After this, peace was once again
restored
to the people, "as well high as low" [ibid.
A-Companion-to-the-Cantos-of-Ezra-Pound-II
57. wooll woolfels & leather: In this regulation-"And where some have supposed that there was a custom due to the king by the common law, as well of the stranger . . . viz for wools, wooll-fells, and leather . . . " - Coke shows that the custom was owing not to the common law but to a special act of a parliament of Edward III, granted for a lim- ited time only [ibid. ].
58. hearth silver: A tax Edward III imposed on the French after he took Aquitaine; it involved such an odious process of search, "an opening of kitchen doors to the king's officers," that it caused a revolt" [ibid. ].
. . .
60. Scacarrio Rot. 319: Queen Elizabeth set a custom in all the pope's dominions "upon every hundred weight of allome. " The cus- tom was challenged by some, but "judge- ment in the exchequer was given against them" [ibid. ]. Custom: 3 shillings, 4 pence.
61. on currants: In the same chapter we read: "A judgement was given in the exche- quer, for an imposition set upon currants, but the common opinion was, that that judgement was against law, and divers ex" presse acts of parliament. . . . " And: "To conclude this point, with two of the max- imes of the common law. 1. Le common ley ad tielment admeasure les prerogatives Ie roy, que ilz ne tolleront, ne prejudiceront Ie inheritance dascun" ("The common law hath so admeasured the prerogatives of the king, that they should not take away, nor prejudice the inheritance of any") [Chap. XXX, (2), 3].
62. ad mesure: L, "measured out. "
63. Laws of Edgar: Coke said: "And amongst the laws of King Edgar it is thus
. . .
the uniform standards of weights and mea-
: From a
sures. Concerning "broade cloathes," Coke's.
51. sheepes back
chapter on
52. tonsured . . . untonsured:
express the attitude of Coke during his strug- gles against the ecclesiastical courts, when they were taking jurisdiction in cases Coke believed should be tried under the common law. In King James's time both church peo- ple (tonsured) and nonchurch lawyers (un- tonsured) tried to play safe by pleasing the king, who promoted the ecclesiastical courts.
53. vitex . . . market: These 5 lines are a pastiche of memories cut into the canto. Pound translated the Chinese characters for a tree (ch 'ang-ts"o) as "vitex negundo. " DG associates this with Pound's earliest poem about turning into a tree and the process of metamorphosis, "Excideuil" returns us to his Walking tour in Provence in the summer of 1919 [80:315; HK, Era 333-40]. At one point they were on a plateau so high, they were level with the tops of the poplar trees and the spire of a church. "From Val Ca- brere, were two miles of roofs to San Ber" trand" [48/243]. "Mme Pierre," prob. the old woman at Excideuil: "In the castle an old woman lived in a couple of rooms, and drew no water from the ill-kept well in the courtyard. Ezra bought a beam to lay across the well-curb (high on the castle bluff; level with the spire of St. Thomas)" [HK, Era, 336].
. . .
"and for the
54. Atque
good, the laws of war are to be observed"
[Chap. XXX, (1),2].
55. butlerage: In ancient times import du- ties were paid to the king's butler-hence, butlerage.
56. strangers: Foreigners. From a regulation concerning the protection of foreign mer- chants, who "shall have their safe and sure conduct to depart out of England, to come
belli: L,
public
These
lines
59. naught new imposed
Coke's comment on the attempt of Queen Mary Tudor to impose an illegal duty on Malmsey wine: the duty was found to be illegal under the common law [ibid. ].
: Concerns
? ? 698
107/759
107/759-760
699
concerning the sheriffes toum provided. " The "Sheriffs toum" was the name of a circuit court [Chap. XXXV, (1)].
6 4 . e x o m n i s a t r a p i a : L , " i n a l l satrap~ counties. " The sense is, "all provinces which come under the jurisdiction of the courts. " The judges traveled to all the counties to bring justice to the people.
65. a circuit: The law provided that "the bishop with the sheriffe did goe in circuit twice every yeare, by every hundred within the county. . . [such circuit] was called tour, or tourn, which signifieth a circuit or perambulation" [ibid. ].
66. sil ne fuit dizein: OF, "ifhe were not of a group of ten. " Coke citation from ancient law. The whole sentence in the source trans- lates: "It was anciently ordered that no one could live in the realms if he did not pledge himself part of a group of ten" [ibid. , (4)].
67. quod trithinga teneatur integra: L, "that the trithing be entirely kept. " The trithing was a division between a shire and a hun- dred, and refers to the "group of ten" [ibid. , (5)].
68, decemvirale collegium: L, "group of ten. " The phrase was adapted from Roman law, in which it referred to the council of assistants to the praetor [ibid. ] .
et . . .
[Chap. XXXVI].
70. vide Bracton: L, "See B. " Henry Brac-
ton, d. 1268, was the author of De Legibus et cansuetudinibus Angliae [On the laws and customs of England]. It was Coke's primary source of materials in his struggle against the king.
71. sub colore donationis: L, "under color of donation. " A continuation of the gloss above which says the sale of land could not be made as if it were a gift [ibid. ].
72. his testibus: The source reads: "hiis tes- tibus": L, "these being witnesses. " The last chapter of Magna Carta makes a general statement about the "customs and liberties" outlined and described earlier and con- cludes: "And we have granted into them [all subjects] . . . that neither we, nor our heirs, shall procure or do any thing whereby the liberties in this charter contained shall be infringed or broken; and if any thing be procured by any person contrary to the pre- misses, it shall be had of no force nor effect. These being witnesses; lord B. Archbishop of Canterbury, E. bishop of London, and others" [Chap. XXXVIII].
73. chartae: In his comment Coke said: "Those that had hiis testibus, were called chartae, as this charter is called Magna Charta, and so is charta de foresta, Etc. and those others. " The others, from the time of Henry I in 1100, include the Coronation Charter, the Articles of the Barons, the Char- ter of Runnymede, the Charters of the Forest, etc. [CFT, Pai, 5-1, 69-76].
74. PIVOT: The center, base of process, un- wobbling pivot, or "heart of the matter" from which our roots derive. The great En- glish charters are our pivot.
75. Statute de Merton . . . : Coke's note to
Statutum de Merton, Editurn anna 20 H.
111, so-called "because the Parliament was holden at the monastery of the canons regu- lar of Merton, seven miles distant from the city of London" [DG, Pai, 4-2 & 3, 265].
76. Bingham: "And this is that monastery of Merton, the prior where of had a great casein law, which long depended between him and the Prior of Bingham" [ibid. ].
77. 18 H. 3: Eighteenth year of the reign of Henry III. Bracton misdates the feast of St. Vincent and the statute, which was actually in 1236 (not 1234). The statute concerned widows' dowers, wardships, enclosure of
commons, and usury, and is thus connected with the problem of Helianor.
78. Helianor . . . Cantaur: Eleanor of Pro- vence, who married Henry III in 1236. A linkage with ail the earlier Eleanors and Helen of Troy [2:7, 9; 7:1]. This Eleanor was the daughter of Raymond Beranger IV, count of Provence; her mother was the daughter of Thomas I, count of Savoy. She was thus the grand-daughter of the first trou- badour, Duke William IX of Aquitaine
[6:2]. Eleanor of Aquitaine's son, King John, is linked to the development of Magna Carta, and Henry III, under the infiuence of his wife, assisted in supporting it. Eleanor had no brothers; but her uncle, Boniface of Savoy (d. 1270), was elected archbishop of Canterbury (1241) through the influence of Henry III and Eleanor.
79. Raymond Berengar: The fourth of the counts of Provence. The House of Berenger were rulers in Barcelona and later had exten- sive holdings in Provence and Toulouse. The family was powerful enough to make mar- riages and concords or exercise influence over the royal houses of both France and England for over a century [cf. 10 above].
80. de la plus beale: OF, "of the fairest. " Part of the name of a kind of dower: "fairest of the husband's tenements" [ibid. ].
81. the symbol: Prob. the Christian cross.
82. invasion of Bede's time: The Venerable Bede, ? 673-735; the invasions of the Norse- men in the 8th century.
83. his version: The King James Bible, 1611.
84. lingua latina: L, "Latin language. " Pound uses 1850 to date the start of the process of ruining t~e schools.
85. Alex: Prob. Alexander the Great [89:230].
86. Antoninus: [78:56].
87. Randolph: [87:10].
88. not to distreine: The law says that the
owner of the land in a widow's dower may get his due for rent and services by taking "corn after it is reaped," but he "may not take the corn in sheaves" as a distraint for taxes [DG, Pai, 4? 2 & 3,266].
89. Edward: E. J, "Mirror of Princes," pro- hibited usury; but Coke notes in "Statute of Merton," Chap. Y, that, nevertheless, En- gland had great profit because of usury at a time when "the ounce of silver was five
groats" [ibid. ].
90. forrein laws: In a note on the legal prob- lems of bastardy, Coke says that "fonein precedents are not to be objected against us because we are not subject to fonein laws"
69. exceptis
cept to religious institutions and. " The Source has "Judaeis" after "et," or "the Jews. " Coke is citing Bracton, who said: "It is legal for a donor to make a gift of or sell land to anyone," except those named. DG believes Pound omitted the Jews because the point of the chapter is not aimed at any race but is "a definite separation of state affairs from all other institutions whatsoever"
92. Utas of St Martin: The 8th day follow- ing the feast of St. Martin. On this day in 1267 was adopted the Statutern de Marle- bridge, a general restatement of Magna Car- ta.
After this, peace was once again restored to the people, "as well high as low" [ibid. , 267].
93. sapiens incipit a fine: L, "A wise man begins at the end," or "anticipates the end. " The Coke phrase seems to paraphrase the aphorism of Kung: "things have scopes and beginnings" [ibid. ].
94. Ideogram: Chung [M1500], "the end. "
95. Ideogram: Shih [M5772], "the begin? ning. "
96. Box hedge . . . basilicum: Details of the house and gardens in Norwich where Coke went to Free Grammar School [Bowen, Lion, 48? 54; DG, Pai, 4? 2 & 3, 268] .
97. Allegre: Rhyme with the lark song of Bernart de Ventadorn [117/802].
98. 1560: One of the happiest acts of Eliza- beth two years after she became queen was to call in all the debased coinage which was causing economic distress and issue a com- pletely new and sound currency [DG, Pai, 4-2 & 3, 268].
viris religiosis
: L, "ex-
[ibid. ].
91. One thousand . . . : In year of Henry III as king.
1267, the 52d
? ? ? 700
99. '65, dutch weavers: As a boy of 13 years in Norwich, Coke saw the way the authorities dealt with a depression in ihe worsted industry. In 1565 they allowed weavers fleeing from religious persecution in Holland to settle in Norwich and produce fabrics, which allowed the "city to recapture its markets and regain its prestige" [ibid. ].
100. at terms: The 4 terms of court each year related to 4 church festivals: Michael- mas from 9 Oct; Hilary from Jan 23; Trinity from May 22; and Easter. During terms the "women of uncertain profession" lingered around Westminster Hall," where their atten? dance was so regular ihat in those days they had the special name of 'termers. ' " At Saint Paul's "every wench takes a pillar, as well as distinguished serjeant-at-law" [ibid. , 269].
101. grain: After bad harvests, proclama- tions were issued to prohibit use of grain "for starching clothing or for any purpose except that of food" [Bowen, Lion, 319].
102. no more houses: The increasing crowd- ing and growth of population led in both Elizabeth's" and lames's time to proclama- tions forbidding the? construction of new buildings [ibid. ].
103. de heretico comburendo: L, "of burn- ing heretics. " The name of a writ issued by a bishops court in 1612 sentencing Bartholo- mew Legate and Edward Wrightman to be burned as heretics. They were. Coke op- posed the "monstrous writ," saying the bish- ops court did not have jurisdiction. Francis Bacon and others said conviction in bishops court would suffice [ibid. , 296].
107/761 and stand before the church for all to see"
[Bowen, Lion, 531].
105. Invasion of rights: The duke of Buck- ingham, attempting to tax ihe people with- out sanction of Parliament, created a crisis in which Magna Carta was on the line. The king threatened to imprison anyone who did not pay the illegal tax. When Parliament met March 17, 1628, Coke and his supporter; went at once to the problem of the king's invasion of the rights of his subjects. Said Coke: "What doth this tend to but the utter
subversion of the choice liberty and right belonging to every freeborn subject of this kingdom? " [Bowen, Lion, 485].
106. habeas: Parliament stood against the king for nearly 3 months, until Charles capit- ulated and granted habeas corpus against false imprisonment [ibid. , 497-503].
107. B. 18: During WWII, the 18B regula- tions suspended habeas corpus to allow for the imprisonment of those who opposed the war [WC, Guide].
108. Chaise Dieu: F, "Throne of God" [23:24]. Mountains in the area had the shape of a throne. Pound may have been reminded of an earlier struggle of declared heretics against the absolute power of Inno- cent III in Charles I's repeated assertions of
ihe divine right of Kings.
109. 1lT; liv: H, "not being. " Phrase of Aris- totle used by Christopher Marlow's Faustus [I, V. 11]. Avon's man smd, "To be or not
to be. "
110. Gaudier: Gaudier-Brzeska [16:26].
111. Nina: Nina Hamnett, an amateur palnter who sat as GB's model for ihree different works [Materer, Pai, 4, 2 & 3, 323].
112. Diana: Artemis. Evidently Pound re- members a stone image of her in the Cathe- dral of Notre Dame des Champs which was crumbling with time. He supposes that a permanent bronze must exist somewhere.
107/761-762
113. Amphion: His music raised the walls of Troy [62:141; 90:7].
114. the great algae: May suggest that just as algae is the basic sustenance of life at the bottom of ihe great food chain, so the Great Charters and the Charters of Confirmation are the basic sustenance in the development of human rights and liberties.
115. color prediletto: colore prediletto: I, "favorite color. "
116. aftpa'Y~: H, "cave or rock hollowed out by the sea. "
117. L? lPilv: H, "siren. " One of those whose song lured sailors to their death.
118. hippocampi: hippocampe: F, "sea- horse. "
119. 8? AKTilPlV: H, "charm, spell, enchant- ment. " As with the sirens.
120. god's antennae: Poss. poets, the "an- tennae of the race. "
121. Norfolk tumbler: A gift Coke gave to his friend and supporter Robert Cecil as he was on his way to Bath to take the waters for his extreme ill-health. Because Cecil-a small hunchback but the son of Lord Burgh- ley (the lord treasurer and ihe most power- ful man in England)-used tricks to walk the thin line between king and Parliament, there may be a suggestion in Coke's giving this breed, which had "a trick of falling down to
simulate Injury while [Bowen, Lion, 330]. .
122. Cecil: Robert C. , 1563? -1612, earl of Salisbury. Trained by his father (the lifelong and most powerful adviser of Elizabeth) to statecraft, he came to power in 1596, first as secretary of state. He secretly prepared the way for James I to assume the throne. Known as the little pygmy, he maintained his position through ability and great finan- cial skill.
123. Hatfield: Hatfield House, the name of the great Jacobean mansion Cecil built for himself. "The parks and gardens of Hatfield
701
House were like a small friendly kingdom. Five hundred mulberry trees newly planted, thirty thousand grape vines sent from France" [ibid. , 331].
124. enclosed: Cecil was a hero to most of the people, but he had at least one fiaw: his "humbler neighbors did not love the place; enclosure of Hatfield wood had robbed their common pasture" [ibid. , 332].
125. Gondemar: Count Gondemar, ambas- sador of Spain to the court of King James, whose charge was to cement a peace with England and arrange for the marriage of Prince Charles and the Infanta, which would advance the Catholic cause and-in Philip III's mind-eventually bring England back into ihe true church. On Oct 29, 1620 Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded because of activities that harmed the cause of peace. Protestant England hated and feared all these procedings, and their wrath fell upon Gondemar. "On public holidays he did not dare venture into the streets. 'There goes the
devil in a dungcart! ' " an apprentice cried as he passed by. The youth and his friends were arrested and fiogged ihrough Fleet Street. James put out a proclamation: "No man by look or countenance to show irreverence to strangers, especially such as are ambas- sadors" [ibid. , 417].
126. Flaccus' translator: The translations of Horace, Plutarch (on curiosity), and Boe- thius by Elizabeth I, mostly in her own hand and arranged in bundles dated 1593 and 1598, are to be found at the Public Record Office in London. The probable reason they were not included in any of the collections (Fiilgel, Pemberton, Bradner) is that they are written in paratactic prose and contain nu- merous errors of translation owing-as with Pound-to faulty eyesight or ihe use of infe- rior Renaissance editions of the classics. This was more or less common knowledge to stu- dents of Pound's generation, so he is not necessarily quoting from any particular source [EH][85:11].
127. The jew: Unidentified. Pass. Dr. Ro-
. . .
In 1628
104. white sheet
Coke's daughter, Frances, married to the brother of the powerful duke of Bucking- ham, was accused of adultery with Sir Ro- bert Howard and tried before the Court of High Commission. The court judged her guil- ty, and Sir Henry Martin "fmed her five hundred pounds and declared she must do public penance-walk barefoot, draped in a white sheet, from Paul's Cross to the Savoy
sentence:
stalking game"
? ? ? ? 702
107/762-763
107/763, 108/764
703
derigo Lopez, Queen Elizabeth's physician, who was found guilty and executed for at- tempting to poison her. But Pound may have identified Gondomar as one of the Se- phardim.
128. The buggar: Slang expression for sodo- mist. Refers either to James I or to the duke of Buckingham, who with the extraordinary power given to him by the king, undertook policies that, according to the party of Coke, tended to undermine the crown.
129. Raleigh's head: Sir Walter Raleigh was firmly opposed to the proposed marriage between Prince Charles and the Spanish In- fanta. He had been condemned to the Tower in 1603 but was released in 1616 to sail to Guiana in search of gold. Raleigh gave his solemn promise that no Spaniard would be harmed; but he fought the battle of San Tomas, in which four Spaniards were killed, and returned with no gold. He was thus guilty of maliciously breaking the peace with Spain. The English public hated Gondomar because he actively sought the execution.
130. That the dead: In the continuing strug- gle of Parliament against the Spanish alli- ance, James I responded to a 2d petition of Commons "on the eleventh of December, 1621" but gave a response which in fact abrogated the privilege of free speech. In the ensuing parliamentary debate, there were those who would make fawning speeches designed to curry favor with the king. Coke was against further petitions but advised they go to Magna Carta and laws created by their ancestors and cite precedent and prac- tice. "Best to ask counsel of the dead! For they will not flatter nor fawn to advance themselves, nor bribe nor dissemble"
[Bowen, Lion, 451].
131. Dante'sview: [Cf. l07/756]. 132. Kung: [13:1; 52:18].
133. Ocellus: [87:43].
134. Agassiz: [93:51].
135. pe1: H, "flows. " Part of PANTA 'REI [96:168].
136_ Three Ninas: [Cf. 111 above].
Greeks as uncouth barbarians, was sophisti- cated enough to have his own seal, the tribal inhabitants of Ambracia were sophisticated enough to have a coinage of their own [EH].
143. Ambracia: City of ancient Greece, in
Epirus on an inlet of the Ionian Sea. The modern Greek town or Arta_
144. Caerator: L, "carver. "
145_ Pythagora: Pythagorus: L, "Pytha-
goras" [91 :97; 104:16].
137. mania . . . veins: Lusting after distant mystic paradise, many cannot see clearly the details of the paradise around them.
138. Wheat
. . .
days: [45:5].
139. (1.
