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William Dunbar HENRY’S RELATIVES WILLIAM DUNBAR, MAYBE THE 1ST POET TO USE THE F-WORD 1 IN A LANGUAGE SOMEWHAT RESEMBLING ENGLISH 1. Bearing in mind that the F-word has long been used in the poetry of languages not English — for instance in quasi-poetic epigrams deploying the proper Latin verb futuo by the young Octavian (later to become Emperor Augustus Caesar). HDT WHAT? INDEX WILLIAM DUNBAR WILLIAM DUNBAR 1460 In this timeframe, preparation on parchment at Paris, for François II, Duke of Brittany (1458-1488) among others, of CÉRÉMONIES ET ORDONNANCES À GAGE DE BATAILLE (CEREMONIES AND EDICTS FOR TRIAL BY COMBAT), which laid out the proper procedures for resolution of a quarrel by means of a trial by combat, staged in an enclosed space before a panel of noble judges, whose task was to assess the worthiness of each blow. It seems clear that, at least in France, there was not a perception that this sort of engagement needed to proceed all the way to the death or serious wounding of one of the participants. It would have been sometime between this year and 1465 that the Scottish poet William Dunbar was born, presumably in East Lothian, to an obscure branch of the Dunbar clan which could secure for him no advantages whatever, social or otherwise. DUNBAR FAMILY 1479 In this year William Dunbar may have been granted an MA degree by St. Andrews. 2 Copyright 2013 Austin Meredith HDT WHAT? INDEX WILLIAM DUNBAR WILLIAM DUNBAR “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project 3 HDT WHAT? INDEX WILLIAM DUNBAR WILLIAM DUNBAR 1500 The William Dunbar who eventually would be termed, by Walter Scott, the “darling of the Scottish Muses,” was at this point granted, as a token of royal esteem, due to his abject penury, a pension of £10 per year. Here, I’d like to make sure you’re not short of pocket money. He would travel both to England and to France in King James IV’s service, and may well have done some of this traveling as a Franciscan novice. He would never, however, attain to a rank higher than that of Friar, while meanwhile a better-connected relative Alexander Dunbar, Prior of Pluscarden, was relentlessly laundering the incomes and properties of this church asset into the coffers of his relatives: Belief does leap, trust does not tarry, Office does flit, and courts do vary, Purpose does change as wind and rain; Which to consider is a pain. The people so wicked are of feiris [manners] The fruitless earth all witness bears, The air infected and profane; Which to consider is a pain. The flute we know, which we hold sidewise to our right, is referred to technically as the flauto traverso or cross flute or German flute, to distinguish it from the common flute or recorder, from duct flutes such as the Arabic nay, from panpipes, from the nose flute, etc. In the 16th Century in Europe, a tenor flute pitched in the key of G would be played in concert with a descant flute pitched in the key of D and a bass flute pitched in the key of C. Typically, these early flutes would be fashioned of boxwood, would be fashioned in one piece as a straight tube, and would have six finger holes with no keys. WALDEN: In warm evenings I frequently sat in the boat playing the flute, and saw the perch, which I seemed to have charmed, hovering around me, and the moon travelling over the ribbed bottom, which was strewed with the wrecks of the forest. Formerly I had come to this pond adventurously, from time to time, in dark summer nights, with a companion, and making a fire close to the water’s edge, which we thought attracted the fishes, we caught pouts with a bunch of worms strung on a thread; and when we had done, far in the night, threw the burning brands high into the air like skyrockets, which, coming down into the pond, were quenched with a loud hissing, and we were suddenly groping in total darkness. Through this, whistling a tune, we took our way to the haunts of men again. But now I had made my home by the shore. 4 Copyright 2013 Austin Meredith HDT WHAT? INDEX WILLIAM DUNBAR WILLIAM DUNBAR 1501 Gawin Douglas’s initial literary production was a poem of more than 2,000 lines, THE PALICE OF HONOUR. It was a dream-allegory in 9-line stanzas. The poet incautiously slanders the love-court of Venus, is pardoned for this offense, joins in a procession, and is allowed to view the glories of her palace. This conceit he dedicated to King James IV, providing the monarch with a commendation of virtue and honor. It would seem that there was an edition of this put out by Thomas Davidson, printer, at Edinburgh in about 1540, but no copy of that edition has survived. The earliest still-extant edition was printed at London by William Copland in about 1553. Still surviving also is an Edinburgh edition from the press of Henry Charteris dated 1579. At about this point in time Gawin Douglas was preferred to the deanery or provostship of the collegiate church of St Giles in Edinburgh, which he would hold with his parochial charges. From this date until the Battle of Flodden (September 1513), he would appear to have occupied himself in literary work in addition to the performance of his ecclesiastical duties. No more than four works by him are known to exist: THE PALICE OF HONOUR, CONSCIENCE, his major translation of Virgil’s ÆNEIS, and possibly KING HART. LIFE OF GAWIN DOUGLAS LIFE OF GAWIN DOUGLAS William Dunbar was in England, presumably helping to arrange for the 1503 marriage of James IV with Margaret Tudor. He wrote “To The City Of London.” “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project 5 HDT WHAT? INDEX WILLIAM DUNBAR WILLIAM DUNBAR 1 London, thou art of town{.e}s A per se. 2 Soveraign of cities, semeliest in sight, 3 Of high renoun, riches, and royaltie; 4 Of lordis, barons, and many goodly knyght; 5 Of most delectable lusty ladies bright; 6 Of famous prelatis in habitis clericall; 7 Of merchauntis full of substaunce and myght: 8 London, thou art the flour of Cities all. 9 Gladdith anon, thou lusty Troy Novaunt, 10 Citie that some tyme cleped was New Troy, 11 In all the erth, imperiall as thou stant, 12 Pryncesse of townes, of pleasure, and of joy, 13 A richer restith under no Christen roy; 14 For manly power, with craftis naturall, 15 Fourmeth none fairer sith the flode of Noy: 16 London, thou art the flour of Cities all. 17 Gemme of all joy, jasper of jocunditie, 18 Most myghty carbuncle of vertue and valour; 19 Strong Troy in vigour and in strenuytie; 20 Of royall cities rose and geraflour; 21 Empresse of town{.e}s, exalt in honour; 22 In beawtie beryng the crone imperiall; 23 Swete paradise precelling in pleasure: 24 London, thow art the floure of Cities all. 25 Above all ryvers thy Ryver hath renowne, 26 Whose beryall stremys, pleasaunt and preclare, 27 Under thy lusty wallys renneth down, 28 Where many a swanne doth swymme with wyngis fare; 29 Where many a barge doth saile, and row with are, 30 Where many a ship doth rest with toppe-royall. 31 O! towne of townes, patrone and not-compare: 32 London, thou art the floure of Cities all. 33 Upon thy lusty Brigge of pylers white 34 Been merchauntis full royall to behold; 35 Upon thy stretis goth many a semely knyght 36 In velvet gownes and cheyn{.e}s of fyne gold. 37 By Julyus Cesar thy Tour founded of old 38 May be the hous of Mars victoryall, 39 Whos artillary with tonge may not be told: 40 London, thou art the flour of Cities all. 41 Strong be thy wallis that about the standis; 42 Wise be the people that within the dwellis; 43 Fresh is thy ryver with his lusty strandis; 44 Blith be thy chirches, wele sownyng be thy bellis; 45 Riche be thy merchauntis in substaunce that excellis; 46 Fair be thy wives, right lovesom, white and small; 47 Clere be thy virgyns, lusty under kellis: 48 London, thow art the flour of Cities all. 49 Thy famous Maire, by pryncely governaunce, 50 With swerd of justice the rulith prudently. 51 No Lord of Parys, Venyce, or Floraunce 52 In dignytie or honoure goeth to hym nye. 53 He is exampler, lood{.e}-ster, and guye; 54 Principall patrone and roose orygynalle, 55 Above all Maires as maister moost worthy: 56 London, thou art the flour of Cities all. 6 Copyright 2013 Austin Meredith HDT WHAT? INDEX WILLIAM DUNBAR WILLIAM DUNBAR 1503 The earliest known use of the term “fuck” in written English2 predates the 16th Century and is from a curious little piece entitled “Flen flyys” composed in a mixture of Latin and English: Non sunt in celi quia fuccant uuiuys of heli. [They are not in heaven because they fuck the wives of Ely.] This word fuccant is not Latin but pseudo-Latin and in the manuscript is written down as a cipher (the actual holographic inscription “gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk” is readily decoded because each character merely represents the character preceding it in the alphabet), so whoever created this curious little piece about the friars of Cambridge, England knew that not only were these guys being naughty friars in fucking the wives of the town of Ely (a nearby town), but also that he was himself being the naughty one simply by writing such a thing down on paper.
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