TEXTS ON MUSIC IN ENGLISH
School of Music
University of Nebraska--Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0100
(phone: [402] 472-2507; Internet: plefferts1@unl.edu)
Data entry: Peter M. Lefferts
Checked by: Peter Slemon
Approved by: Peter M. Lefferts
Fn and Ft: CORNPAR2_MLBLH43
Author: Cornysh, William
Title: A Treatise between Information and Truth
Source: London, British Library, Harley 43, ff. 88r-91r.
[-f.88r-] [ . . . ]
Prologus
The knowlege of god. passythe comparysone
the devyle knowthe all evyle thyng consentyd or done
and man knowthe nothyng saue onely by resone
and resone in man ys dyvers of operacyone
how sholde then man be perfyte of congnycyone
for resone shall so resone that somtyme amonge
A man by enformacyone may ryghtwosly do wronge
The auctorysyde gospell and resone holdythe therwith
whos lyterall sens agreythe with the fore seyyng
Qui ambulat in tenebris nescit quo vadit
now moralyse ye farthyre and peyse the countyrweyyn[g]
I mene bytwene trouthe and sotell conveyynge
who gothe in the darke must stomble amonge
blame nevyre a blynd man thow he go wronge
[-f.88v-] [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] compas
[ . . . ]fens
[ . . . ]t pas
[ . . . ]s
[ . . . ]ong
[ . . . ]ane wronge
But wo to soche enformers who evyre they be
that makythe ther malys the matyre of the pore
and with out conscyens ryght or pete
dysgorgythe ther venome vndyr that colore
Alas not remembyrd ther sowls dolore
when dies illa dies ire shalbe ther song
Ite maledicti take that for your wrong
Explicit prologus
A tretyse bytwene enformacyone and musyke
Musyke in hys melody requyrythe trew soundes
who settythe a songe sholde geve hym to armony
who kepthe trew hys tvnys may not pas hys boundes
hys alteracyons in prolacyons must be prykyde trewly
for musyke ys trew thow mynstrels makthe mastry
The harper carthe nothyng but reward for hys song
merely soundes hys mouthe when hys tong gothe all w[rong]
[-f.89r-] A harpe gevythe sound as yt ys set
the harper may wreste vntvnably
yff he pley wrong good tvnys he dothe let
or by mystvnyng the very trew armony
A harpe well pleyde on shewthe swete melody
a harper with hys wrest may tvne the harp wrong
mystvnyng of a Instrument shall hurt a trew song
A song that ys trew and full of swetnes
may be evyle songe and tvnyd amys
the songe of hymself yet nevyrtheles
ys trew and tvnabyle and syng yt as yt ys
then blame not the song but marke well thys
he that hathe spyzt at an othyr mans song
wyll do what he can do to haue yt song wrong
The clavycorde hathe an evynly kynde
as the wyre ys wrestyd hy and lowe
so be hys tvnys to the pleyers mynde
for as yt ys wrestyde so mvst yt nedes showe
as by thys reson ye may well knowe
A Instrument mystvnyde shall hurt a trew song
yet blame not the clavycord the wrester dothe wrong
[-f.89v-] A trompet blowne hy with to harde a blast
shall cause hym to vary from the tvnable kynde
but he that blowthe to hard must swage at last
and fayne to fall lower with a temporat wynde
and then the trumpet trew tvne shall fynde
for A Instrument ovyr wyndyd ys tunyd wrong
blame none but the blowere on hym yt ys long
Who pleythe on the harpe he shold pley trew
Who syngythe a song let hys voyce be tvnabyle
Who wrestythe the clavycorde mystvnyng eschew
Who blowthe a trompet let hys wynd be mesurabyle
for Instrumentes in them selff be ferme and stabyle
And of trowthe wolde trowthe to euery mans song
Tvne them then trewly for in them ys no wrong
In musyke I haue lernyde iiij colors as thys
blake full blake voyde and in lyke wyse rede
by theys colors many sobtyle alteracyons ther ys
that wyle begyle one thow in connyng he be well spede
with a pryke of Induccyon from a body that ys dede
he shall try so hys nombyrs with swetnes of hys song
That the herer shalbe plesyde and yet he all wrong
[-f.90r-] I pore man vnable of thys scyens to skyll
saue a lytyle practyse I haue by experyens
I mene but trouthe and of good wyll
to remembyre the doers that vsythe soche offence
not one sole but generall in sentence
by cause I can skyle of a lytyle song
to trye the trew corde to be known from this wrong
Yet trouthe was drownyde and he not sanke
but style dyde flete aboue the watyre
enformacyone hade pleyd hym soche a pranke
that with power the pore had lost hys matyre
by cause that trouthe began to clatyre
Enformacyone hathe tauzt hym to solff thys songe
Pacyence parforce content yew with wronge
I assayde theys tvns my thouzt them not swete
The concordes were nothyng musycall
I callde mastyrs of musyke connyng and dyscrete
and the fyrst pryncypall whos name was tuball
guydo. boyce. Jhon de murys. vitriaco and them all
I prayde them of helpe of thys comberus song
prykyde with force and lettyrde with wronge
[-f.90v-] They seyde I was horsse and myzt not syng
my voyce ys to pore yt ys not audyble
Enformacyone ys so curyus in hys chauntyng
that to bere the trew playne song yt ys not possyble
hys proporcyons be so hard with so hyghe a quatryble
and the playne song in the margyne so craftely bounde
that the trew tunys of tuball cannot haue the ryzt sounde
Wele quod trouthe yet ons I trust verely
to haue my voyce and syng agayne
and to flete oute trouthe and claryfy yt trewly
and ete sugyre candy a daye or twayne
and then to the deske to syng trew and playne
Enformacyon shall not allway entvne thys song
my parte shalbe trew when hys contyrvers shalbe wrong
Enformacyone hym enboldyde of the monacorde
From consonantes to concordes he musyde hys mastry
I assayde the musyke bothe knyzt and lorde
but none wold speke the sound borde was to hy
then kept I the playne keys that marde all my melody
[ . . . ] that passyde all my song
[ . . . ]
[-f.91r-] Soferance cam in to syng a parte
go to quod trouthe I pray yow begyn
nay softe quod he the gyse of my arte
ys to rest a long rest or I set in
nay by long restyng ye shall nothyng wyn
for enformacyon ys crafty and so hy in hys song
that if ye fall to restyng In feythe yt wylbe wrong
[Enformacion will teach a doctor hys game By me william Kuhboll m. sec. supra lin.]
Enformacyone will teche a doctor hys game
from superacute to the double diapason
I assayde to acute and when I cam
enformacyone was mete for a double diatessaron
he sang by apothome that hathe ij kyndes in oone
with many sotell semytunys most mete for thys song
pacyens parforce content you with wrong
I kepe be rownd and he be square
the one ys be mole and the othyr be quary
yf I myzt make tryall as I cold and dare
I shold shew why theys ij kyndes do vary
but god knowthe all so dothe not kyng hary
for if he dyd then change sholde the thys song
pyte for pacyens and conscyens for wrong
[ . . . ]