was transferred into the TAMING OF THE SHREW. I doubt not however, that there was an Italian novel on the subject. From this play also the ridiculous name and character of Doctor Dodipoll feems to have got into our old drama'. But to return. In Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Beatrice suspects she shall be told she had "her good wit out of the "HUNDRED MERRY TALES'." A tranflation of LES CENT NOUVELLES NOUVELLES, printed at Paris before the year 1'500, and faid to have been written by fome of the royal family of France, but a compilation from the Italians, was licenced to be printed by John Waly, in 1557, under the title of " A Hun"dreth mery tayles," together with The freere and the boye, ftans puer ad menfam, and youthe, charite, and humylite'. It was frequently reprinted, is mentioned as popular in Fletcher's NICE VALOUR; and in the LONDON CHAUNTICLERES, fo late as 1659, is cried for fale by a ballad-vender, with the SEVEN WISE MEN OF GOTHAM, and Scogan's JESTS". In 1587, George Turberville the poet, already mentioned as the tranflator of Ovid's EPISTLES, publifhed a set of tragical tales in prose, selected from various Italian novelists. He was a skilful master of the modern languages, and went into Ruffia in the quality of fecretary to Thomas Randolph efquire, envoy to the emperor of Ruffia. This collection, which is dedicated to his brother Nicholas, is entitled, "TRAGICAL TALES, tranfla "and his companie, with Kemp's MERYMENTES OF THE MEN OF GOTHEHAM." REGISTR. STATION. B. fol. 304. a. Under a licence to T. Colwell, in 1565, "The geyftes of Skoggon gather"ed together in this volume." REGISTR. STATION. A. fol. 134. a. It may be doubted whether the trea tife on Hunting reprinted with his Fal conrie, in 1611, and called a tranflation, with verfes by Gafcoigne, is to be ascribed to him. One or both came out first in 1575. The Dedication and Epilogue to the Falconrie, are figned by Turberville. 302 "ted "ted by Turberville in time of his troubles, out of sundrie "Italians, with the argument and lenvoy to each tale ".' Among Mr. Oldys's books, was the "Life of Sir Meliado a "Brittish knight"," tranflated from the Italian, in 1572. By the way, we are not here to suppose that BRITTISH means Englifh. A BRITTISH knight means a knight of Bretagne or Britanny, in France. This is a common mistake, arifing from an equivocation which has converted many a French knight into an Englishman. The learned Nicholas Antonio, in his SPANISH LIBRARY, affords a remarkable example of this confufion, and a proof of its frequency, where he is fpeaking of the Spanish translation of the romance of TIRANTE THE WHITE, in 1480. "Ad fabularum artificem ftylum convertimus, Joannem Mar"torell Valentiæ regni civem, cujus eft liber hujus commatis, "TIRANT LE BLANCH infcriptus, atque anno 1480, ut aiunt, "Valentiæ in folio editus. MORE HIC ALIORUM TALIUM "OTIOSORUM CONSUETO, fingit fe hunc librum ex ANGLICA "in Lufitanam, deinde Lufitana in Valentinam linguam, anno, 1460, tranftuliffe, &c." That is, "I now turn to a writer "of fabulous adventures, John Martorell of the kingdom of Valencia, who wrote a book of this caft, entitled TIRANTE "THE WHITE, printed in folio at Valencia in 1480. This "writer, according to a practice common to fuch idle histo rians, pretends he tranflated this book from English into. Portugueze, and from thence into the Valencian language." The hero is a gentleman of Bretagne, and the book was first written in the language of that country. I take this opportunity of obferving, that these mistakes of England for Britanny, tend to confirm my hypothefis, that Bretagne, or Armorica, was antiently a copious fource of romance: an hypothefis, which I have the happiness to find was the opinion of the most learned ▾ Lond. for Abel Jeffes, 1587. 12mo. 2 Meliadus del Efpinoy, and Meliadus le noir Oeil, are the thirty-feventh and thirty-eighth knights of the ROUND TABLE, in R. Robinfon's AVNCIENT ORDER, &c. Lond. 1583. 4to. Bl. Lett. Chiefly a French tranflation. BIBL. HISPAN. L. x. c. ix. p. 193. num. 490. and and ingenious M. La Croze, as I am but just now informed from an entertaining little work, Hiftoire de la vie et des ouvrages de Monfieur La Croze, printed by M. Jordan at Amsterdam, in 17416. La Croze's words, which he dictated to a friend, are these. "Tous les ROMANS DE CHEVALERIE doivent leur "origin á la BRETAGNE, et au pays de Galles [Wales] dont "notre Bretagne eft fortie. Le Roman D'AMADIS DE GAULE 66 commençe par un Garinter roi de la PETITE BRETAGNE, de "la Poquenna Bretonne, et ce roi fut ayeul maternel d'Amadis. Je ne dis rien ici de LANCELOT DU LAC, et de plusieurs au"tres qui font tous BRETONS. Je n'en excepte point le Roman "de PERCEFOREST, dont j'ai vu un tres-beau manuscrit en “velin dans la bibliotheque du roi de France.—Il y a un fort "belle Preface fur l'origine de notre BRETAGNE ARMORIQUE. Si ma fanté le comportoit, je m'étendrois davantage et je pourrois fournir un Supplement affez amufant au Traité du "docte M. Huet fur L'ORIGINE DES ROMANS "." 66 I know not from what Italian fabler the little romance called the BANISHMENT OF CUPID, was taken. It is faid to have been tranflated out of Italian into English by Thomas Hedly, in 1587'. I conceive alfo "The fearfull fantyfes of "the Florentyne Cowper," to be a tranflation from the Italian. Nor do I know with what propriety the romance of AURELIO AND ISABELLA, the scene of which is laid in Scotland, may be mentioned here. But it was printed in 1586, in one volume, in Italian, French, and English'. And again, in Italian, Spanish, French, and English, in 1588. I was informed by the late Mr. Collins of Chichester, that Shakespeare's TEMPEST, for which no origin is yet affigned, was formed on this favorite romance. But although this information has not proved true on examination, an ufeful conclufion may be drawn from it, that Shakespeare's story is somewhere to be found in an Italian novel, at least that the story preceded Shakefpeare. Mr. Collins had searched this fubject with no lefs fidelity, than judgment and industry: but his memory failing in his laft calamitous indifpofition, he probably gave me the name of one novel for another. I remember he added a circumftance, which may lead to a discovery, that the principal character of the romance, answering to Shakefpeare's Profpero, was a chemical necromancer, who had bound a spirit like Ariel to obey his call and perform his fervices. It was a common pretence of the dealers in the occult fciences to have a demon at command. At leaft Aurelio, or Orelio, was probably one of the names of this romance, the production and multiplication of gold being the grand object of alchemy. Taken at large, the magical part of the TEMPEST is founded in that fort of philofophy which was practised by John Dee and his associates, and has been called the Roficrufian. The name Ariel came from the Talmudistic myfteries with which the learned Jews had infected this science. To this head must also be referred, the Collections which appeared before 1600, of tales drawn indifcriminately from French and Spanish, as well as Italian authors, all perhaps originally of Italian growth, and recommended by the general love of fable and fiction which now prevailed. I will mention a few. In point of selection and fize, cellany of this kind is Fenton's The title is, "Certaine TRAGICALL DISCOURSES written oute of have "L'HISTOIRE D'AURELIO ET ISABELLA en Italien et Françoise," printed at Lyons by G. Rouille, in 1555. 16m0. Annexed is LA DEIPHIRE, by the author perhaps the most capital misbook of tragical novels. of the romance, as I apprehend, LeonBaptifta Alberti, in Italian and French. Licenced to Aggas, Nov. 20, 1588. REGISTR. B. fol. 237. a. "French 66 h French and Latin, by Geffraie Fenton, no leffe profitable "than pleasaunt, and of like neceffitye to al degrees that take pleasure in antiquityes or forraine reportes. Mon heur viendra. Imprinted at London in Flete-ftrete nere to fainct Dunstons "Churche by Thomas Marfhe. Anno Domini, 1567 ." This edition never was seen by Ames, nor was the book known to Tanner. The dedication is dated from his chamber at Paris, in 1567, to the Lady Mary Sydney, and contains many fenfible. reflections on this of reading. He fays, Neyther do I thynke. "that oure Englishe recordes are hable to yelde at this daye a "ROMANT more delicat and chafte, treatynge of the veraye "theame and effectes of loue, than theis HYSTORIES, of no "leffe credit than fufficient authoritie, by reason the moste of theym were within the compaffe of memorye, &c." Among the recommendatory poems prefixed', there is one by George Turberville, who lavishes much praise on Fenton's curious fyle, which could frame this passing-pleasant booke. He adds, 66 The learned ftories erfte, and fugred tales that laye Remoude from fimple common fence, this writer doth displaye: Of louynge ladyes haples haps, theyr deathes, and deadly cares, &c. Most of the stories are on Italian fubjects, and many from Bandello, who was foon tranflated into French. The laft tale, |