Sainte Palaye, who will soon oblige the world with an ample history of Provencial poetry; and whose researches into a kindred subject, already published, have opened a new and extensive field of information concerning the manners, institutions and literature of the feudal ages *.

NOTE A. (from the Emendations and Additions.*)

In Bennet college library at Cambridge, there is an English poem on the SANGREAL, and its appendages, containing forty thousand verses. MSS. LXXX. chart. The manuscript is imperfect both at the beginning and at the end. The title at the head of the first page is ACTA ARTHURI REGIS, written probably by Joceline, chaplain and secretary to archbishop Parker. The narrative, which appears to be on one continued subject, is divided into books, or sections, of unequal length. It is a translation made from Robert Borron's French romance called LANCELOT, above mentioned, which includes the adventure of the SANGREAL, by Henry Lonelich Skynner, a name which I never remember to have seen among those of the English poets. The diction is of the age of king Henry the Sixth. Borel, in his TRESOR de Recherches et Antiquitez Gauloises et Francoises, says, "Il y'a un Roman ancien intitule LE CONQUESTE DE SANGREALL, &c." Edit. 1655. 4to. V. GRAAL. It is difficult to determine with any precision which is Robert Borron's French Romance now under consideration, as so many have been written on the subject. [See p. 137.] The diligence and accuracy of Mr. Nasmith have furnished me

See Memoires sur l'ancienne Chevalerie, &c. Paris, 1759. tom. ii. 12mo.

This Note is referred to in p. 118, and is placed at the end of this Section on account of its length.

[It was found impracticable to condense within the limits of a note, the matter necessary for the refutation of the singular doctrines hazarded in the

text.

Few of them are Warton's own; but the reader who is desirous of forming more correct opinions upon the subject,

is referred to M. Raynouard's Poesies des Troubadours, a work which has done more towards forming a just understanding of the merits of Provençal poetry, and the extent and value of Provençal literature, than any publication which has hitherto appeared. The mass of evidence there adduced in favour of the early efforts of the Provençal muse, must effectually silence every theory attempting to confine song and romantic fiction to any particular age or country.—EDIT.]

with the following transcript from Lonelich Skynner's translation in Bennet College library.

Thanne passeth forth this storye with al
That is cleped of som men SEYnt Graal
Also the SANK RYAL iclepid it is
Of mochel peple with owten mys

Now of al this storie have I mad an ende

That is schwede of Celidoygne and now forthere to wend
And of anothir brawnche most we be gynne

Of the storye that we clepen prophet Merlynne
Wiche that Maister ROBErt of BorroWN
Owt of Latyn it transletted hol and soun
Onlich into the langage of Frawnce

This storie he drowgh be adventure and chaunce
And doth Merlynne insten with SANK RYAL
For the ton storie the tothir medlyth withal
After the satting of the forseid ROBERT
That somtym it transletted in Middilerd
And I as an unkonneng man trewely
Into Englisch have drawen this storye
And thowgh that to zow not plesyng it be
Zit that ful excused ze wolde haven me
Of my neclegence and unkonnenge
On me to taken swich a thinge

Into owre modris tonge for to endite

The swettere to sowne to more and lyte
And more cler to zoure undirstondyng

Thanne owthir Frensh other Latyn to my supposing
And therfore atte the ende of this storye
A pater noster ze wolden for me preye
For me that HERRY LONELICH hyhte
And greteth owre lady ful of myhte
Hartelich with an ave that ze hir bede
This processe the bettere I myhte procede

And bringen this book to a good ende
Now thereto Jesu Crist grace me sende
And than an ende there offen myhte be
Now good Lord graunt me for charite

Thanne Merlyn to Blasye cam anon
And there to hym he seide thus son
Blasye thou schalt suffren gret peyne
This storye to an ende to bringen certeyne
And zit schall I suffren mochel more
How so Merlyn quod Blasye there
I schall be sowht quod Merlyne tho
Owt from the west with messengeris mo
And they that scholen comen to seken me
They have maad sewrawnce I telle the
Me forto slen for any thing

This sewrawnce hav they mad to her kyng
But whanne they me sen and with me speke
No power they schol hav on me to ben a wreke
For with hem hens moste I gon

And thou into othir partyes schalt wel son
To hem that hav the holy vessel
Which that is icleped the SEYNT GRAAL
'And wete thow wel and ek forsothe
That thow and ek this storye bothe
Ful wel beherd now schall it be
And also beloved in many contre
And has that will knowen in sertaygne
What kynges that weren in grete Bretagne
Sithan that Cristendom thedyn was browht
They scholen hem fynde has so that it sawht
In the storye of BRWTTES book

There scholen ze it fynde and ze weten look
Which that MARTYN DE BEWRE translated here
From Latyn into Romaunce in his manere

But leve me now of BRWTTES book

And aftyr this storye now lete us look.

After this latter extract, which is to be found nearly in the middle of the manuscript, the scene and personages of the poem are changed; and king Enalach, king Mordrens, Sir Nesciens, Joseph of Arimathea, and the other heroes of the former part, give place to king Arthur, king Brangors, king Loth, and the monarchs and champions of the British line. In a paragraph, very similar to the second of these extracts, the following note is written in the hand of the text, Henry Lonelich Skynner, that translated this boke out of Frenshe into Englyshe, at the instaunce of Harry Barton.

The QUEST OF THE SANGREAL, as it is called, in which devotion and necromancy are equally concerned, makes a considerable part of king Arthur's romantic history, and was one grand object of the knights of the Round Table. He who achieved this hazardous adventure was to be placed there in the siege perillous, or seat of danger. "When Merlyn had ordayned the rounde table, he said, by them that be fellowes of the rounde table the truthe of the SANGREALL shall be well knowne, &c. -They which heard Merlyn say soe, said thus to Merlyn, Sithence there shall be such a knight, thou shouldest ordayne by thy craft a siege that no man should sitte therein, but he onlie which shall passe all other knights.-Then Merlyn made the siege perillous," &c. Caxton's MORT D'ARTHUR, B. xiv. cap. ii. Sir Lancelot, who is come but of the eighth degree from our lord Jesus Christ, is represented as the chief adventurer in this honourable expedition. Ibid. B. iii. c. 35. At a celebration of the feast of Pentecost at Camelot by king Arthur, the Sangreal suddenly enters the hall, “but there was no man might see it nor who bare it," and the knights, as by some invisible power, are instantly supplied with a feast of the choicest dishes. Ibid. c. 35. Originally LE BRUT, LANCELOT, TRISTAN, and the SAINT GREAL were separate histories; but they were

so connected and confounded before the year 1200, that the same title became applicable to all. The book of the SANGREAL, a separate work, is referred to in MORTE ARTHUR. "Now after that the quest of the SANCGREALL was fulfylled, and that all the knyghtes that were lefte alive were come agayne to the Rounde Table, as the BOOKE OF THE SANCGREALL makethe mencion, than was there grete joye in the courte. And especiallie king Arthur and quene Guenever made grete joye of the remnaunt that were come home. And passynge glad was the kinge and quene of syr Launcelot and syr Bors, for they had been passynge longe awaye in the quest of the SANCGREALL. Then, as the Frenshe booke sayeth, syr Lancelot," &c. B. xviii. cap. 1. And again, in the same romance: "Whan syr Bors had tolde him [Arthur] of the adventures of the SANCGREALL, such as had befallen hym and his felawes,-all this was made in grete bookes, and put in almeryes at Salisbury." B. xvii. cap. xxiii. The former part of this passage is almost literally translated from one in the French romance of TRISTAN, Bibl. Reg. MSS. 20 D. ii. fol. antep. "Quant Boort ot conte laventure del Saint Graal teles com eles estoient avenues, eles furent mises en escrit, gardees en lamere de Salibieres, dont Mestre GALTIER MAP l'estrest a faist son livre du Saint Graal por lamor du roy Herri son sengor, qui fist lestoire tralater del Latin en romanz'." Whether Salisbury, or Salibieres is, in the two passages, the right reading, I cannot ascertain. [But see supra. Note °. p. 118.] But in the royal library at Paris there is "Le Roman de TRISTAN ET ISEULT, traduit de Latin en François, par Lucas chevalier du Gast pres de Sarisberi, Anglois, avec figures." Montfauc. CATAL. MSS. Cod. Reg. Paris. Cod. 6776. fol. max. And again Cod. 6956. fol. max. "Liveres de TRISTAN mis en François par Lucas chevalier sieur de chateau du Gat"." [See supr. p. 118.

'The romance says, that king Arthur "made grete clerkes com before him that they should cronicle the adventures of these goode knygtes." [See infra Section xi.]

See infra Sect. xxviii. not. ".

" There is printed, "Le Roman du noble et vaillant Chevalier Tristan fils du noble roy Meliadus de Leonnys, par Luce, chevalier, seigneur du chasteau de Gast. Rouen, 1489. fel."