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The Song Of Lewes
''The Song of Lewes'' (c. 1264) is a Latin poem of 968 lines in Goliardic manner, recording, celebrating, and justifying the victory of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Lewes. Origins The poem is taken to be written by a cleric closely associated with de Montfort's household - hence its many Biblical references and its knowledge of the baronial constitutional position. Themes The first part of the poem, lines 1-484, is concerned with the actual battle, designating the (outnumbered) de Montfort as David to Henry III of England's Goliath. The second part (lines 485-968) reflect the constitutional debate, beginning with a statement of the royalist position that "the degenerate race of the English, which used to serve, inverting the natural order of things, ruled over the king and his children". In response, the Song points out that the king fell under natural law, citing the case of the fall of King Saul for breaking the law ("quia leges f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goliardic
The goliards were a group of generally young clergy in Europe who wrote satirical Latin poetry in the 12th and 13th centuries of the Middle Ages. They were chiefly clerics who served at or had studied at the universities of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and England, who protested against the growing contradictions within the church through song, poetry and performance. Disaffected and not called to the religious life, they often presented such protests within a structured setting associated with carnival, such as the Feast of Fools, or church liturgy. Etymology The derivation of the word is uncertain. It may come from the Latin ''gula,'' gluttony. It may also originate from a mythical "Bishop Golias," a medieval Latin form of the name Goliath, the giant who fought King David in the Bible—thus suggestive of the monstrous nature of the goliard. Another source may be ''gailliard,'' a "gay fellow". Many scholars believe the term ''goliard'' is derived from a letter between Ber ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
