UN IVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA AUREATE TERM S A ST U D Y IN T H E L I T E RA RY D I CT I O N O F T H E F I FT E EN T H C EN T U RY JOHN COOPER MENDENHALL A THESIS PRESEN TED TO THE FACUL TY OF THE GRAD UATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREM ENTS FOR THE D EGREE OF DOC TOR OF PHILOSOPHY V” PREFACE I have made this study in the literary diction of the fifteenth century f or the purpose o f looking further into the important problems that still confront one who wishes to investigate the development of form in English style . That there w as a very vital feeling for form throughout the medieval period is a ac a has a or too u in f t th t been disreg rded , lightly to ched upon, o r es most f ou literary histories . Without a knowledge of th e a ca a of c r or e rly nons of form, m ny whi h su vived with little , no a a o-ur a o ch nge into l ter times , ide f subsequent develop c ments is in omplete or even erroneous . a b a a a o a ca As eginning, I h ve m de t pogr phi l survey of the a a a a for and a liter ture now v il ble the period , investig ted more particularly the influences which determined that significant a of — - c I h c . a ad fe ture style word hoi e In my work , h ve from members of the Department of English of the University o- f P a a and c ennsylv ni much friendly help counsel , whi h I wish a e M a here gr t fully to acknowledge . y indebtedness is especi lly ‘ a to C a c Grifii n C a of gre t Professor l ren e hild , to suggestion o f w as and a whose the choice theme due , under whose inspir tion it has been completed . M D LL H . H JO N C EN EN A . UN xvm sm or E YLV A 1 1 PRIL . P NNS ANIA , , 9 9 CO NTENTS PA G E A U REATE TER MS D EFINED II THE TRAD ITION OF D ICTION IN THE MEDIEVAL S CHOOL S III H ow THE TRAD ITION BECAME EN GL ISH lour s ed Words. I . F i h 2 haucer . C . The aucer an S uccess on 3 . Ch i i S PECIAL A S PECTS OF THE I . Rhy me m 2. Rhyth . A ll terat on 3 . i i Translat on 4 . i trona e 5 . Pa g IN CONCL U SIO N BIB LIOGRA PHY AU REATE TERM S DEF INED M o f a a a any histories liter ture , in tre ting of the l te fifteenth c r a o f Latinical a a n entu y, m ke mention the voc bul ry the a ffected by authors for the purpose of dignifying their style . ca ul a c a had ac This vo b ry in luded m ny fine words which ex t , a a as rocelle tene or ne rly ex ct , simple synonyms , p , tempest ; brous a erdumble a uberi tud e and , sh dowy ; p , l sting ; p , youth ; G re w ol so . a a b as e i ent on re t numbers of them now o solete, q p , o o ite i rcum ou ex ute s lendi ous a c s c nd di . b fy , f , , p O viously m ny were never used outside of the manuscripts in which they are ‘ ' 1 fl ki l a o n lo as as sab e bri b ubi us . found , , f fy, ' Such long and supposedly elegant words have been dubbed a a rm e a as o S aintsbu has ure te te s b c use , Profess r g , who m a f a c a de most requent use Of the phr se in re ent ye rs , in numerous books Of his in which the subj ect is on a a ildin a st le . up , they re resent kind of verb l of liter _ g T he phrase may be traced BacIEThrough vari ous editors and as a o a S chi er all of writers , Ingr m , H rstm nn , pp f whom em o of Latinical o f a pl y it in the sense long words le rned fl ‘ t , used to express am gi in E d te at a c c y ga , the d wn of the fifteenth entury, we ome upon c c sense, whi h is of ourse de am eus in late and medieval L a w as u fif tin, the word frequently thro ghout the t enth c and a a O e entury l ter, 1 hese and other l k e ords ere not s ec fi call ass ned are c efl T i w , wh p i y ig , hi y r fif n - en u ork m h om tee th c t r s so e b un now n aut ors, ot ers b f y. w , y k h y L d ate et am ax ton etc. y g , M h , C , 2 l S ee the bibliography be ow . 8 A UREA TE TERMS a o or mance tongues . The applic ti n of it to words terms are so i m ortant an a a a one . which p element of style, is n tur l The questi on ari ses as to what part these terms really played in the literary vocabulary Of the period in which they a and a o . o t h ve been noted , lso why they were empl yed The s r o f o o and a a d a a w rd , l ng to the ver ge mo ern mind f nt stic , of a a o has st which ex mples were quoted b ve, hitherto been mo frequently noted in the work of the C hauceri ans especially ” o a —in sol called o the th se of Scotl nd , the c urt poetry of n a to add fiftee th century , which , most editors h sten , is not etr at all and of ar ss po y , which , by scrupulous editing c ele M o to r not . ss. a as , they gener lly c ntrive rep esent even verse K o an as . It is , however, f und more widely . Such editor “ J Ingram has necessarily noted in the introduction to his texts O f the fi fteenth - century translati ons of the D e Imi tati one CMis ti are o c r of a a , which in pr se , the o cur ence the s me unusu l a o . sort of word . 5 0 have editors of C xt n The same sort of words is also much in evidence in a fi fteenth - century transla ' o a Pol chromc on a a ti n of the f mous y , written origin lly in L tin Ra a a of . by lph Higden , in the e rly p rt the fourteenth century ar a o r u u ac Simil terms h ve also been disc ve ed in n mero s pref es, o a a t a and so . epil gues , p ss ges in the mys ery pl ys , forth The occu rrence of such terms in prose as well as in verse to a no r r o seems h ve stirred great enthusiasm fo a compa is n . N either does the fact that the Old Versi on O f the D e Imi tatione and the translation O f Higden referred to were cer tainly made in the earlier half o f the century prevent most of those who casually use the phrase aureate terms from speaking of them as i f they are to be found only in the last years O f the century and are to be regarded as symptomatic R of a sa . On a of lan the en is nce the other h nd , sober students a a a a a o f a w ho the gu ge in the bstr ct r ther th n liter ture , note fact o f extensive lingui stic borrowing from Romance or Latin all o not r a a O f thr ugh the century , do st ess the f ct th t much o o w as a a f or a os . this b rr wing liter ry , m de decor tive purp es A UREA TE TERMS DEFINED 9 N ow as a a a o Latinical m tter of f ct , this very s rt of words , c r a o 1 00 are to which , i f they o cu in something written b ut 5 , day called aureate is to be found in the literature of the ! - o the a ra ro a o f t a mid f urteenth century, in llite tive m nces h t a r o f t o ro C a . time . L rge numbe s hem c uld be culled f m h ucer One may dip into our literature from that time d own to the r and all a o w a to a er p esent , find l ng the y words m tch with p l ou ed nd s lli r a ambu cmt d e t a te .