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of antient marriages". A solemn feast is then held in honour of the nuptials".

Here the poem should have ended. But the poet has thought it necessary to extend his allegory to the death and burial of his hero. Graund Amoure having lived in consummate happiness with his amiable bride for many years, saw one morning an old man enter his chamber, carrying a staff, with which he strikes Amoure's breast, saying, Obey, &c. His name is OLD AGE. Not long after came POLICY or Cunning, and AVARICE. Amoure now begins to abandon his triumphal shows and splendid carousals, and to be intent on amassing riches. At last arrived DEATH, who peremptorily denounces, that he must prepare to quit his wealth and the world. After this fatal admonition, came CONTRITION and CONSCIENCE, and he dies. His body is interred by MERCY and CHARITY; and while his epitaph is written by REMEMBRANCE, FAME appears; promising that she will enroll his name with those of Hector, Joshua, Judas Maccabeus, king David°, Alexander the Great, Julius Cesar, Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bul

"For this custom, see supra, vol. ii. p. 273. And the romance of ArTOLYNE, eh. xxxiii.

"Which is described thus, ch. xxix. Why should I tary by long continuance Of the feast, &c.

In the same manner Chaucer passes over the particularities of Cambuscan's feast, Squ. T. v. 83. Urr. And of Theseus's feast, KN. T. v. 2199. See also MAN OF L. T. v. 704. And Spenser's FAIRY QU. v. iii. 3. (See supr. vol. ii. p. 169.] And Matthew Paris, in describing the magnificent marriage and coronation of queen Eleanor in 1236, uses exactly the same formulary, and on a similar subject, "Quid in ecclesia seriem enarrem deo, ut decuit, reverenter ministrantium? Quid in mensa dapium et diversorum libaminum describam fer tilitatem redundantem? Venationis [venison] abundantiam? Piscium varietatem? Joculatorum voluptatem? Mi

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nistrantium venustatem?" etc. HIST. ANGL. sub HEN. iii. p. 406. edit. Tig. ut supr. Compare another feast described in the same chronicle, much writer adds, was more splendid than any after the same manner; and which, the

feast celebrated in the time of Ahasuerus, king Arthur, or Charlemagne. ibid. p. 871.

• The chief reason for ranking king David among the knight of romance was, as I have already hinted, because he killed the giant Goliah: an achievement here mentioned by Hawes. See supr. p. 52. and vol. ii. p. 251.

Of Arthur and his knights he says, that their exploits are recorded "in royall bokes and jestes hystoryall." ch. xliii. Sir Thomas Maillorie had now just published his MORTE ARTHUR, a narrative digested from various French romances on Arthur's story. Caxton's printed copy of this favourite volume must have been known to our poet Hawes, which

loign'. Afterwards TIME, and ETERNITIE clothed in a white vestment and crowned with a triple diadem of gold, enter the

appeared in 1485. fol. By the way, in panegyrising Chaucer, Hawes mentions it, as a circumstance of distinction, that his works were printed. ch. xiiii.

Whose name

IN PRINTED bokès doth remayne in fame. This was natural at the beginning of the typographic art. Many of Chaucer's poems were now recently printed by Caxton.

With regard to Maillorie's book, much if not most of it, I believe, is taken from the great French romance of LANCELOT, translated from Latin into French at the command of one of our Henrys, a metrical English version of which is now in Benet library at Cambridge. [See a specimen in Mr. Naasmith's curious catalogue, p: 54.] I have left it doubtful whether it was the third Henry who ordered this romance to be translated into Latin, vol. i. p. 118. But, beside the proofs there suggested, in favour of that hypothesis, it appears, that Henry the Third paid great attention to these compositions, from the following curious anecdote just published, which throws new light on that monarch's character.

The

Arnaud Daniel, a troubadour, highly celebrated by Dante and Petrarch, about the year 1240 made a voyage into England, where, in the court of king Henry the Third, he met a minstrel, who challenged him at difficult rhymes. challenge was accepted, a considerable wager was laid, and the rival bards were shut up in separate chambers of the palace. The king, who appears to have much interested himself in the dispute, allowed them ten days for composing, and five more for learning to sing, their respective pieces: after which, each was to exhibit his performance in the presence of his majesty. The third day, the English minstrel announced that he was ready. The troubadour declared he had not wrote a line; but that he had tried, and could not as yet put two words together. The following evening he overheard the minstrel practising his chanson to himself. The next day he had the good fortune to hear the same.

again, and learned the air and words. At the day appointed they both appeared before the king. Arnaud desired to sing first. The minstrel, in a fit of the greatest surprise and astonishment, suddenly cried out, C'est ma chanson, This is MY SONG. The king said it was impossible. The minstrel still insisted upon it; and Arnaud, being closely pressed, ingenuously told the whole affair. The king was much entertained with this adventure; and ordering the wager to be withdrawn, loaded them with rich presents. But he afterwards obliged Arnaud to give a chanson of his own composition. Millot, ut supr. tom. ii. p. 491.

In the mean time I would not be understood to deny, that Henry the Second encouraged these pieces; for it partly appears, that Gualter Mapes, archdeacon of Oxford, translated, from Latin into French, the popular romance of SAINT GRAAL, at the instance of Henry the Second, to whom he was chaplain, about the year 1190. See MSS. Reg. 20 D.iii. a manuscript perhaps coeval with the translator; and, if so, the original copy presented to the king. Maister Benoit, or Benedict, a rhymer in French, was also patronised by this monarch: at whose command he compiled a metrical Chronicle of the DUKES OF NORMANDY: in which are cited Isidore Hispalensis, Pliny, and saint Austin. MSS. Harl. 1717.1. on vellum. See fol. 85. 163.192. 236. This old

French poem is full of fabulous and romantic matter; and seems to be partly translated from a Latin Chronicle, Dr MORIBUS ET ACTIS PRIMORUM NORMANNIE DUCUM, written about the year 1000, by Dudo, dean of S. Quintin's, and printed among Du Chesne's SCRIP TOR. NORMAN. p. 49. edit. 1619. Maister Benoit ends with our Henry the First. Dudo with the year 996.

4 With his douseperes, or twelve peers, among which he mentions Rowland and Oliver.

'These are the NINE WORTHIES: to whom Shakespeare alludes in Love's LAB. LOST. "Here is like to be a good presence of WORTHIES. He presents Hector of Troy; The swain, Pompey

temple, and pronounce an exhortation. Last follows an epilogue, in which the poet apologises for his hardiness in attempting to feign and devise this fable.

The reader readily perceives, that this poetical apologue is intended to shadow the education of a complete gentleman; or rather, to point out those accomplishments which constitute the character of true gallantry, and most justly deserve the reward of beauty. It is not pretended, that the personifications display that force of colouring, and distinctness of delineation, which animate the ideal portraits of John of Meun. But we must acknowledge, that Hawes has shewn no inconsiderable share of imagination, if not in inventing romantic action, at least in applying and enriching the general incidents of the Gothic fable. In the creation of allegoric imagery he has exceeded Lydgate. That he is greatly superior to many of his immediate predecessors and cotemporaries, in harmonious versification, and clear expression, will appear from the following

stanza.

Besydes this gyaunt, upon every tree

I did see hanging many a goodly shielde
Of noble knygtes, that were of hie degree,
Whiche he had slayne and murdred in the fielde:
From farre this gyaunt I ryght well behelde;
And towarde hym as I rode on my way,

On his first heade I sawe a banner gay."

To this poem a dedication of eight octave stanzas is prefixed,

the Great: The parish-curate, Alexander: Armado's page, Hercules: The pedant, Judas Macchabeus," &c. Acrv. Sc. i. Elias Cairels, a troubadour of Perigord, about the year 1240, wishes for the wisdom of Solomon, the courtesy of Roland, the puissance of Alexander, the strength of Samson, the friendly attachment of sir Tristram, the chevalerie of sir Gawaine, and the learning of Merlin. Though not immediately connected with the present purpose, I cannot resist the temptation of transcribing the re

mainder of our troubadour's idea of complete happiness in this world. His ambition can be gratified by nothing less than by possessing "Une si parfaite loyauté, que nul chevalier et nul jongleur n' aient rien à reprendre en lui; une maitresse jeune, jolie, et decente; mille cavaliers bien en ordre pour le suivre par tout," &c. Millot, HIST. LITT. des TROUBAD. tom. i. p. 388. [See supr. vol. ii. p. 250.

Ch. xxxv.

addressed to king Henry the Seventh: in which our author professes to follow the manner of his maister Lydgate.

To folowe the trace and all the perfytness
Of my maister Lydgate, with due exercise,
Such fayned tales I do fyndet and devyse:
For under coloure a truthe may aryse,
As was the guyse, in old antiquitie,
Of the poetes olde a tale to surmyse,

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In the course of the poem he complains, that since Lydgate, the most dulcet sprynge of famous rhetoryke, that species of poetry which deals in fiction and allegoric fable, had been entirely lost. and neglected. He allows, that some of Lydgate's successors had been skilful versifiers in the balade royall or octavé stanza, which Lydgate carried to such perfection: but adds this remarkable restriction,

They fayne no fables pleasaunt and covert:—
Makyng balades of fervent amytie,

As gestes and tryfles."

These lines, in a small compass, display the general state of poetry which now prevailed.

Coeval with Hawes was William Walter, a retainer to sir Henry Marney, chancellous of the duchy of Lancaster: an unknown and obscure writer whom I should not have named, but that he versified, in the octave stanza, Boccacio's story, so beautifully paraphrased by Dryden, of Sigismonda and Guiscard. This poem, I think, was printed by Wynkyn de Worde [1532], and afterwards reprinted in the year 1597, under the title of THE STATELY TRAGEDY of GUISCARD and SIGISMOND*.

t invent.

" Ch. xiv. So Barklay, in the SHIP OF FOOLES, finished in 1508, fol. 18. a. edit. 1570. He is speaking of the profane and improper conversation of priests in the choir.

And all of fables and jestes of Robin
Hood,
Or other trifles.

* Viz. "Certaine worthye manuscript poems of great antiquitie, reserved long in the studie of a Northfolke gentleman, now first published by J. S. Lond. R.D. 1597." 12mo. In this edition, beside the story of SIGISMUNDA, mentioned in the text, there is "The Northern Mother's Blessing, written nine yeares before the death of G. Chaucer. And

It is in two books. He also wrote a dialogue in verse, called the Spectacle of Lovers, and the History of Titus and Gesippus, a translation from a Latin romance concerning the siege of Jerusalem *.

About the year 1490, Henry Medwall, chaplain to Morton archbishop of Canterbury, composed an interlude, called NATURE, which was afterwards translated into Latin. It is not improbable, that it was played before the archbishop. It was the business of chaplains in great houses to compose interludes for the family. This piece was printed by Rastel, in 1538, and entitled, "NATURE, a goodly interlude of nature, compylyd by mayster Henry Medwall, chaplayn to the right reverent father in God, Johan Morton, sometyme cardynall, and archebyshop of Canterbury."

In the year 1497, Laurence Wade, a Benedictine monk of Canterbury, translated, into English rhymes, THe Life of THOMAS A BECKETT, written about the year 1180, in Latin*, by Herbert Bosham. The manuscript, which will not bear a citation, is preserved in Benet college in Cambridge. The original had been translated into French verse by Peter Langtoft d Bosham was Becket's secretary, and present at his martyrdom.

"The Way to Thrift." This collection is dedicated to the worthiest Poet MAISTER EDMOND SPENSER.

Begins the PROLOGUE, "Forasmuche as ydelness is rote of all vices." This and the following piece are also printed in quarto, by Wynkyn de Worde. [He likewise compiled " A lytell contravers dialogue bytwene love and counsell, with many goodly argumentes of good women and bad, very compendyous to all estates."-RITSON.]

[This opinion Warton afterwards

rejected. Vid. infra, Sect. xxxIII.EDIT.]

z Professed in the year 1467. CATAL. Mon. Cant. inter MSS. C. C. C. C. N. 7.

VITA ET RES GESTA THOME EPISCOPI CANTUARIENSIS, published in the QUADRILOGUS, Paris. 1495. 4to.

See supr. vol. i. p. 89.

MSS. Coll. C. C. Cant. cccxcvii. 1. Beginn. Prol. "O ye vertuous soverayns spirituall and temporall.'

Pits, p. 890. APPEND,

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