Camden, "Nourice of Antiquitie" - and now, Time Sink

[steepholm]

On top of my Billy bookcases, for they are too large sit on any of the shelves, lie the two folio volumes of Camden's Britannia. This copy dates from 1722, so it's not a first edition, and the county maps have long since been plundered, but it's handsomely bound and looks the part. Moreover, the 1722 editors, in bringing Camden up to date, have helpfully and carefully put brackets around all their own additions, meaning that I get to compare what Camden thought in 1610 with the latest scholarship some century and a bit later. It's fascinating, and today I had a legitimate reason to get it down for research purposes - yippee!



The context is that I've been asked by my old PhD supervisor to write a short article on Spenser's Colin Clouts Come Home Againe for the Literary Encyclopedia. Although I wrote my thesis on The Faerie Queene I've never actually published anything on him, and this is rather thrilling for me. The poem tells (under the cover of a pastoral dialogue) how Spenser and Sir Walter Ralegh left County Cork in 1590 to launch the first three books of The Faerie Queene at court - and with them, perhaps, Spenser's career as a court poet. It didn't quite work out like that, as the poem explains, but long before Colin Clout and the Shepherd of the Ocean arrive at the court of Cynthia there's an interesting description of their sea journey.

We Lunday passe; by that same name is ment
An island, which the first to west was showne.
From thence another world of land we kend,
Floting amid the sea in jeopardie,
And round about with mightie white rocks hemd,
Against the seas encroching crueltie.
Those same, the shepheard told me, were the fields
In which dame Cynthia her landheards fed;
Faire goodly fields, then which Armulla yields
None fairer, nor more fruitfull to be red:
The first, to which we nigh approched, was
An high headland thrust far into the sea,
Like to an horne, whereof the name it has,
Yet seemed to be a goodly pleasant lea:
There did a loftie mount at first us greet,
Which did a stately heape of stones upreare,
That seemd amid the surges for to fleet,
Much greater then that frame, which us did beare;
There did our ship her fruitfull wombe unlade,
And put us all ashore on Cynthias land.

Lundy is well into the Bristol Channel - presumably they sailed east rather than heading straight for Land's End because the seas would be calmer. Then there's the headland shaped like (and named after) "an horne", which I guessed was Cornwall - though I wasn't sure whether that etymology was just Spenser's fanciful invention. Hence my recourse to Camden, a scholar I knew Spenser respected - who does indeed give "corn/horn" as one of Cornwall's etymologies. Next up there's the lofty mount with a stately heap of stones that seems to float amid the surges. This must surely be St Michael's Mount, right? It's only accessible by a causeway at low tide, and the visual description is perfect...

Why did Spenser and Ralegh disembark in western Cornwall, though, leaving themselves 250 miles of muddy Elizabethan road to ride, rather than scud on the prevailing westerlies along the south coast and up to London? I assume Ralegh (Lord of the Stanneries at the time, and altogether a West Country man) had business to attend to, but it must have made the journey much longer.

Anyway, pondering all this is a lot of fun, and I'm almost finished - at least, if I can stop myself from getting tangled in serendipity by Master Camden. That's the other reason I have to keep his book on top of the bookcase: once you dip in, you are like to be drownded. For example, here's Camden relating the discovery of a cache of bronze ("brass") weapons at the foot of St Michael's Mount, "within the memory of our Grandfathers". One reason these weapons aren't as effective as iron is that brass is medicinal in its effect, apparently, inconveniently healing as it strikes!

Oh, and choughs like to commit arson. What's not to love?

Comments

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

That's all very interesting - thanks.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

A bird that sets itself on fire, steals gold, and hides it . . . wow!

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

To be fair to the rational if wicked chough, it doesn't set itself on fire, only houses! (Probably trying to mess with the forensics.)

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I will keep a careful eye on choughs in future if they are known arsonists. :) Thankfully the ones I've seen have been well away from my house.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

It's a twist that Daphne du Maurier never thought of.

[karinmollberg.livejournal.com]

Birds are such a dangerous species. One wonders if Hitchcock read Camden.

[larryhammer]

two folio volumes of Camden's Britannia

*drool*

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I found them for sale in a bric-a-brac shop outside Reading back in 1995...

[oldefashion.livejournal.com]

How I would love to rifle for South Staffordshire references........

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

It's too big a volume to scan, but I'll see if I can photograph the relevant pages for you - or at least the bits pertaining to Aldridge, Alrewas and such-like places. Come to think of it, I wonder whether he mentions the Horn Dance? I'll have a look this evening!

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Uttermost fabulosity! I love Camden, but my (quite decent) edition is 1970. So looking forward to your article.

Nine

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

My article will be very pedestrian, alas, both because it's an encyclopedia rather than anything more creative, and because it's only 1,500 words. Most of the interesting stuff will be on the cutting-room floor - but it's lovely to return to the Renaissance for a while - like visiting one's old school.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I take it the hoard of Bronze Age metalwork is now irredeemably lost - sounds like it was probably Late Bronze Age from the description (axes, swords and spearheads) but I suppose it could have been an Early Bronze Age hoard similar to the Arreton hoard (Isle of Wight). Nice to know that bronze weapons aren't so injurious - try telling that to the poor dead Middle Bronze Age chap from Tomarton who was found dead with a couple of spearheads lodging in his body!!

Ah, antiquarian accounts - deep in those fanciful descriptions, kernels of truth lurk ripe for the plucking!

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your expert perspective - I was wondering if you might be able to shed light on that aspect! I'd imagine that it's lost, yes - probably scattered quite early, although it would be nice to think that part of it survived in a Renaissance cabinet of curiosities somewhere.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't mind a quid for every time I've had to reference Camden.

I covet your 18th century edition!

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I almost feel as if I shouldn't own it, it's so nice!

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

If you don't feel you should own such a lovely edition, I'll take care of it for you. I'm in a very generous, caring mood.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

You're very kind!

[gillpolack.livejournal.com]

This is the best kind of article to write - one that leads to many joyous byways.