sopher and Edric" his fon, never printed, written by Peter Alphonfus, a baptized Jew, at the beginning of the twelfth century, and collected from Arabian fables, apothegms, and examples. Some are alfo borrowed from an old Latin translation of the CALILAH U DAMNAH, a celebrated fett of eastern fables, to which Alphonfus was indebted.

On the whole, this is the collection in which a curious enquirer might expect to find the original of Chaucer's Cambufcan:

Or, if aught else great bards befide
In fage and folemn tunes have fung,
Of turneys and of trophies hung,
Of forefts and inchantments drear,

Where more is meant than meets the ear.

Our author frequently cites GESTA ROMANORUM, the title of his own work. By which I understand no particular book of that name, but the Roman History in general. Thus in the title of the SAINT ALBANS CHRONICLE, printed by. Caxton, Titus Livyus de GESTIS ROMANORUM is recited. In the year 1544, Lucius Florus was printed at Paris under the fame title. In the British Museum we find " LES FAIS DE "ROMAINS jufques a la fin de l'empire Domician, felon "Orofe, Justin, Lucan, &c." A plain historical deduction '. The ROMULEON, an old manufcript history of Rome from the foundation of the city to Conftantine the Great, is also called de GESTIS ROMANORUM. This manuscript occurs both in Latin and French: and a French copy, among the royal ma-.

"

nufcripts, has the title, "ROMULEON, ou des FAIS DE RO66 MAINS '.' Among the manuscript books written by Lapus de Caftellione, a Florentine civilian, who flourished about the year 1350, there is one, De Origine URBIS ROMÆ et de GESTIS ROMANORUM ". Gower, in the CONFESSIO AMANTIS, often introduces Roman ftories with the Latin preamble, Hic fecundum GESTA. Where he certainly means the Roman History, which by degrees had acquired fimply the appellation of GESTA. Herman Korner, in his CHRONICA NOVELLA, written about the year 1138, refers for his vouchers to Bede, Orofius, Valerius Maximus, Jofephus, Eufebius, and the Chronicon et GESTA ROMANORUM. Most probably, to say no more, by the CHRONICON he means the later writers of the Roman affairs, fuch as Ifidore and the monkish compilers; and by GESTA the antient Roman history, as related by Livy and the more established Latin hiftorians.

Neither is it poffible that this work could have been brought as a proof or authority, by any serious annalist, for the Roman story.

For though it bears the title of GESTA ROMANORUM, yet this title by no means properly corresponds with the contents of the collection: which, as has been already hinted, comprehends a multitude of narratives, either not historical; or, in another refpect, fuch as are either totally unconnected with the Roman people, or perhaps the most prepofterous mifrepresentations of their history. To cover this deviation from the promised plan, which, by introducing a more ample variety of matter, has contributed to encrease the reader's entertainment, our collector has taken care to preface almost every story with the name or reign of a Roman emperor; who, at the fame time, is often a monarch that never existed, and who feldom, whether real or fuppofitious, has any concern with the circumstances of the

narrative.

MS. 19 E. v.

"See fupr. vol. ii. p. 19.

But

But I haften to exhibit a compendious analyfis of the chapters which form this very fingular compilation: intermixing occafional illuftrations arifing from the fubject, and fhortening or lengthening my abridgement of the ftories, in proportion as I judge they are likely to interest the reader. Where, for that reafon, I have been very concife,. I have yet faid enough to direct the critical antiquarian to this collection, in case he should find a fimilar tale occurring in any of our old poets. I have omitted the mention of a very few chapters, which were beneath notice. Sometimes, where common authors are quoted, I have only mentioned the author's name, without specifying the substance of the quotation. For it was neceffary that the reader should be made acquainted with our collector's track of reading, and the books which he used. In the mean time, this review will serve as a full notification of the edition of 1488, which is more comprehenfive and complete than fome others of later publication, and to which all the rest, as to a general criterion, may be now comparatively referred.

CHAP. i. Of a daughter of king Pompey, whose chamber was guarded by five armed knights and a dog. Being permitted to be present at a public fhew, she is feduced by a duke, who is afterwards killed by the champion of her father's court. She is reconciled to her father, and betrothed to a nobleman: on which occasion, she receives from her father an embroidered robe and a crown of gold, from the champion a gold ring, another from the wife man who pacified the king's anger, another from the king's fon, another from her coufin, and from her spouse a seal of gold. All these presents are inscribed with proverbial fentences, suitable to the circumstances of the princess.

The latter part of this story is evidently oriental. The feudal, manners, in a book which profeffes to record the achievements of the Roman people, are remarkable in the introductory circumstances. But of this mixture we fhall fee many striking inftances.

CHAP. ii. Of a youth taken captive by pirates. The king's daughter

daughter falls in love with him; and having procured his escape, accompanies him to his own country, where they are married.

CHAP. vi. An emperor is married to a beautiful young princefs. In cafe of death, they mutually agree not to survive one other. To try the truth of his wife, the emperor going into a diftant country, orders a report of his death to be circulated. In remembrance of her vow, and in imitation of the wives of India, the prepares to throw herself headlong from a high pre.. cipice. She is prevented by her father; who interposes his paternal authority, as predominating over a rash and unlawful promise.

CHAP. vii. Under the reign of Dioclefian, a noble knight had two fons, the youngest of which marries a harlot.

This story, but with a difference of circumstances, ends like the beautiful apologue of the Prodigal Son.

CHAP. viii. The emperor Leo commands three female ftatues to be made. One has a gold ring on a finger pointing forward, another a beard of gold, and the third a golden cloak and purple tunic. Whoever fteals any of these ornaments, is to be punished with an ignominious death.

This story is copied by Gower, in the CONFESSIO AMANTIS: but he has altered fome of the circumftances. He fupposes a statue of Apollo.

Of plate of golde a berde he hadde,
The wiche his brest all ovir spradde :
Of golde alfo, without fayle,

His mantell was, of large entayle,

Besette with perrey all aboute :

Forth ryght he ftraught his fynger oute,
Upon the whiche he had a rynge,
To feen it was a ryche thynge,
A fyne carbuncle for the nones
Moste precious of all stones

VOL. III.

Lib. v. fol. 122. b.
b

In

In the fequel, Gower follows the fubftance of our author.

CHAP. X. Vefpafian marries a wife in a diftant country, who refuses to return home with him, and yet declares the will kill herself if he goes. The emperor ordered two rings to be made, of a wonderous efficacy; one of which, in the stone, has the image of Oblivion, the other the image of Memory: the ring of Oblivion he gave to the emprefs, and returned home with the ring of Memory.

CHAP. xi. The queen of the fouth fends her daughter to king Alexander, to be his concubine. She was exceedingly beautiful, but had been nourished with poifon from her birth. Alexander's mafter, Ariftotle, whofe fagacity nothing. could escape, knowing this, entreated, that before she was admitted to the king's bed, a malefactor condemned to death might be fent for, who should give her a kifs in the presence of the king. The malefactor, on kiffing her, inftantly dropped down dead. Ariftotle, having explained his reafons for what he had done, was loaded with honours by the king, and the princefs was difmiffed to her mother.

This story is founded on the twenty-eighth chapter of Aristotle's SECRETUM SECRETORUM: in which, a queen of India is faid to have treacherously fent to Alexander, among other coftly presents, the pretended teftimonies of her friendship, a girl of exquifite beauty, who having been fed with ferpents from her infancy, partook of their nature. If I recollect right, in Pliny there are accounts of nations whose natural food was poison. Mithridates, king of Pontus, the land of venomous herbs, and the country of the forcerefs Medea, was fuppofed to

[See fupr. vol. i. p. 132.] This I now cite from a Latin translation, without date, but evidently printed before 1500. It is dedicated to Guido Vere de Valencia bishop of Tripoly, by his most humble Clerk, Philippus: who fays, that he found this treatife in Arabic at Antioch, quo carebant Latini, and that therefore, and

because the Arabic copies were scarce, he tranflated it into Latin.

This printed copy does not exactly correfpond with MS. BODL. 495. membr. 4to. In the last, Alexander's miraculous horn is mentioned at fol. 45. b. In the former, in ch. lxxii. The dedication is the fame in both.

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