Classic Poem

I.

Introduction by Queen M AB . ( By I SCAMME .)

W HEN from the earth the sun's hulstred,
Then, from the floweret's straught with dew,
My liege men make you awhaped,
And witches then their witchcraft do.
Then rise the sprites ugsome and rou,
And take their walk the churchyard through.

II.

Then do the sprites of valorous men
Agleam along the barbed hall,
Pleasant the mouldering banners ken,
Or sit around in honoured stall.
Our spirits turn their eyes tonight,
And look on Canynge's churche bright.

III.

In sooth, in all my bismarde round,
(Truly the thing must be bewryen)
In stone or wooden work is found
Naught so fair-welcome to mine eyne
As is good Canynge's church of stone,
Which loudly will proclaim his praise alone.

IV.

To John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester.

( By R OWLEIE .)

To you, good bishop, I address my say,
To you, who honourest the cloth you wear;
Like precious bighes in gold of best allay,
Each one doth make the other seem more fair.
Other than you, where could a man be found
So fit to make a place be holy ground?

V.

The saints in stone so neatly carvelled,
They scantly are what they enseem to be,
By fervent prayer of yours might rear their head,
And chant out masses to our Virgine.
Were every prelate like a Carpenter,
The church would not blush at a Winchester.

VI.

Learned as Beauclerc, as the Confessor
Holy in life, like Canynge charitable,
Busy in holy church as Vavasour,
Slack in things evil, in all good things stable,
Honest as Saxons were, from whence thou'rt sprung,
Though body weak, thy soul for ever young.

VII.

Thou knowest well thy conscience free from stain,
Thy soul her rode no sable 'batements have;
Y-clenched o'er with virtue's best adaygne,
A day eterne thy mind doth aye adave.
No spoiled widows, orphyäns distress'd,
Nor starving priests distract thy nightly rest.

VIII.

Here then to thee let me, for one and all,
Give laud to Carpenter and commendation,
For his great virtues; but, alas! too small
Is my poor skill to shew you his just blation,
Or to blaze forth his public good alone,
And all his private good to God and him is known.

IX.

Spirit of Nimrod speaketh. ( By I SCAMME .)

Soon as the morn, but newly 'wake,
Spied Night y-storven lie,
On her corse did dewdrops shake,
Then 'fore the sun upgotten was I.

X.

The ramping lion, fell tiger,
The buck that skips from place to place,
The elephant and rhinocere,
Before me through the greenwood I did chase.

XI.

Nimrod, as Scripture calls my name,
Baal, as fabled stories say;
For rearing Babel of great fame
My name and renown shall live for aye.

XII.

But here I spy a finer rearing,
'Gainst which the cloudes do not fight,
On which the stars do sit, to appearing;
Weak men think it reaches the kingdom of light.

XIII.

Oh! where is the man that built the same,
Dispending worldly store so well?
Fain would I change with him my name,
And stand in his chance not to go to hell.

XIV.

Sprites of Assyrians sing.

When, to their caves eterne abased,
The waters have no more distressed
The world so large;
But did discharge
Themselves into their bed of rest;

XV.

Then men, besprinkled all abroad,
No more did worship the true God;
But did create
His temples great
Unto the image of Nimrod.

XVI.

But now the Word of God is come,
Born of Maid Mary, to bring home
Mankind, his sheep;
Them for to keep
In the fold of his heavenly kingdom.

XVII.

This church which Canynge he did rear,
To be dispent in praise and prayer,
Men's souls to save
From 'vouring grave,
And purify them heaven-were.

Sprites of E LLE , B YTHRYCKE , F ITZ-HARDYNGE , F RAMPTON , G AUNTE , S EGOWEN , L AMYNGETON , a Knight Templar, and B YRTONNE . ( By R OWLIE .)

XVIII.

Sprite of B YTHRYCKE speaks .

Elle, thy Bristol is thy only care,
Thou art like dragon vig'lant of its good;
No loving dames (too kind) more love can bear,
Nor Lombards over gold more vig'lant brood.

XIX.

Sprite of E LLE speaks .

At once, ye sprites, forsake the swollen flood,
Enjoy a sight with me, a sight full fine;
Well have I vended mine for Danish blood,
Since this great structure greets my wondering eyne.
Ye that have built upon the Redcliff side,
Turn there your eyne, and see your works outvied!

XX.

Sprite of B YTHRYCKE speaks .

What wondrous monument, what pile is this,
That binds in wonder's chain entendement?
That doth aloft the airy skyin kiss,
And seemeth mountains, joined by cement,
From Goddes great and wondrous storehouse sent.
Full well mine eyes advise it cannot be,
That man could rear of such a great extent
A church so huge yet handsome as we see.
The scattered clouds, disparted, from it fly,
'Twill be, Iwis, to all eternity.

XXI.

E LLE'S sprite speaks .

Were I once more cast in a mortal frame,
To hear the chantry-song sound in mine ear,
To hear the masses to our holy dame,
To view the cross-aisles and the arches fair!
Through the half-hidden silver-twinkling glare
Of yon bright moon in foggy mantles dress'd,
I must content the building to aspere,
Whilst broken clouds the holy sight arrest;
Till, as the nights grow old, I fly the light.
Oh! were I man again, to see the sight!

XXII.

There sit the canons; cloth of sable hue
Adorn the bodies of them every one;
The chanters white with scarfs of woaden blue,
And crimson chapeaux for them to put on,
With golden tassels, glittering in the sun;
The dames in kirtles all of Lincoln green,
And knotted shoe-peaks, of brave colours done.
A finer sight in sooth was never seen.

XXIII.

B YRTON'S sprite speaks .

In tilts and tournies was my dear delight,
For man and Goddes warfare had renome,
At every tilting-yard my name was hight,
I bear the bell away where'er I come.
Of Redcliff church the building new I done,
And did full many holy place endow,
Of Mary's house made the foundation,
And gave a threescore marks to Saint John's too.
Then closed mine eyes, on earth to ope no mo,
Whilst six-month's mind upon my grave was do.

XXIV.

Full glad am I my church was pulled down,
Since this brave structure now doth greet mine eye.
This building rare, most polished of the town,
Like to the donor's soul, shall never die.
But if, percase, Time, of his dire envy,
Shall beat it to rude walls and blocks of stone,
The wandering traveller that passes by
Will see its ruined ancient splendour shewn
In the craz'd arches and the carvelling,
And pillars their green heads to heav'n rearing.

XXV.

Sprite of S EGOWEN speaks .

Deceiving gold was once my only toy,
With it my soul within the coffer lay,
It did the mastery of my life employ,
By night my mistress, and my jub by day.
Once, as I dozing in the witch-hour lay,
Thinking how best to filch the orphan's bread,
And from the helpless take their goods away,
I from the skyin heard a voice, which said:
" Thou sleepest; but lo! Satan is awake,
Some deed that's holy do, or he thy soul will take. "

XXVI.

At once I started up with fear astound,
Methought in mirk were playing devils fell;
Straight did I number twenty Aves round,
And thought full soone for to go to hell.
I' th' morn my case to a good priest did tell.
Who did advise me to y-build that day
The church of Thomas, then to pieces fell.
My heart expanded into heaven lay;
Soon was the silver to the workmen given,
'Twas best bestowed, a karynte giv'n to heaven.

XXVII.

But well, I wot, thy motives were not so,
'Twas love of God that set thee on the rearing
Of this fair church, Oh Canynge, for to do
This polish'd building of so fine appearing:
This church, our lesser buildings all out-daring,
Like to the moon with stars of little light;
And after-times, the beauteous pile revering,
The prince of churches' builders thee shall hight;
Great was the cause, but greater was th' effect,
So all will say who do this place prospect.

XXVIII.

Sprite of F ITZ-HARDYNGE speaks .

From royal parents did I have retaining,
The red-haired Dane confessed to be my sire;
The Dane who, often through this kingdom draining,
Would mark his way there through with blood and fire.
As stopped rivers always rise more higher,
And ramm'd stones by opposures stronger be,
As stopped rivers always rise more higher,
And for one countryman did threescore sle.
From them, of Denmark's royal blood, came I,
Well might I boast of my gentility.

XXIX.

The pipes may sound and bubble forth my name,
And tellen what on Redcliffe-side I did;
Trinity College should not grudge my fame,
The fairest place in Bristol y-builded.
The royal blood that through my veines slid
Did tinge my heart with many a noble thought;
Like to my mind the minster y-reared
With noble carved workmanship was wrought;
High at the dais, like a king on's throne,
Did I take place, and was myself alone.

XXX.

But thou, the builder of this pleasant place,
Where all the saints in sweet adjunction stand,
A very heaven for its beauteous grace,
The glory and the wonder of the land,
That shews the builder's mind and former's hand
To be the best that on the earth remains,
At once for wonder and delight command,
Shewing how much he of the god retains:
Canynge, the great, the charitable, and good,
Noble as kings, if not of kingly blood.

XXXI.

Sprite of F RAMPTONE speaks .

Bristol shall speak my name, and Redcliff too,
For here my deeds were godly every one,
As Auden's minster by the gate will shew,
And John's at Bristol what my works have done,
Besides another house I had begun.
But mine, compared to this one, is a groffe,
Not to be mentioned or be looked upon,
A very laughing-stock or very scoff.
Canynge, thy name shall living be for aye,
Thy name not with the church shall waste away.

XXXII.

Sprite of G AUNTE speaks .

I did full many reparations give,
And the Bonne-Hommes did full rich endow,
As journeying to my God on earth did live,
So all the Bristol chronicles will shew.
But all my deeds will be as nothing now
Since Canynge has this building finished,
Which seemeth to be the pride of Bristow,
And by no building to be o'ermatched:
Which aye shall last and be the praise of all,
And only in the wreck of nature fall.

XXXIII.

A Knight Templar's sprite speaks.

In holy ground, where Saracens defile
The ground whereon our Saviour did go,
And Christes temple make to mosques vile,
[And] words of despite 'gainst our Saviour throw;
There 'twas that we did our warfarage do,
Guarding the pilgrims of the Christian fay;
And did our holy arms in blood embrue,
Moving like thunder-bolts in drear array,
Our strokes, like levin tearing the tall tree,
Our God our arm with lethal force did dree.

XXXIV.

Large tenures fair, and manors of great wealth,
Green woods, and brooklets running through the lea,
Did men us give for their dear soules health;
Gave earthly riches for goods heavenly.
Nor did we let our riches useless be,
But did y-build the Temple Church so fine,
The which is brought about so bismarlie,
It seemeth camoys to the wondering eyne.
And ever and anon when bells ringed,
From place to place it moveth its high head;
But Canynge from the sweat of his own brows
Did get his gold and raise this beauteous house.

XXXV.

L AMYNGETON'S sprite speaks .

Let all my faults be buried in the grave;
All obloquies be rotted with my dust;
Let him first carpen that no faults can have;
'Tis past man's nature for to be aye just.
But yet, in soothen, to rejoice I must,
That I did not immeddle for to build;
Since this quaintissed place so glorious,
Seeming all churches joined in one guild,
Has now supplied for what I had done,
Which, to my candle, is a glorious sun.

XXXVI.

E LLE'S sprite speaks .

Then let us all do jointly reverence here,
The best of men and bishops here do stand,
Who are God's shepherds and do take good care
Of the good sheep He putteth in their hand;
Not one is lost, but all in well-likande
Await to hear the General Bishop's call,
When Michael's trump shall sound to inmost land,
Affright the wicked, and awaken all;
Then Canynge rises to eternal rest,
And finds he chose on earth a life the best.