Agency in Vaughan’s Sacred Poetry

Agency in Vaughan's Sacred Poetry

Original article

Donald Dickson. "Agency in Vaughan's Sacred Poetry: Creative Acts or Divine Gifts?." Connotations Vol. 9.2: 174-89.

Responses:

Jonathan Nauman. Vaughan and Divine Inspiration: A Reply to Donald Dickson Connotations 10: 287-92

If you feel inspired to write a response, please send it to editors(at)connotations.de

“London Snow“
by Robert Bridges

Read by Patricia Klaß Advent Calendar day one

When men were all asleep the snow came flying,

In large white flakes falling on the city brown,

Stealthily and perpetually settling and loosely lying,

Hushing the latest traffic of the drowsy town;

Deadening, muffling, stifling its murmurs failing;

Lazily and incessantly floating down and down:

Silently sifting and veiling road, roof and railing;

Hiding difference, making unevenness even,

Into angles and crevices softly drifting and sailing.

All night it fell, and when full inches seven

It lay in the depth of its uncompacted lightness,

The clouds blew off from a high and frosty heaven;

And all woke earlier for the unaccustomed brightness

Of the winter dawning, the strange unheavenly glare:

The eye marvelled—marvelled at the dazzling whiteness;

The ear hearkened to the stillness of the solemn air;

No sound of wheel rumbling nor of foot falling,

And the busy morning cries came thin and spare.

Then boys I heard, as they went to school, calling,

They gathered up the crystal manna to freeze

Their tongues with tasting, their hands with snowballing;

Or rioted in a drift, plunging up to the knees;

Or peering up from under the white-mossed wonder,

‘O look at the trees!’ they cried, ‘O look at the trees!’

With lessened load a few carts creak and blunder,

Following along the white deserted way,

A country company long dispersed asunder:

When now already the sun, in pale display

Standing by Paul’s high dome, spread forth below

His sparkling beams, and awoke the stir of the day.

For now doors open, and war is waged with the snow;

And trains of sombre men, past tale of number,

Tread long brown paths, as toward their toil they go:

But even for them awhile no cares encumber

Their minds diverted; the daily word is unspoken,

The daily thoughts of labour and sorrow slumber

At the sight of the beauty that greets them, for the charm they have broken.

“…wonders and meruayles of a swerde that was taken out of a stone by the sayd Arthur” from Le Morte Darthur (1485)
by Sir Thomas Malory

Read by Laurie Atkinson adventcal_02

The text below is from Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur (Wesminster: William Caxton, 1485), sigs a3^v-a4^v; a lightly modernised version can be read in Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, ed. Helen Cooper (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998), pp. 8-11, available online at https://archive.org/details/lemortedarthurwi0000malo_q2n3/page/8/mode/2up.

Thenne stood the reame in grete ieopardy long whyle / for euery lord that was myghty of men maade hym stronge / and many wende to haue ben kyng / Thenne Merlyn wente to the archebisshop of Caunterbury / and counceilled hym for to sende for alle the lordes of the reame / and alle the gentilmen of armes that they shold to london come by Cristmas vpon payne of cursynge / And for this cause that Ieshu that was borne on that nyghte that he wold of his grete mercy shewe some myracle / as he was come to be kynge of mankynde for to shewe somme myracle who shold be rightwys kynge of this reame / So the Archebisshop by the aduys of Merlyn send for alle the lordes and gentilmen of armes that they shold come by crystmasse euen vnto london / And many of hem made hem clene of her lyf that her prayer myghte be the more acceptable vnto god / Soo in the grettest chirch of london whether it were Powlis or not the Frensshe booke maketh no mencyon / alle the estates were longe or day in the chirche for to praye / And whan matyns and the first masse was done / there was sene in the chircheyard ayenst the hyhe aulter a grete stone four square lyke vnto a marbel stone / And in myddes therof was lyke an Anuylde of stele a foot on hyghe / and theryn stack a fayre swerd naked by the poynt / and letters / there were wryten in gold aboute the swerd that saiden thus / who so pulleth oute this swerd of this stone and anuyld / is rightwys kynge borne of all Enlond / Thenne the peple merueilled and told it to the Archebisshop I commande said tharchebisshop that ye kepe yow within your chirche / and pray vnto god still that no man touche the suerd tyll the hyhe masse be all done / So whan all masses were done all the lordes wente to beholde the stone and the swerd / And whan they sawe the scripture / som assayed suche as wold haue ben kyng / But none myght stere the swerd nor meue hit He is not here said the Archebisshop that shall encheue the swerd but doubte not god will make hym knowen / But this is my counceill said the archebisshop / that we lete puruey x knyʒtes men of good fame / and they to kepe this swerd / so it was ordeydeyned / and thenne ther was made a crye / that euery man shold assay that wold for to wynne the swerd / And vpon newe yeersday the barons lete maake a Iustes and a tournement / that alle knyʒtes shat wold Iuste or tourneye / there myʒt playe / and all this was ordeyned for to kepe the lordes to gyders and the comyns / for the Archebisshop trusted / that god wold make hym knowe that shold wynne the swerd / So vpon newe yeresday whan the seruyce was done / the barons rode vnto the feld / some to Iuste / and som to torney / and so it happed that syre Ector that had grete lyuelode aboute london rode vnto the Iustes / and with hym rode syr kaynus his sone and yong Arthur that was hys nourisshed broder / and syr kay was made knyʒt at al halowmas afore So as they rode to the Iustes ward / sir kay had lost his suerd for he had lefte it at his faders lodgyng / and so he prayd yong Arthur for to ryde for his swerd / I wyll wel said Arthur / and rode fast after that swerd / and whan he cam home / the lady and al were out to see the Ioustyng / thenne was Arthur wroth and saide to hym self / I will ryde to the chircheyard / and take the swerd with me that stycketh in the stone / for my broder sir kay shal not be without a swerd this day / so whan he cam to the chircheyard sir Arthur aliʒt and tayed his hors to the style / and so he wente to the tent / and found no knyʒtes there / for they were atte Iustyng and so he handled the swerd by the handels / and liʒtly and fiersly pulled it out of the stone / and took his hors and rode his way vntyll he came to his broder sir kay / and delyuerd hym the swerd / and as sone as sir kay saw the swerd he wist wel it was the swerd of the stone / and so he rode to his fader syr Ector / and said / sire / loo here is the swerd of the stone / wherfor I must be kyng of thys land / when syre Ector beheld the swerd / he retorned ageyne and cam to the chirche / and there they aliʒte al thre / and wente in to the chirche / And anon he made sir kay to swere vpon a book / how he came to that swerd / Syr said sir kay by my broder Arthur for he brought it to me / how gate ye this swerd said sir Ector to Arthur / sir I will telle you when I cam home for my broders swerd / I fond no body at home to delyuer me his swerd And so I thought my broder syr kay shold not be swerdles and so I cam hyder egerly and pulled it out of the stone withoute ony payn / found ye ony knyʒtes about this swerd seid sir ector Nay said Arthur / Now said sir Ector to Arthur I vnderstande ye must be kynge of this land / wherfore I / sayd Arthur and for what cause / Sire saide Ector / for god wille haue hit soo for ther shold neuer man haue drawen oute this swerde / but he that shal be rightwys kyng of this land / Now lete me see whether ye can putte the swerd ther as it was / and pulle hit oute ageyne / that is no maystry said Arthur / and soo he put it in the stone / therwith alle Sir Ector assayed to pulle oute the swerd and faylled

Capitulum sextum

Now assay said Syre Ector vnto Syre kay / And anon he pulled at the swerd with alle his myghte / but it wold not be / Now shal ye assay said Syre Ector to Arthur I wyll wel said Arthur and pulled it out easily / And ther with alle Syre Ector knelyd doune to the erthe and Syre Kay / Allas said Arthur myne own dere fader and broder why knole ye to me / Nay nay my lord Arthur / it is not so I was neuer your fader nor of your blood / but I wote wel ye are of an hyher blood than I wende ye were / And thenne Syre Ector told hym all how he was bitaken hym for to nourisshe hym And by whoos commandement / and by Merlyns delyueraunce ¶ Thenne Arthur made grete doole whan he vnderstood that Syre Ector was not his fader / Sir said Ector vnto Arthur woll ye be my good and gracious lord when ye are kyng / els were I to blame said arthur for ye are the man in the world that I am most be holdyng to / and my good lady and moder your wyf that as wel as her owne hath fostred me and kepte / And yf euer hit be goddes will that I be kynge as ye say / ye shall desyre of me what I may doo / and I shalle not faille yow / god forbede I shold faille yow / Sir said Sire Ector / I will aske no more of yow / but that ye wille make my sone your foster broder Syre Kay Seuceall of alle your landes / That shalle be done said Arthur / and more by the feith of my body that neuer man shalle haue that office but he whyle he and I lyue / There with all they wente vnto the Archebisshop / and told hym how the swerd was encheued / and by whome / and on twelfth day alle the barons cam thyder / and to assay to take the swerd who that wold assay / But there afore hem alle ther myghte none take it out but Arthur

Connotations

A Journal for Critical Debate