66 "that most excellent hiftorian Livy, unequalled for the dignity, brevity, and difficulty of his style, (whofe eloquence is so highly "extolled by faint Jerome, and whom I, however unworthy, "have tranflated from Latin into French with great labour', "at the request of John the most famous king of France,). "records fo many wonderful things of the prudence, fortitude, "fidelity, and friendship, of the Roman people; as alfo of "their quarrels, envy, pride, avarice, and other vices, which "are indeed allied to virtues, and are fuch, to fay the truth, "as I never remember to have heard of in any nation befides. "But because I do not mean to treat of hiftorical affairs in "the present work, the matter of which is entirely moral, I "refer the historical reader to Livy himself, to Trogus Pom66 peius, Juftin, Florus, and Orofius, who have all written hif"tories of Rome; as alfo to Innocent, who in his book on the Miferies of human nature", speaks largely of the vices of the "Romans "." In the mean time we must remember, that at this particular period, the Roman history had become the grand object of the public tafte in France. The king himfelf, as we have just seen, recommended a tranflation of Livy. French translations also of Salluft, Cefar, and Lucan, were now circulated. A Latin historical compilation called ROMULEON was now just published by a gentleman of France, which was foon afterwards tranflated into French. A collection of the GESTA ROMANORUM was therefore a popular fubject, at least it duced a popular title, and was dictated by the fashion of the times. 66 pro I have here mentioned all Berchorius's works, except his Comment on a Profody called Doctrinale metricum, which was used as a school-book in France, till Defpauterius's manual on that fubject appeared. Some biographers mention his TROPOLOGIA, his COSMOGRAPHIA, and his BREVIARIUM. But the TROPOLOGIA' is nothing more than his REDUCTORIUM ON the Bible; and probably the BREVIARIUM is the fame. The COSMOGRAPHIA feems to be the fourteenth book of his REPERTORIUM MORALE; which treats of the wonders of various countries, and is chiefly taken from Solinus and Gervafe of Tilbury. He is faid by the biographers to have written other fmaller pieces, which they have not named or described. Among these perhaps is comprehended the GESTA: which we may conceive to have been thus undistinguished, either as having been neglected or proscribed by graver writers, or rather as having been probably disclaimed by its author, who saw it at length in the light of a juvenile performance, abounding in fantastic and unedifying narrations, which he judged unsuitable to his character, studies, and station". Bafilius Johannes Heroldus, however, mentions Berchorius as the author of a CHRONICON, a word which may imply, though not with exact propriety, his GESTA ROMANORUM. It is in the Epiftle dedicatory of his edition of the Chronicles of Marianus Scotus, and Martinus Polonus, addreffed to our queen Elifabeth; in which he promises to publish many Latin CHRONICA, that is, thofe of Godfrey of Viterbo, Hugo Floriacenfis, Conrade Engelhus, Hermannus Edituus, Lanfranc, Ivo, Robert of Saint Victor, PETER BERCHORIUS, and of many others, qui de TEMPORIBUS fcripferunt, who have written of times. Paulus Langius, who wrote about the year 1400, in his enumeration of Berchorius's writings, fays nothing of this compilation ". Had other authentic evidences been wanting, we are sure of the age in which Berchorius flourished, from the circumstance of his being employed to translate Livy by John king of France, who acceded to the throne in the year 1350, and died in the year 1364. That Berchorius died, and probably an old man, in the year 1362, we learn from his epitaph in the monastery of faint Eloy at Paris, which is recited by Sweertius, and on other accounts deferves a place here. HIC JACET VENERABILIS MAGNÆ PRO FUNDÆQUE SCIENTIÆ, ADMIRABILIS ET SUBTILIS ELOQUENTIE, QUI FUIT ORIUNDUS DE VILLA S. PETRI f · IN EPISCOPATU MAILLIZANCENSI IN PICTAVIA. QUI TEMPORE SUO FECIT OPERĄ SUA DICTIONARIUM, REDUCTORIUM, MUNDI, TRANSLATIONEM CUJUSDAM Berchorius was conftituted grammatical preceptor to the novices of the Benedictine Congregation, or monaftery, at Clugni, in the year 1340'. At which time he drew up his Notes on the Profody, and his Commentary on Ovid, for the use of his scholars. About the fame time, and with a view of rendering their exercises in Latinity more agreeable and eafy by an entertaining Latin ftory-book, yet refoluble into leffons of religion, he probably compiled the GESTA: perpetually addreffing the application of every tale to his young audience, by the paternal and affectionate appellation of CARISSIMI ". There was therefore time enough for the GESTA to become a fashionable book of tales, before Boccace published his DECAMERON. The action of the DECAMERON being fuppofed in 1348, the year of the great peftilence, we may fafely conjecture, that Boccace did not begin his work till after that period. An exact and ingenious critic has proved, that it was not finished till the year 1358 ". I have just observed, that Berchorius probably compiled this work for the use of his grammatical pupils. Were there not many good reasons for that fuppofition, I fhould be induced to think, that it might have been intended as a book of ftories for the purpose of preachers. I have already given instances, that it was antiently fashionable for preachers to enforce the several moral duties by applying fables, or exemplary narratives: and, in the present cafe, the perpetual recurrence of the address of CARISSIMI might be brought in favour of this hypothefis. But I will here suggest an additional reafon. Soon after the age of verb is explained, vulgariter, in the German language. Fol. 69. a. col. 2. And in the hundred and forty-third chapter, a hunter has eight dogs who have German names. Fol. 67. a. col. 1. feq. 1 fufpect, nor is it improbable, that those German words were introduced by a Ger man editor or printer. Mr. Tyrwhitt fuppofes, that we may reasonably conjecture one of our countrymen to have been the compiler, because three couplets of English verfes and fome English names, Berchorius, a fimilar collection of stories, of the fame caft, was compiled, though not exactly in the fame form, profeffedly defigned for fermon writers, and by one who was himself an eminent preacher: for, rather before the year 1480, a Latin volume was printed in Germany, written by John Herolt a Dominican friar of Bafil, better known by the adopted and humble appellation of DISCIPULUS, and who flourished about the year 1418. It confifts of three parts. The first is entitled "Incipiunt Ser"mones pernotabiles DISCIPULI de Sanctis per anni circu"lum." That is, a fet of Sermons on the Saints of the whole year. The fecond part, and with which I am now chiefly concerned, is a PROMPTUARY, or ample repofitory, of examples for compofing fermons and in the Prologue to this part the author fays, that faint Dominic always abundabat exemplis in his difcourses, and that he conftantly practiced this popular mode of edification. This part contains a variety of little hiftories. Among others, are the following. Chaucer's Friar's tale. Ariftotle falling in love with a queen, who compels him to permit her to ride upon his back. The boy who was kept in a dark cave till he was twelve years of age; and who being carried abroad, and prefented with many ftriking objects, preferred a woman, to all he had feen P. A boy educated in a defert is brought into a city, where he fees a woman whom he is taught to call a fine bird, under the name of a goofe and on his return into the defert, defires his fpiritual father to kill him a goofe for his dinner. These two laft ftories Boccace has worked into one. The old woman and her little dog'. This, as we have seen, is in the GESTA ROMANORUM'. The fon who will not shoot at his father's dead body '. these as fpecimens of the collection. The third part contains • EXEMPL. lxvii. Sub litera, M. “ De "regina quæ equitavit Ariftotelem." He cites Jacobus de Vitriaco. [See fupr. p. xix.] EXEMPL, Xxiv. Sub Litera, L, I give |