For thar was a ful fayre cuntre, z There are three old poems on the exploits of Gawain, one of the heroes of this romance. There is a fourth in the Scotch dialect, by Clerke of Tranent, an old Scotch poet. See LAMENT FOR THE DEATH OF THE MAKKARIS, ft. xvii. Clerke of Tranent eke has [death] tane ANC. SCOTT. P. 1576. The two heroes of this romance, YWAIN and GAWAIN, are mentioned jointly in a very old French verfion of the British or Armorican LAY OF LAUNVAL, of which there is a beautiful vellum manufcript. MSS. Cott. VESPAS. B. xiv. 1. [fupr. modo citat.] Enfemble od eus GAWAYNS, E fis cofins li beus YWAYNS. This LAY, or SONG, like the romance in Cum de avint uns cunteray, En la terre de Logresa le trououent, A la Pentecufte en eftè, E al cuntes, e al baruns, A uns de la Table Runde, &c. That is, "HERE BEGINS THE LAY OF "LAUNVAL -The Adventure of a cer"tain LAY, which has been related of "old, made of a gentle vaffal, whom in "Bretaigne they called LAUNVAL. The "brave and courteous king Arthur fojourned at Kardoyl, for making war against the Scots and Picts, who deftroyed "the country. He found them in the "land of Logres, where they committed frequent outrages. The king was there at the feaft of Pentecoft, where he gave "rich gifts to the counts and barons, and "the knights of the round table, &c." The writing of this manufcript of LAUNVAL feems about 1300. The compofition is undoubtedly much earlier. There is another, MSS. HARL. 978. §. 112. This I have cited in the FIRST DISSERTATION. From this French LAUNVAL is tranflated, but with great additions, the English LAUNFALL, of which I have given several extracts in the DISSERTATION prefixed to this Volume, p. lxxv. &c. [S.e alfo fupr. Vol. ii. EMEND. ADD. ad Pag. 103.] I prefume this romance of YwAYN and GAWAYNE is tranflated from a French one of the fame title, and in the reign of Henry the fixth; but not by Thomas Cheftre, who tranflated, or rather paraphrafed, LAUNVAL, or Sir LAUNFALL, and who feems to have been mafter of a more copious and poetic ftyle. It is not however unlikely, that Cheile tranflated from a more modern French copy of LAUNVAL, heightened and improve i from the old fimple American tale, of which I have here produced a short extract. [Sce fupr. Vol. ii. p. 102.] The fame perhaps may editor Hearne obferves, that king James the first used to call a Countess a cuntys. And he quotes one of James's letters, "Come and bring the three Cuntys [for coun "tefjes] with you," GLoss. p. 635. be be faid of the English metrical romance EMARE, who marries the king of Galys, or Wales, originally an Armor can tale, before quoted. MSS. Cott, CALIG. A. 2. fol. 69. [See fupr. Diss. p. lxxviii.] The laft ftanza confirms what has been advanced in the FIRST DISSERTATION, concerning the connection between Cornwall and Bretagne, or Armorica. fol. ult. A grette fefte thar was holde As teftymonieth thys ftory: Men callys playn the GARYE I believe the last line means, "Made for "an entertainment,"-" Which men call "playing the GARYE." The reader may perhaps recollect, that the old Cornish Mi. racle interlude was called the Guary Mirakil, that is, the Miracle Play [See fupr. Vol. i. p. 237.] In Cornish, Plán an guare is the level place, the plain of sport and paftime, the theatre of games, &c. Guare is a Cornish verb, to sport, to play. In affinity with which, is probably Garish, gay, fplendid. Milton, IL PENS. v. 141. Day's garish eye. Shakespeare, ROM. JUL. iii. 4. The garish fun. KING RICHARD THE THIRD. A garish flag. Compare Lye, Sax. Di&t. V. geappan. To dress fine. Who was the translator of EMARE, it is not known. I prefume it was tranflated in the reign of Henry the fixth, and very probably by Thomas Cheftre, the tranflator of LAUNVAL. SECT. SECT. XXVI. I FEAR I shall be pronounced a heretic to modern criticism, in retracting what I have faid in a preceding page, and in placing the NOT BROWNE MAYDE under fome part of this reign. Prior, who, about the year 1718, paraphrased this poem, without improving its native beauties, fuppofes it to have been three hundred years old. It appears from two letters preferved in the British Museum, written by Prior to Wanley, lord Oxford's librarian, that Prior confulted Wanley about this antient ballad. It is, however, certain, that Wanley, an antiquarian of unqueftionable skill and judgement in thefe niceties, whatever directions and information he might have imparted to Prior on this fubject, could never have communicated fuch a decifion. He certainly in these letters gives no fuch opinion. This is therefore the hafty conjecture of Prior; who thought that the curiofity which he was presenting to the world, would derive proportionable value from its antiquity, who was better employed than in the petty labour of afcertaining dates, and who knew much more of modern than antient poetry. The NOT-BROWNE MAYDE first appeared in Arnolde's CHRONICLE, OF CUSTOMS OF LONDON, which was first printed about the year 1521. This is perhaps the most heterogeneous and multifarious mifcellany that ever exifted. The collector fets out with a catalogue of the mayors and fheriffs, the customs and charters, of the city of London. Soon afterwards we have a MSS. HARL. 3777. Thefe letters are printed in the ADVOL. III. S DITIONS TO POPE'S WORKS, in two volumes, published about two years ago. receipts receipts to pickle turgeon, to make vinegar, ink, and gunpowder; how to raise parsley in an hour; the arts of brewery and foap-making; an estimate of the livings in London; an account of the laft vifitation of faint Magnus's church; the weight of Effex cheese, and a letter to cardinal Wolfey. The NOT-BROWNE MAYDE is introduced, between an eftimate of fome fubfidies paid into the exchequer, and directions for buying goods in Flanders. In a word, it seems to have been this compiler's plan, by way of making up a volume, to print together all the notices and papers, whether antient or modern, which he could amafs, of every fort and fubject. It is fuppofed, that: he intended an antiquarian repertory: but as many recent materials were admitted, that idea was not at least uniformly ob-. ferved; nor can any argument be drawn from that fuppofition, that this poem exifted long before, and was inferted as a piece of antiquity. The editor of the PROLUSIONS infers, from an identity of rhythmus and orthography, and an affinity of words and phrases, that this poem appeared after fir Thomas More's JEST OF THE SERJEANT AND FREER, which, as I have obferved, was write ten about the year 1500. This reasoning, were not other argu ments obvious, would be inconclufive, and might be turned to the oppofite fide of the question. But it is evident from the language of the NOT BROWNE MAYDE, that it was not written earlier than the beginning, at least, of the fixteenth century. There is hardly an obfolete word, or that requires a gloffary, in the whole piece and many parts of Surry and Wyat are much more difficult to be understood. Reduce any two ftanzas to modern orthography, and they fhall hardly wear the appearance. of antient poetry. The reader fhall try the experiment on the two following, which occur accidentally ". PROLUSIONS, or felett pieces of antient V. 168. HE. HÈ.' Yet take good hede, for ever I drede The fnowe, the froft, the raynė, And us abofe none other rofe But a brake bush, or twayne. Which fone fholde greve you, I believe; SHE. Among the wylde dere, fuch an archère, And water clere of the ryvère Shall be full fwete to me; With which in hele, I shall ryght wele And, or we go, a bedde or two I can provyde anone. For, in my mynde, of all mankynde I love but you alone. The fimplicity of which paffage Prior has thus decorated and dilated. HENRY. Those limbs, in lawn and fofteft filk array'd, From fun-beams guarded, and of winds afraid; |