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Guido and Tirius. Guido having achieved many fplendid exploits for the love of a beautiful lady, at length married her. Three days after his marriage he saw a vision, which summoned him to engage in the holy war. At parting she gave him a ring; faying," as often as you look on this ring, remember "me." Soon after his departure she had a fon. After various adventures, in which his friend Tirius has a fhare, at the end of seven years he returned to England in the habit of a pilgrim. Coming to his castle, he saw at the gate his lady fitting, and distributing alms to a croud of poor people; ordering them all to pray for the return of her lord Guido from the holy land. She was on that day accompanied by her fon a little boy, very beautiful, and richly apparelled; and who hearing his mother, as she was diftributing her alms, perpetually recommending Guido to their prayers, asked, if that was his father? Among others, the gave alms to her husband Guido, not knowing him in the pilgrim's difguife. Guido, feeing the little boy, took him in his arms, and kiffed him: faying, "O my sweet son, may "God give you grace to please him!" For this boldness he was reproved by the attendants. But the lady, finding him destitute and a stranger, affigned him a cottage in a neighbouring forest. Soon afterwards falling fick, he said to his fervant, "Carry this ring to your lady, and tell her, if the defires ever to fee me "again, to come hither without delay." The fervant conveyed the ring; but before the arrived, he was dead. She threw herfelf on his body, and exclaimed with tears, "Where are now 66 my alms which I daily gave for my lord? I faw you receive "those alms, but I knew you not.-You beheld, embraced, "and kiffed your own fon, but did not discover yourself to "him nor to me. What have I done, that I fhall fee you no "more ?" She then interred him magnificently.

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The reader perceives this is the story of Guido, or Guy, earl of Warwick; and probably this is the early outline of the life and death of that renowned champion.

Many romances were at first little more than legends of de

votion,

votion, containing the pilgrimage of an old warrior. At length, as chivalry came more into vogue, and the stores of invention were increased, the youthful and active part of the pilgrim's life was also written, and a long series of imaginary martial adventures was added, in which his religious was eclipfed by his heroic character, and the penitent was loft in the knight-errant. That which was the principal subject of the short and fimple legend, became only the remote catastrophe of the voluminous romance. And hence by degrees it was almost an established rule of every romance, for the knight to end his days in a hermitage. Cervantes has ridiculed this circumftance with great pleafantry, where Don Quixote holds a grave debate with Sancho, whether he shall turn faint or archbishop.

mance.

1

So reciprocal, or rather fo convertible, was the pious and the military character, that even some of the apostles had their roIn the ninth century, the chivalrous and fabling spirit of the Spaniards transformed faint James into a knight. They pretended that he appeared and fought with irresistible fury, completely armed, and mounted on a ftately white horfe, in most of their engagements with the Moors; and because, by his fuperior prowess in these bloody conflicts, he was fuppofed to have freed the Spaniards from paying the annual tribute of a hundred christian virgins to their infidel enemies, they reprefented him as a profeffed and powerful champion of distressed damfels. This apotheosis of chivalry in the person of their own apostle, must have ever afterwards contributed to exaggerate the characteristical romantic heroism of the Spaniards, by which it was occafioned; and to propagate through fucceeding ages, a ftronger veneration for that fpecies of military enthufiafm, to which they were naturally devoted. It is certain, that in confequence of these illuftrious achievements in the Moorish wars, faint James was conftituted patron of Spain; and became the founder of one of the moft magnificent fhrines, and of the most opulent order of knighthood, now exifting in, christendom.

The

The Legend of this invincible apostle is inserted in the Mosarabic liturgy.

CHAP. clxxiii. A king goes to a fair, carrying in his train, a master with one of his fcholars, who expofe fix bundles, containing a system of ethics, to fale '.

Among the revenues accruing to the crown of England from the Fair of saint Botolph at Boston in Lincolnshire, within the HONOUR OF RICHMOND, mention is made of the royal pavilion, or booth, which ftood in the fair, about the year 1280. This fair was regularly frequented by merchants from the most capital trading towns of Normandy, Germany, Flanders, and other countries. "Ibidem [in feria] funt quædam domus quæ "dicuntur BоTHE REGIÆ, quæ valent per annum xxviii, 1. "xiii, s. iiii, d. Ibidem funt quædam domus quas MERCA"TORES DE YPRE tenent, quæ valent per annum, xx, 1. Et quædam domus quas MERCATORES DE CADOMO ET "OSTOGANIO" tenent, xi, 1. Et quædam domus quas MER"CATORES DE ANACO tenent, xiii, 1. vi, s. viii, d. Et quæ"dam domus quas MERCATORES DE COLONIA tenent, xxv, 1. "X, s *." The high rent of thefe lodges, is a proof that they were confiderable edifices in point of size and accommodation. CHAP. clxxiv. The fable of a ferpent cherished in a man's bofom ".

t

About the year 1470, a collection of Latin fables, in fix books, distinguished by the name of Efop, was published in Germany. The three first books confift of the fixty anonymous elegiac fables, printed in Nevelet's collection, under the title of Anonymi Fabula Efopica, and tranflated in 1503, by Wynkyn de Worde, with a few variations: under each is a fable in profe on the same subject from ROMULUS, or the old profe LATIN

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Esop, which was probably fabricated in the twelfth century. The fourth book has the remaining fables of Romulus in profe only. The fifth, containing one or two fables only which were never called Esop's, is taken from Alphonfus, the GESTA ROMANORUM, the CALILA U DAMNAH, and other obfcure fources. The fixth and last book has feventeen fables ex tranflatione Rinucii, that is Rinucius, who tranflated Planudes's life of Efop, and fixty-nine of his fables, from Greek into Latin, in the fifteenth century. This collection soon afterwards was circulated in a French verfion, which Caxton translated into English.

In an antient general Chronicle, printed at Lubec in 1475, and entitled RUDIMENTUM NOVITIORUM, a fhort life of Efop is introduced, together with twenty-nine of his fables. The writer fays, "Efopus adelphus claruit tempore Cyri regis Per"farum.-Vir ingeniofus et prudens, qui confinxit fabulas ele"gantes. Quas Romulus poftmodum de greco tranftulit in la"tinum, et filio fuo Tibertino direxit, &c." The whole of this paffage about Esop is transcribed from Vincent of Beauvais*. CHAP. clxxvii. The feast of king Ahafuerus and Esther.

I have mentioned a metrical romance on this fubject. And I have before obferved, that Thomas of Elmham, a chronicler, calls the coronation-feast of king Henry the fixth, a second feast of Ahasuerus. Hence alfo Chaucer's allufion at the marriage of January and May, while they are at the folemnity of the wedding-dinner, which is very fplendid.

Quene Efther loked ner with foch an eye

On Affuere, fo meke a loke hath the ".

Froiffart, an hiftorian, who shares the merit with Philip de Comines of defcribing every thing, gives this idea of the fo

In this work the following question is difcuffed, originally, I believe, started by faint Austin, and perhaps determined by Thomas Aquinas, An Angeli poffint coire cum Mulieribus, et generare Gigantes ?

z Fol. 237. a.

a SPECUL. HIST. L. iii. c. ii.
Vol. ii. p. 178.

e Vol. ii. p. 35.

MARCH TALE, V. 1260. Urr.

lemnity

lemnity of a dinner on Christmas-day, at which he was prefent, in the hall of the caftle of Gafton earl of Foiz at Ortez in Bevern, under the year 1388. At the upper or first table, he fays, fate four bishops, then the earl, three viscounts, and an English knight belonging to the duke of Lancaster. At another table, five abbots, and two knights of Arragon. At another, many barons and knights of Gafcony and Bigorre. At another, a great number of knights of Bevern. Four knights were the chief ftewards of the hall, and the two baftard brothers of the earl served at the high table. "The erles two fonnes, fir Yvan "of Lefchell was fewer, and fir Gracyen bare his cuppe ". "And there were many mynftrelles, as well of his owne as of ftraungers, and eche of them dyde their devoyre in their fa"culties. The fame day the erle of Foiz gave to harauldes "and mynftrelles, the fomme of fyve hundred frankes and gave to the duke of Touraynes mynftrelles, gownes of clothe

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m In the old romance, or LAY, of
EMARE, a beautiful ufe is made of the
Lady Emare's fon ferving as cup-bearer
to the king of Galicia: by which means,
the king difcovers the boy to be his fon,
and in confequence finds out his queen
Emare, whom he had long loft. The
paffage alfo points out the duties of this
office. MSS. Cott. CALIG. A. 2. f. 69.
Emare fays to the young prince, her fon.
'To morrowe thou shall serve yn halle
In a kurtyll of ryche palle,

Byfore thys nobull kynge;
Loke, fone 2, fo curtois thou be,
That no man fynde chalange to the
In no manere thynge 3.

When the kynge is ferved of fpycerye,
Knele thou downe haftylye,

And take hys hond yn thyne;

And when thou haft fo done,
Take the kuppe of golde, fone,
And ferve hym of the wyne.
And what that he fpeketh to the
Cum anon and tell me,

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On goddys bleffyng and myne.
The chylde+ wente ynto the hall
Among the lordes grete and fmall

That lufsume wer unther lyne 5:
Then the lordes, that wer grete,
Wyfh, and wente to her mete;

Menstrelles browzt yn the kours 7, The chylde hem ferved fo curtey fly, All hym loved that hym fy",

And fpake hym grete honowres.
Then fayde all that loked hym upon,
So curteys a chyld fawe they never non,
In halle, ne yn bowres :

The kynge fayde to hyn yn game,
Swete fone, what ys thy name?

Lorde, he fayd, y hyzth Segra

mowres.

Then that nobull kyng
Toke up a grete fykynge',
For hys fone hyght fo:
Certys, without lefynge,

The teres out of hys yen 3 gan wryng,
In herte he was full woo:

Neverthelese, he lette be,

And loked on the chylde fo fre*,

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