racterised, "One that has read Marcus Aurelius, GESTA Ro"MANORUM, the Mirrour of Magiftrates, &c.-to be led by "the nose like a blind beare that has read nothing!" The critics and collectors in black-letter, I believe, could produce many other proofs. The GESTA ROMANORUM were first printed without date, but as it is fuppofed before or about the year 1473, in folio, with this title, Incipiunt HISTORIE NOTABILES collecte ex GESTIS ROMANORUM et quibufdam aliis libris cum applicationibus eorundem". This edition has one hundred and fifty-two chapters, or GESTS, and one hundred and feventeen leaves. It is in the Gothic letter, and in two columns. The first chapter is of king Pompey, and the last of prince, or king, Cleonicus. The initials are written in red and blue ink. This edition, slightly mutilated, is among bishop Tanner's printed books in the Bodleian library. The reverend and learned doctor Farmer, master of Emanuel college in Cambridge, has the fecond edition, as it feems, printed at Louvain, in quarto, the fame or the subsequent year, by John de Westfalia, under the title, Ex GESTIS ROMANORUM HISTORIE NOTABILES de viciis virtutibufque tractantes cum applicationibus moralifatis et myfticis. And with this colophon, GESTA ROMANORUM cum quibufdam aliis HisTORIIS eifdem annexis àd MORALITATES dilucide redacta hic finem habent. Qua, diligenter correctis aliorum viciis, impreffit Joannes de Weftfalia in alma Vniverfitate Louvanienfi. It has one hundred and eighty-one chapters *. That is, twenty-nine more than are contained in the former edition: the firft of the additional chapters being the ftory of Antiochus, or the substance of the romance of APOLLONIUS of TYRE. The initials are in A& iii. pag. 39. h Much the fame title occurs to a ma nufcript of this work in the Vatican, "Hiftoriæ Notabiles collectæ ex Gestis "Romanorum et quibufdam aliis libris "cum explicationibus eorundem." Mont fauc. Bibl. MANUSCR. tom. i. pag. 17. Num. 172. i Without initials, paging, fignatures, or catch-words. * The first is of king Pompey, as before. The laft is entitled De ADULTERIO. ferted ferted in red ink'. Another followed foon afterwards, in quarto, EX GESTIS ROMANORUM Hiftorie notabiles moralizatæ, per Girardum Lieu, GOUDE, 1480. The next edition, with the use of which I have been politely favoured by George Mafon efquire, of Aldenham-Lodge in Hertfordshire, was printed in folio, and in the year 1488, with this title, GESTA RHOMANORUM cum Applicationibus moralifatis et mifticis. The colophon is, Ex GESTIS ROMANORUM cum pluribus applicatis Hiftoriis de virtutibus et viciis myftice ad intellectum transfumptis Recollectorii finis. Anno nre falutis MCCCCLXXX viij kalendas vero februarii xviij. A general, and alphabetical, table, are fubjoined. The book, which is printed in two columns, and in the Gothic character, abounding with abbreviations, contains ninety-three leaves. The initials are written or flourished in red and blue, and all the capitals in the body of the text are miniated with a pen. There were many other later editions I must add, that the GESTA ROMANORUM were tranflated into Dutch, fo early as the year 1484. There is an old French verfion in the British Museum. This work is compiled from the obfolete Latin chronicles of the later Roman or rather German story, heightened by romantic inventions, from Legends of the Saints, oriental apologues, and many of the fhorter fictitious narratives which came into Europe with the Arabian literature, and were familiar in the ages of ignorance and imagination. The claffics are fometimes cited for authorities; but these are of the lower order, fuch as Valerius Maximus, Macrobius, Aulus Gallius, Seneca, Pliny, and Boethius. To every tale a MORALISATION is fubjoined, reducing it into a christian or moral leffon. Most of the oriental apologues are taken from the CLERICALIS DISCIPLINA, or a latin Dialogue between an Arabian Philo It has fignatures to K k. For which fee fupr. vol. ii. p. 15. fopher sopher and Edric his fon, never printed, written by Peter Alphonfus, a baptized Jew, at the beginning of the twelfth century, and collected from Arabian fables, apothegms, and examples. Some are alfo borrowed from an old Latin translation of the CALILAH U DAMNAH, a celebrated fett of eastern fables, to which Alphonfus was indebted. On the whole, this is the collection in which a curious enquirer might expect to find the original of Chaucer's Cambufcan: Or, if aught else great bards befide Where more is meant than meets the ear. Our author frequently cites GESTA ROMANORUM, the title of his own work. By which I understand no particular book of that name, but the Roman History in general. Thus in the title of the SAINT ALBANS CHRONICLE, printed by Caxton, Titus Livyus de GESTIS ROMANORUM is recited. In the year 1544, Lucius Florus was printed at Paris under the fame title. In the British Museum we find "LES FAIS DE "ROMAINS jufques a la fin de l'empire Domician, selon "Orofe, Justin, Lucan, &c." A plain historical deduction '. The ROMULEON, an old manuscript history of Rome from the foundation of the city to Conftantine the Great, is also called de GESTIS ROMANORUM. This manuscript occurs both in Latin and French and a French copy, among the royal ma EDRIC was the name of ENOCH among the Arabians, to whom they attribute many fabulous compofitions. Herbelot, in V. Lydgate's CHORLE and THE BIRD, mentioned above, is taken from the CLERICALIS DISCIPLINA of Alphonfus. • MSS. HARL. 3861. And in many other libraries. It occurs in old French verfe, MSS. DIGB. 86. membran. "Le "Romaunz de Peres Aunfour coment il aprift 9 Milton's IL PENSEROSO. Apud Vafcofan. 4to. s MSS. REG. 20 C i. nufcripts, nuscripts, has the title, "ROMULEON, ou des FAIS DE RO"MAINS" Among the manufcript books written by Lapus de Caftellione, a Florentine civilian, who flourished about the year 1350, there is one, De Origine URBIS ROMA et de GESTIS ROMANORUM ". Gower, in the CONFESSIO AMANTIS, often introduces Roman ftories with the Latin preamble, Hic fecundum GESTA. Where he certainly means the Roman History, which by degrees had acquired fimply the appellation of GESTA. Herman Korner, in his CHRONICA NOVELLA, written about the year 1438, refers for his vouchers to Bede, Orofius, Valerius Maximus, Jofephus, Eufebius, and the Chronicon et GESTA ROMANORUM. Moft probably, to fay no more, by the CHRONICON he means the later writers of the Roman affairs, fuch as Ifidore and the monkish compilers; and by GESTA the antient Roman history, as related by Livy and the more established Latin hiftorians. Neither is it poffible that this work could have been brought as a proof or authority, by any serious annalift, for the Roman ftory. For though it bears the title of GESTA ROMANORUM, yet this title by no means properly corresponds with the contents of the collection: which, as has been already hinted, comprehends a multitude of narratives, either not historical; or, in another refpect, fuch as are either totally unconnected with the Roman people, or perhaps the most prepofterous mifrepresentations of their history. To cover this deviation from the promised plan, which, by introducing a more ample variety of matter, has contributed to encrease the reader's entertainment, our collector has taken care to preface almost every story with the name or reign of a Roman emperor; who, at the fame time, is often a monarch that never existed, and who seldom, whether real or fuppofitious, has any concern with the circumstances of the narrative. t MS. 19 E. v. "See fupr. vol. ii. p. 19. But But I haften to exhibit a compendious analyfis of the chapters which form this very fingular compilation: intermixing occafional illustrations arifing from the fubject, and shortening or lengthening my abridgement of the stories, in proportion as I judge they are likely to interest the reader. Where, for that reason, I have been very concife, I have yet faid enough to direct the critical antiquarian to this collection, in case he should find a fimilar tale occurring in any of our old poets. I have omitted the mention of a very few chapters, which were beneath notice. Sometimes, where common authors are quoted, I have only mentioned the author's name, without fpecifying the fubftance of the quotation. For it was neceffary that the reader should be made acquainted with our collector's track of reading, and the books which he used. In the mean time, this review will ferve as a full notification of the edition of 1488, which is more comprehenfive and complete than fome others of later publication, and to which all the rest, as to a general criterion, may be now comparatively referred. CHAP. i. Of a daughter of king Pompey, whose chamber was guarded by five armed knights and a dog. Being permitted to be present at a public fhew, fhe is feduced by a duke, who is afterwards killed by the champion of her father's court. She is reconciled to her father, and betrothed to a nobleman: on which occafion, fhe receives from her father an embroidered robe and a crown of gold, from the champion a gold ring, another from the wife man who pacified the king's anger, another from the king's fon, another from her coufin, and from her fpoufe a feal of gold. All these presents are infcribed with proverbial fentences, fuitable to the circumftances of the princess. The latter part of this story is evidently oriental. The feudal manners, in a book which profeffes to record the achievements of the Roman people, are remarkable in the introductory circumstances. But of this mixture we shall see many striking inftances. CHAP. ii. Of a youth taken captive by pirates. The king's daughter |