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when any province was meditating a revolt, the ftatue, or idol, of that country ftruck his bell. This fiction is mentioned by the old anonymous author of the MIRABILIA ROMA, written in the thirteenth century, and printed by Montfaucon '. It occurs in Lydgate's BOCHAS. He is speaking of the Pantheon.

Whyche was a temple of old foundacion,
Ful of ydols, up fet on hye ftages;
There throughe the worlde of every nacion
Were of theyr goddes set up great ymages,
To every kingdom direct were their visages,
As poetes and Fulgens by hys live
In bokes olde plainly doth dyfcrive.

Every ymage had in his hande a bell,
As apperteyneth to every nacion,
Which, by craft some token should tell
Whan any kingdom fil in rebellion, &c ".

This fiction is not in Boccace, Lydgate's original. It is in the above-cited Gothic history of Virgil. Gower's Virgil, I think, belongs to the fame romance.

And eke Virgil of acqueintance

I figh, where he the maiden prayd,
Which was the doughter, as men fayd,
Of the emperour whilom of Rome'.

CHAP. lviii. King Afmodeus pardons every malefactor condemned to death, who can tell three indifputable truths or

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CHAP. lix. The emperor Jovinian's history.

On this there is an antient French MORALITE, entitled, L'Orgueil et prefomption de l'Empereur JOVINIAN *. This is alfo the ftory of ROBERT king of Sicily, an old English poem, or romance, from which I have given copious extracts'.

CHAP. lx. A king has a daughter named Rofimund, aged ten years; exceedingly beautiful, and fo fwift of foot, that her father promises her in marriage to any man who can overcome her in running. But thofe who fail in the attempt are to lose their heads. After many trials, in which she was always victorious, she loses the race with a poor man, who throws in her way a filken girdle, a garland of rofes, and a filken purse inclosing a golden ball, infcribed, "whofo plays with me will "never be fatiated with play." She marries the poor man, who inherits her father's kingdom.

This is evidently a Gothic innovation of the claffical tale of Atalanta. But it is not impoffible that an oriental apologue might have given rife to the Grecian fable.

CHAP. Ixi. The emperor Claudius marries his daughter to the philofopher Socrates.

CHAP. Ixii. Florentina's picture.

CHAP. Ixiii. Vefpafian's daughter's garden. All her lovers are obliged to enter this garden before they can obtain her love, but none return alive. The garden is haunted by a lion; and has only one entrance, which divides into so many windings, that it never can be found again. At length, the furnishes a knight with a ball or clue of thread, and teaches him how to foil the lion. Having achieved this adventure, he marries the lady.

Here feems to be an allufion to Medea's hiftory.

CHAP. Ixiv. A virgin is married to a king, because she makes him a shirt of a piece of cloth three fingers long and broad. CHAP. lxv. A cross with four infcriptions.

See EMEND, and ADD, to vol. i. at P. 197.

1 Vol. i. p. 184.

d 2

CHAP.

CHAP. lxvi. A knight offers to recover a lady's inheritance, which had been seized by a tyrant; on condition, that if he is slain, she shall always keep his bloody armour hanging in her chamber. He regains her property, although he dies in the attempt; and as often as she was afterwards fued for in marriage, before he gave an answer, fhe returned to her chamber, and contemplating with tears her deliverer's bloody armour, refolutely rejected every follicitation.

CHAP. lxvii. The wife and foolish knight.

CHAP. lxviii. A woman understands the language of birds. The three cocks.

CHAP. Ixix. A mother gives to a man who marries her daughter a shirt, which can never be torn, nor will ever need washing, while they continue faithful to each other.

CHAP. lxx. The king's daughter who requires three impoffible things of her lovers.

CHAP. lxxii. The king who refigns his crown to his son.
CHAP. lxxiv. The golden apple.

CHAP. Ixxv. A king's three daughters marry three dukes, who all die the fame year.

CHAP. lxxvi. The two phyficians.

CHAP. lxxix. The fable of the familiar afs.

CHAP. lxxx. A devout hermit lived in a cave, near which a fhepherd folded his flock. Many of the sheep being stolen, the shepherd was unjustly killed by his mafter as being concerned in the theft. The hermit feeing an innocent man put to death, began to fufpect the existence of a divine Providence ; and refolved no longer to perplex himself with the useless feveties of religion, but to mix in the world. In travelling from his retirement, he was met by an angel in the figure of a man ; who faid, "I am an angel, and am fent by God to be your companion on the road." They entered a city; and begged for lodging at the house of a knight, who entertained them at a fplendid supper. In the night, the angel rofe from his bed, and strangled the knight's only child who was asleep in the

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The hermit was astonished at this barbarous return for so much hospitality, but was afraid to make any remonstrance to his companion. Next morning they went to another city. Here they were liberally received in the house of an opulent citizen; but in the night the angel rofe, and ftole a golden cup of inestimable value. The hermit now concluded, that his companion was a Bad Angel. In travelling forward the next morning, they paffed over a bridge; about the middle of which they met a poor man, of whom the angel asked the way to the next city. Having received the defired information, the angel pushed the poor man into the water, where he was immediately drowned. In the evening they arrived at the house of a rich man; and begging for a lodging, were ordered to fleep in a fhed with the cattle. In the morning the angel gave the rich man the cup which he had stolen. The hermit, amazed that the cup which was ftolen from their friend and benefactor should be given to one who refused them a lodging, began to be now convinced that his companion was the devil; and begged to go on alone. But the angel faid, “Hear me, "and depart. When you lived in your hermitage a fhepherd "was killed by his master. He was innocent of the supposed "offence: but had he not been then killed, he would have "committed crimes in which he would have died impenitent. "His mafter endeavours to atone for the murther, by dedicating "the remainder of his days to alms and deeds of charity. I "strangled the child of the knight. But know, that the father was so intent on heaping up riches for this child, as to ne

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glect those acts of public munificence for which he was be"fore fo diftinguished, and to which he has now returned. I "stole the golden cup of the hospitable citizen. But know, "that from a life of the ftricteft temperance, he became, in confequence of poffeffing this cup, a perpetual drunkard ; " and is now the most abstemious of men. I threw the poor "man into the water. He was then honeft and religious. But "know, had he walked one half of a mile further, he would

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"have murthered a man in a state of mortal fin. I gave the golden cup to the rich man who refused to take us within his "roof. He has therefore received his reward in this world; "and in the next, will fuffer the pains of hell for his inhofpi"tality." The hermit fell proftrate at the angel's feet; and requesting forgiveness, returned to his hermitage, fully convinced of the wisdom and juftice of God's government.

This is the fable of Parnell's HERMIT, which that elegant yet original writer has heightened with many masterly touches of poetical colouring, and a happier arrangement of circumstances. Among other proofs which might be mentioned of Parnell's genius and address in treating this subject, by reserving the discovery of the angel to a critical period at the close of the fable, he has found means to introduce a beautiful defcription, and an interesting furprise. In this poem, the last instance of the angel's feeming injustice, is that of pushing the guide from the bridge into the river. At this, the hermit is unable to fupprefs his indignation.

Wild sparkling rage inflames the Father's eyes,
He bursts the bonds of fear, and madly cries,
"Detested wretch !"-But scarce his speech began,
When the strange partner feem'd no longer man:
His youthful face grew more ferenely sweet,
His robe turn'd white, and flow'd upon his feet;
Fair rounds of radiant points invest his hair;
Celestial odours fill the purple air:

And wings, whofe colours glitter'd on the day,
Wide at his back their gradual plumes difplay.
The form ethereal burfts upon his fight,

And moves in all the majefty of light.

The fame apologue occurs, with fome flight additions and variations for the worfe, in Howell's LETTERS; who profeffes to have taken it from the fpeculative fir Philip Herbert's CoN.

CEPTIONS

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