of that profession. Most of the old ballads begin in a pompous manner, in order to
captivate the attention of the audience, and induce them to purchase a recital of the
song: and they seldom conclude the first part without large promises of still greater
entertainment in the second. This was a necessary piece of art to incline the hearers to
be at the expence of a second groat's-worth. Many of the old romances extend to eight
or nine Fits, which would afford a considerable profit to the reciter.
To return to the word FIT; it seems at one time to have peculiarly signified the
pause, or breathing-time, between the several parts (answering to PASSUS in the
Visions of Pierce Plowman): thus in the ancient Ballad ofChevy-Chase, (Vol i. no. i.)
the first Part ends with this line,
"The first FIT here I fynde:"i.e. here I come to the first pause or intermission. By degrees it came to signify the
whole part or division preceding the pause. (See the concluding verses of the First and
Second Parts of "Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and William of Cloudesly," in book
ii. No. i.) This sense it had obtained so early as the time of Chaucer: who thus
concludes the first part of his rhyme of Sir Thopas, (writ in ridicule of the old ballad
romances):
Lo I lordis mine, here is a Fitt;
If ye woll any more of it,
To tell it woll I fonde.
The word "Fit" indeed appears originally to have signified a poetic strain,
verse, or poem: for in these senses it is used by the Anglo-Saxon writers. Thus King
Alfred, in his Boetius, having given a version of lib. 3. metr. 5, adds,thare yisdom thaf
thar arungen haefdei.e."When wisdom had sung these [FITTS] verses." And in the
Proem to the same bookfon on fitte, "Put into [Fitt] verse." So in Cedmon, p. 45.feond
on fitte, seems to mean, "composed a song," or "poem." The reader will trace this old
Saxon phrase, in the application of the wordfondin the foregoing passage of Chaucer.
-- See Gloss.
Spenser has used the wordfitto denote "a strain of music:" see his poem
intitled, "Collin Clout's come home again," where he says:
"The shepherd of the ocean [Sir Walt. Raleigh]
Provoked me to play some pleasant Fit,
And when be heard the music which I made
He found himself full greatlye pleas'd at it," &c.It is also used in the old ballad of "King Estmere," Book i. no vi..
From being applied to music, this word was easily transferred to dancing: thus
in the old play ofLusty Juventus(described in book ii.), Juventus says:
"By the masse I would fayne go daunce a Fitte."
And from being used as a part or division in a ballad, poem, &c., it is applied
by Bale to a section or a chapter in a book (though I believe in a sense of ridicule or
sarcasm), for thus he entitles two chapters of hisEnglish Docaryes, Part ii. viz.-- fol.
49, "The fyrst FYTT of Anselme with Kynge Wyllyam Rufus."-- fol. 50, "An other
FYTT of Anselme with Kynge Wyllyam Rufus."