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Emelie, that fayrer was to sene

Than is the lilie upon his stalke grene;

And fresher than the May with floures newe,

W

(For with the rose colour strof hire hewe). w

In other parts of his works he has painted morning scenes con amore: and his imagination seems to have been peculiarly struck with the charms of a rural prospect at sun-rising.

We are surprised to find, in a poet of such antiquity, numbers so nervous and flowing: a circumstance which greatly contributed to render Dryden's paraphrase of this poem the most animated and harmonious piece of versification in the English language. I cannot leave the KNIGHT'S TALE without remarking, that the inventor of this poem appears to have possessed considerable talents for the artificial construction of a story. It exhibits unexpected and striking turns of fortune; and abounds in those incidents which are calculated to strike the fancy by opening resources to sublime description, or interest the heart by pathetic situations. On this account, even without considering the poetical and exterior ornaments of the piece, we are hardly disgusted with the mixture of manners, the confusion of times, and the like violations of propriety, which this poem, in common with all others of its age, presents in almost every page. The action is supposed to have happened soon after the marriage of Theseus with Hippolita, and the death of Creon in the siege of Thebes: but we are soon transported into more recent periods. Sunday, the celebration of matins, judicial astrology, heraldry, tilts and tournaments, knights of England, and targets of Prussia*, occur in the city of Athens under the reign of Theseus.

W v. 1037.

* The knights of the Teutonic order were settled in Prussia, before 1300.

See also Ch. Prol. v. 53; where tournaments in Prussia are mentioned, Arcite quotes a fable from Æsop, v. 1179.

SECTION XIII.

CHAUCER'S ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE is translated from a French poem entitled LE ROMAN DE LA ROSE. It was begun by William of Lorris, a student in jurisprudence, who died about the year 1260. Being left unfinished, it was completed by John of Meun, a native of a little town of that name, situated on the river Loire near Orleans, who seems to have flourished about the year 1310. This poem is esteemed by the French the most valuable piece of their old poetry. It is far beyond the rude efforts of all their preceding romancers: and they have nothing equal to it before the reign of Francis the First, who died in the year 1547. But there is a considerable difference in the merit of the two authors. William of Lorris, who wrote not one quarter of the poem, is remarkable for his elegance and luxuriance of description, and is a beautiful painter of allegorical personages. John of Meun is a writer of another He possesses but little of his predecessor's inventive and poetical vein; and in that respect was not properly qualified to finish a poem begun by William of Lorris. But he has strong satire, and great liveliness. He was one of the wits of the court of Charles le Bel.

cast.

The difficulties and dangers of a lover, in pursuing and obtaining the object of his desires, are the literal argument of this poem. This design is couched under the allegory of a Rose, which our lover after frequent obstacles gathers in a delicious garden. He traverses vast ditches, scales lofty walls, and forces the gates of adamantine and almost impregnable castles. These

a

Fauchet, p. 198.

b Id. ibid. p. 200. He also translated Boethius De Consolatione, and Abelard's Letters, and wrote Answers of the Sybills, &c.

The poem consists of 22734 verses. William of Lorris's part ends with v. 4149. viz.

"A peu que je ne m'en desespoir."

enchanted fortresses are all inhabited by various divinities; some of which assist, and some oppose, the lover's progress d.

Chaucer has luckily translated all that was written by William of Lorris: he gives only part of the continuation of John of Meun. How far he has improved on the French original, the reader shall judge. I will exhibit passages selected from

& In the preface of the edition printed in the year 1538, all this allegory is turned to religion. The Rose is proved to be a state of grace, or divine wisdom, or eternal beatitude, or the Holy Virgin to which heretics cannot gain access. It is the white Rose of Jericho, Quasi plantatio Rosa in Jericho, &c. &c. The chemists, in the mean time, made it a search for the Philosopher's Stone: and other professions, with laboured commentaries, explained it into their own respective sciences.

See Occleve's Letter of Cupide, written 1402. Urry's Chaucer, p. 536. v. 283. Who calls John of Moon the author of the Romaunt of the Rose.

f Chaucer's poem consists of 7699 verses and ends with this verse of the original, viz. v. 13105.

:

"Vous aurez absolution." But Chaucer has made several omissions in John of Meun's part, before he comes to this period. He has translated all William of Lorris's part, as I have observed; and his translation of that part ends with v. 4432. viz.

"Than shuldin I fallin in wanhope." Chaucer's cotemporaries called his Romant of the Rose, a translation. Lydgate says that Chaucer

-Notably did his businesse By grete avyse his wittes to dispose, To translate the ROMANS OF THE ROSE. Prol. Boch. st. vi. It is manifest that Chaucer took no pains to disguise his translation. He literally follows the French, in saying, that a river was "lesse than Saine." i. e. the Seine at Paris. v. 118. "No wight in all Paris." v. 7157. A grove has more birds "than ben in all the relme of Fraunce, v. 495. He calls a pine, "A tree in France men call

a pine." v. 1457. He says of roses, "so faire werin never in Rone." v. 1674. "That for Paris ne for Pavie." v. 1654. He has sometimes reference to French ideas, or words, not in the original. As "Men clepin hem Sereins in France." v. 684. "From Jerusalem to Burgoine.' v. 554. "Grein de Paris." v. 1369. Where Skinner says, Paris is contracted for Paradise. In mentioning minstrells and juglers, he says, that some of them "Songin songes of Loraine." v. 776. He adds,

For in Loraine there notis be Full swetir than in this contre. There is not a syllable of these songs, and singers, of Loraine, in the French. By the way, I suspect that Chaucer translated this poem while he was at Paris. There are also many allusions to English affairs, which I suspected to be Chaucer's; but they are all in the French original. Such as, "Hornpipis of Cornevaile." v. 4250. These are called in the original, "Chalemeaux de Cornouaille.' v. 3991. A knight is introduced, allied to king "Arthour of Bretaigne." v. 1199. Who is called, "Bon roy Artus de Bretaigne." Orig. v. 1187. Sir Gawin, and Sir Kay, two of Arthur's knights, are characterised, v. 2206. seq. See Orig. v. 2124. Where the word Keulr is corrupt for Keie. But there is one passage, in which he mentions a Bachelere as fair as "The Lordis sonne of Windisore." v. 1250. This is added by Chaucer, and intended as a compliment to some of his patrons. In the Legende of good Women, Cupid says to Chaucer, v. 329.

For in plain text, withoutin nede of glose, Thou hast translatid the Romaunt of the

Rose.

both poems: respectively placing the French under the English, for the convenience of comparison. The renovation of nature in the month of May is thus described.

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That it was May, thus dremed me,
In time of love and jollite,
That all thing ginnith waxin gay,
For ther is neither buske nor hay h
In May that it n'ill shroudid bene,
And it with newe levis wrenei:
These wooddis eke recoverin grene,
That drie in winter ben to sene;

And the erth waxith proude withall

For sote dewis that on it fall,

And the povir estate forgette

In whiche that winter had it sette:

And than becometh the grounde so proude,
That it will have a newè shroud;

And make so quaynt his robe and fayre,
That it had hewes an hundred payre,
Of grasse and flowris Inde and Pers:
And many hewis ful divers

That is the robe I mene iwis,

Through which the ground to praisin is,
The birdis, that han lefte thir songe
While they han suffrid cold ful stronge,

Б Qu'on joli moys de May songeoye,
Ou temps amoreux plein de joye,
Que toute chose si s'esgaye,
Si qu'il n'y a buissons ne haye
Qui en May parer ne se vueille,
Et couvrir de nouvelle fueille :
Les boys recouvrent leur verdure,
Qui sont sces tant qui l'hiver dare;
La terre mesmes s'en orgouille
Pour la rougée qui ta mouille,
En oublian la povretè

Où elle a tout l'hiver estè;
Lors devient la terre si gobe,
Qu'elle veult avoir neusve robe;
Si sçet si cointe robe faire,
Que de couleurs y a cent paire,

D'herbes, de fleures Indes et Perses:
Et de maintes couleurs diverses,
Est la robe que je devise
Parquoy la terre mieulx se prise.
Les oiscaulx qui tant se sont teuz
Pour l'hiver qu'ils ont tous sentuz,
Et pour le froit et divers temps,
Sont en May, et par la printemps,
Si liez, &c. v. 51.

h bush, or hedge-row. Sometimes Wood. Rot. Pip. an. 17. Henr. III. "Et Heremitæ sancti Edwardi in haga de Birchenwude, xl. sol.”

i hide. From wrie, or wrey, to cover.

In wethers grille and darke to sight,

Ben in May, for the sunnè bright

So glad, &c.1

In the description of a grove, within the garden of Mirth, are many natural and picturesque circumstances, which are not yet got into the storehouse of modern poetry.

These trees were sett as I devise",

One from another in a toise,
Five fadom or sixe, I trowe so,
But they were hie and gret also;
And for to kepe out wel the sunne,
The croppis were so thik yrunne",
And everie branch in othir knitte
And ful of grene levis sitte°,

That sunne might ther none discende
Lest the tendir grassis shendeP.
Ther might men does and roes ise,
And of squirels ful grete plente,
From bow to bow alwaie lepinge;
Connis' ther were also playing.
That comin out of ther clapers',
Of sondrie colors and maners;
And madin many a turneying
Upon the freshe
grasse springing."

Near this grove were shaded fountains without frogs, run

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