherche he bare þe arme,

     For drede and doute of more harme,

     He ordeyned hyt for to be

     Þat euery man myt wyth ye hyt se.

Þese men þat ede so karolland,    150

     Alle þat ere, hand yn hand,

     Þey neuer oute of þat stede ede,

     Ne none myt hem þenne lede.

     Þere þe cursyng fyrst bygan,

     Yn þat place aboute þey ran,    155

     Þat neuer ne felte þey no werynes

     As many †bodyes for goyng dos†,

     Ne mete ete, ne drank drynke,

     Ne slepte onely alepy wynke.

     Nyt ne day þey wyst of none,    160

     Whan hyt was come, whan hyt was gone;

     Frost ne snogh, hayle ne reyne,

     Of colde ne hete, felte þey no peyne;

     Heere ne nayles neuer grewe,

     Ne solowed cloþes, ne turned hewe;    165

     Þundyr ne lytnyng dyd hem no dere,

     Goddys mercy ded hyt fro hem were;—

     But sungge þat songge þat þe wo wrot:

     ‘Why stonde we ? why go we not?’

What man shuld þyr be yn þys lyue    170

     Þat ne wulde hyt see and þedyr dryue?

     Þe Emperoure Henry come fro Rome

     For to see þys hard dome.

     Whan he hem say, he wepte sore

     For þe myschefe þat he sagh þore.    175

     He ded come wrytes for to make

     Coueryng ouer hem, for tempest sake.

     But þat þey wroght hyt was yn veyn,

     For hyt come to no certeyn,

     For þat þey sette on oo day    180

     On þe touþer downe hyt lay.

     Ones, twyys, þryys, þus þey wrot,

     And alle here makyng was for not.

     Myght no coueryng hyle hem fro colde

     Tyl tyme of mercy þat Cryst hyt wolde.    185

Tyme of grace fyl þurgh Hys myt

     At þe tweluemonth ende, on þe ole nyt.

     Þe same oure þat þe prest hem banned,

     Þe same oure atwynne þey †woned†;

     Þat houre þat he cursed hem ynne,    190

     Þe same oure þey ede atwynne,

     And as yn twynkelyng of an ye

     Ynto þe cherche gun þey flye,

     And on þe pauement þey fyl alle downe

     As þey had be dede, or fal yn a swone.    195

Þre days styl þey lay echone,

     Þat none steryd oþer flesshe or bone,

     And at þe þre days ende

     To lyfe God graunted hem to wende.

     Þey sette hem vpp and spak apert    200

     To þe parysshe prest, syre Robert:

     ‘Þou art ensample and enchesun

     Of oure long confusyun;

     Þou maker art of oure trauayle,

     Þat ys to many grete meruayle,    205

     And þy traueyle shalt þou sone ende,

     For to þy long home sone shalt þou wende.’

Alle þey ryse þat yche tyde

     But Aue,—she lay dede besyde.

     Grete sorowe had here fadyr, here broþer;    210

     Merueyle and drede had alle ouþer;

     Y trow no drede of soule dede,

     But with pyne was broght þe body dede.

     Þe fyrst man was þe fadyr, þe prest,

     Þat deyd aftyr þe dotyr nest.    215

     Þys yche arme þat was of Aue,

     Þat none myt leye yn graue,

     Þe Emperoure dyd a vessel werche

     To do hyt yn, and hange yn þe cherche,

     Þat alle men myt se hyt and knawe,    220

     And þenk on þe chaunce when men hyt sawe.

Þese men þat hadde go þus karolland

     Alle þe ere, fast hand yn hand,

     Þogh þat þey were þan asunder

     yt alle þe worlde spake of hem wunder.    225

     Þat same hoppyng þat þey fyrst ede,

     Þat daunce ede þey þurgh land and lede,

     And, as þey ne myt fyrst be vnbounde,

     So efte togedyr myt þey neuer be founde,

     Ne myt þey neuer come aeyn    230

     Togedyr to oo stede certeyn.

Foure ede to þe courte of Rome,

     And euer hoppyng aboute þey nome,

     †Wyth sundyr lepys† come þey þedyr,

     But þey come neuer efte togedyr.    235

     Here cloþes ne roted, ne nayles grewe,

     Ne heere ne wax, ne solowed hewe,

     Ne neuer hadde þey amendement,

     Þat we herde, at any corseynt,

     But at þe vyrgyne Seynt Edyght,    240

     Þere was he botened, Seynt Teodryght,

     On oure Lady day, yn lenten tyde,

     As he slepte here toumbe besyde.

     Þere he had hys medycyne

     At Seynt Edyght, þe holy vyrgyne.    245

Brunyng þe bysshope of seynt Tolous

     Wrote þys tale so merueylous;

     Seþþe was hys name of more renoun,

     Men called hym þe pope Leoun.

     Þys at þe court of Rome þey wyte,    250

     And yn þe kronykeles hyt ys wryte

     Yn many stedys beounde þe see,

     More þan ys yn þys cuntré.

     Þarfor men seye, an weyl ys trowed,

     ‘Þe nere þe cherche, þe fyrþer fro God’.    255

So fare men here by þys tale,

     Some holde hyt but a troteuale,

     Yn oþer stedys hyt ys ful dere

     And for grete merueyle þey wyl hyt here.

     A tale hyt ys of feyre shewyng,    260

     Ensample and drede aens cursyng.

     Þys tale y tolde ow to 〈make〉 ow aferde

     Yn cherche to karolle, or yn chercheerde,

     Namely aens þe prestys wylle:

     Leueþ whan he byddeþ ow be stylle.    265

---

21 for (2nd) om. MS. Bodley 415.

24 Ys as soþ as þe gospel MS. Bodley.

78 behalue] halfe MS. Bodley.

94 þey] so MS. Bodley: om. MS. Harley.

106 he] so MS. Bodley.

118 þe] so MS. Bodley.

136–7 forlor … mor MS.

140 hyt] so MS. Bodley: om. MS. Harley.

171 Þat] Þat hyt MS. Harley.

221 men] þey MS. Bodley.

227 ede] wente MS. Bodley.

229 togedyr … neuer] myt þey neuer togedyr MS. Bodley.

241 Seynt om. MS. Bodley.