recall the reader's attention to the poetry and language of the laft century, by exhibiting fome extracts from the manufcript romance of YWAIN and GAWAIN, which has fome great outlines of Gothic painting, and appears to have been written in the reign of king Henry the fixth ". Henry the fixth ". I premife, that but few circumftances happened, which contributed to the improvement of our language, within that and the prefent period.

The following is the adventure of the enchanted foreft attempted by fir Colgrevance, which he relates to the knights of the round table at Cardiff in Wales *.

Of lordes and ladies of that cuntre.
And als of knightes, war and wyfe,
And damefeles of mykel pryfe,
Ilkan with other made grete gamen,
And grete folas, als thai war famen,
Faft thai carped, and curtayfli,
Of dedes of arms and of veneri,
And of gude knyghtes, &c.

It is a piece of confiderable length, and contains a variety of GESTS. Sir YWAIN is fir EWAINE, or OWEN, in MORTE ARTHUR. None of these adventures belong to that romance. But fee B. iv. c. 17. 27. etc. The ftory of the lion and the dragon in this romance, is told of a Chriftian champion in the Holy War, by Berchorius, REDUCTOR. p. 661. See fupr. Diss. p. lxxxvii. And GEST. ROMANOR. ch. civ. The lion being delivered from. the dragon by fir YwAIN, ever afterwards accompanies and defends him in the greatest dangers. Hence Spenser's Una attended by a lion. F. Qu. i. iii. 7. See fir Percival's lion in MORTE ARTHUR, B. xiv. c. 6. The dark ages had many ftories and traditions of the lion's gratitude and generofity to man. Hence in Shakespeare, Troilus fays, TR. CRESS. A& V. Sc. iii.

Brother you have a vice of mercy in you
Which better fits a lion than a man.

P Bright fhone the beam.

9 High heat.

r Halls.

A fayre

y Found.

Л

;

And fone mi way to him I made
His hevyd", me thoght, was als grete
Als of a rowncy or a nete1.
Unto his belt hang* his hare'
And eft that byheld I mare",
To his forhede byheld I than
Was bradder than twa large fpan;
He had eres als an olyfant,
And was wel more than a geant,
His face was ful brade and flat,
His nafe was cutted as a cat,
His browes war like litel bufkes',
And his tethe like bare tufkes;
A ful grete bulge open his bak,

Thar was noght made with outen lac*;

* Once.

Whan I am to him cumand ;

And ay when that I will him fang.
With my fingers that er strang,

I

ger

• him cri on fwilk manere,

That al the bestes when thai him here,
Obout me than cum thai all,

And to mi fete faft thai fall
On thair maner, merci to cry.
Bot onderstond now redyli,
Olyve' es thar lifand " no ma1,

Bot I, that durst amang them
gak,
That he ne fold fone be altorent';
Bot thai ar at my comandment,
To me thai cum whan I tham call,
And I am maister of tham all.
Than he asked onone right,

What man I was? I faid, a knyght,

That foght avents in that lande,

My body to afaiTM and fand ";

And I the of thi kounfayle
pray

You teche me to fum mervayle".

g Is.

• Tell me of fome wonder. So Alex

ander, in the deserts of India, meets two

He

He faid, I can no wonders tell,
Bot her befyde es a Well;
Wend yeder, and do als I fay,
You paffes noght al quite oway,
Folow forth this ilk ftrete1,

And fone fum mervayles fal you mete:
The well es under the fairest Tre
That ever was in this cuntre;

By that Well hinges' a Bacyne'
That es of golde gude and fyne,
With a cheyne, trewly to tell,
That will reche in to the Well.
Thare as a Chapel nere thar by,
That nobil es and ful lufely *:
By the well standes a Stane ",
Take the bacyn fone onane",
And caft on water with thi hand,
And fone you fal se new tithand*:
A ftorme fal rife and a tempest,
Al obout, by eft and weft,
You fal here mani thonor blaft