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the like sort, were counsellors in the palace of OLD AGE, and employed in telling her day and night, that "DEATH stood armed at her gate," was far beyond the sentimental and satirical vein of John of Meun, and is conceived with great vigour of imagination.

Chaucer appears to have been early struck with this French poem. In his DREME, written long before he begun this translation, he supposes, that the chamber in which he slept was richly painted with the story of the ROMAUNT of the ROSE". It is natural to imagine, that such a poem must have been a favourite with Chaucer. No poet, before William of Lorris, either Italian or French, had delineated allegorical personages in so distinct and enlarged a style, and with such a fullness of characteristical attributes: nor had descriptive poetry selected such a variety of circumstances, and disclosed such an exuberance of embellishment, in forming agreeable representations of nature. On this account, we are surprised that Boileau should mention Villon as the first poet of France who drew form and order from the chaos of the old French

romancers.

Villon sçeut le PREMIER, dans ces siecles grossiers

Debrouiller l'ART CONFUS de nos vieux ROMANCIERS. q

But the poetry of William of Lorris was not the poetry of Boileau.

That this poem should not please Boileau, I can easily conceive. It is more surprising that it should have been censured as a contemptible performance by Petrarch, who lived in the age of fancy. Petrarch having desired his friend Guy de Gonzague to send him some new piece, he sent him the ROMAN DE LA ROSE. With the poem, instead of an encomium, he returned a severe criticism; in which he treats it as a cold, inartificial, and extravagant composition: as a proof, how

P v. 322. Chaucer alludes to this poem in The MARCHAUNT'S TALE, v. 1548. p. 72. Urr.

Art. Poet. ch. i. He died about the year 1456.

much France, who valued this poem as her chief work, was surpassed by Italy in eloquence and the arts of writing'. In this opinion we must attribute something to jealousy. But the truth is, Petrarch's genius was too cultivated to relish these wild excursions of imagination: his favorite classics, whom he revived, and studied with so much attention, ran in his head. Especially Ovid's ART OF LOVE, a poem of another species, and evidently formed on another plan; but which Petrarch had been taught to venerate, as the model and criterion of a didactic poem on the passion of love reduced to a system. We may add, that although the poem before us was founded on the visionary doctrines and refinements concerning love invented by the Provencial poets, and consequently less unlikely to be favourably received by Petrarch, yet his ideas on that delicate subject were much more Platonic and metaphysical.

See Petrarch. Carm. L. i. Ep. 30.

SECTION XIV.

CHAUCER's poem of TROILUS and CRESSeide is said to

CRESSEIDE

be formed on an old history, written by Lollius, a native of Urbino in Italya. Lydgate says that Chaucer, in this poem,

I made a translacion

Of a boke which called is TROPHE

In Lumbarde tongue, &c.b

It is certain that Chaucer, in this piece, frequently refers to "MYNE AUCTOR LOLLIUS." But he hints, at the same time, that Lollius wrote in Latin". I have never seen this history, either in the Lombard or the Latin language. I have before observed, that it is mentioned in Boccacio's Decameron, and that a translation of it was made into Greek verse by some of the Greek fugitives in the fourteenth century. Du Fresne, if I mistake not, somewhere mentions it in Italian. In the royal library at Paris it occurs often as an antient French romance. "Cod. 7546. Roman de Troilus."-" Cod. 7564. Roman de Troilus et de Briseida ou Criseida.”—Again, as an original work of Boccacio. "Cod. 7757. Philostrato dell' amorose

a Petrus Lambeccius enumerates Lollius Urbicus among the Historici Latini profani of the third century. Prodrom. p. 246. Hamb. 1659. See also Voss. Historic. Latin. ii. 2. p. 163. edit. Lugd. Bat.

But this could not be Chaucer's Lollius. Chaucer places Lollius among the historians of Troy, in his House of Fame, iii. 380. It is extraordinary, that Du Fresne, in the Index Auctorum, used by him for his Latin glossary, should mention this Lollius Urbicus of the third century. Tom. i. p. 141. edit. i. As I apprehend, none of his works remain. A proof that Chaucer translated from

some Italian original is, that in a manu-
script which I have seen of this poem, I
find, Monesteo for Menestes, Rupheo for
Ruphes, Phebuseo for Phebuses, lib.iv.50.
seq. Where, by the way, Xantippe, a
Trojan chief, was perhaps corruptly writ-
ten for Xantippo, i. e. Xantippus. As
Joseph. Iscan. iv. 10. In Lydgate's
Troy, Zantiphus, iii. 26. All corrupted
from Antiphus, Dict. Cret. p. 105. In
the printed copies we have Ascalapho for
Ascalaphus. lib. v. 319.
b Prol. Boch. st. iii.
See lib. i. v. 395.
d Lib. ii. v. 10.

fatiche de Troilo per GIOVANNI BOCCACIO*."

"Les suivans

(adds Montfaucond) contiennent les autres œuvres de Boccace." Much fabulous history concerning Troilus, is related in Guido de Columna's Destruction of Troy. Whatever were Chaucer's materials, he has on this subject constructed a poem of considerable merit, in which the vicissitudes of love are depicted in a strain of true poetry, with much pathos and simplicity of sentiment. He calls it, "a litill tragedief." Troilus is supposed to have seen Cresside in a temple; and retiring to his chamber, is thus naturally described, in the critical situation of a lover examining his own mind after the first impression of love.

[Boccacio's FILOSTRATO was printed in quarto at Milan, in 1488. The title is, "I FYOLOSTRATO, che tracta de lo innamoramento de TROILO a GRYSEIDA: et de molte altre infinite battaglie. Impresso nella inclita cita de Milano par magistro Uldericho Scinzenzeler nell anno M.CCCCLXXXXVIII. a di xxvii di mese Septembre." It is in the octave stanza. The editor of the CANTERBURY TALES informs me, that Boccacio himself, in his DECAMERON, has made the same honourable mention of this poem as of the THESEIDA although without acknowledging either for his own. In the Introduction to the Sixth Day, he says, that "Dioneo insieme con Lauretta de TROILE ET DI CRISEIDA cominciarono cantare." Just as, afterwards, in the conclusion of the Seventh Day, he says, that the same "Dioneo et Fiametta gran pezzi cantarono insieme D'ARCITA ET DI PALAMONE." See CANTERB. T. vol. iv. p. 85. iii. p. 311. Chaucer appears to have been as much indebted to Boccacio in his TROILUS AND CRESSEIDE, as in his KNIGHTES TALE. At the same time we must observe, that there are several long passages, and even episodes, in TROILUS, of which no traces appear in the FILOSTRATO. Chaucer speaks of himself as a translator out of Latin, B. ii. 14.

And

he calls his author LOLLIUS, B. i. 894421. and B.v.1652. The latter of these

two passages is in the PHILOSTRATO: but the former, containing Petrarch's sonnet, is not. And when Chaucer says, he translates from Latin, we must re

member, that the Italian language was called Latino volgare. Shall we suppose, that Chaucer followed a more complete copy of the FILOSTRATO than that we have at present, or one enlarged by some officious interpolater? The Parisian manuscript might perhaps elear these difficulties. In Bennet library at Cambridge, there is a manuscript of Chaucer's TROILUS, elegantly written, with a frontispiece beautifully illuminated, LXI.ADDITIONS.]

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Bibl. p.793. col. 2. Compare Lengl. Bibl. Rom. ii. p. 253.

e Chaucer however claims no merit of invention in this poem. He invokes Clio to favour him with rhymes only; and adds,

To everie lover I me' excuse That of no sentiment I this endite But out of latin in my tonge it write. L. ii. v. 10. seq. But Sir Francis Kinaston who translated TROILUS AND CRESSEIDE [1635.] into Latin rhymes, says, that Chaucer in this poem “has taken the liberty of his own inventions." In the mean time, Chaucer, by his own references, seems to have been studious of seldom departing from Lollius. In one place, he pays him a compliment, as an author whose excellencies he could not reach. L. iii. v. 1330.

As can mine author of his excellence.
But sothe is, though I can not tellen all,

See also L. iii. 576. 1823.
f L. ult. v. 1785.

upon

And whan that he in chambre was alone,
He down his beddis fete him sette,
And first he gan to sike, and efte to grone,
And thought aie on her so withoutin lette:
That as he satte and woke, his spirit mette1
That he her saugh, and temple, and all the wise
Right of her loke, and gan it newe avise. *

There is not so much nature in the sonnet to Love, which follows. It is translated from Petrarch; and had Chaucer followed his own genius, he would not have disgusted us with the affected gallantry and exaggerated compliments which it extends through five tedious stanzas. The doubts and delicacies of a young girl disclosing her heart to her lover, are exquisitely touched in this comparison.

And as the newe abashid nightingale

That stintithm first, when she beginith sing,
When that she herith any herdis" tale,
Or in the hedgis anie wight stirring,
And after sikir° doth her voice outring;

Right so Cresseidè when that her drede stent P
Opened her herte and told him her intent.¶

The following pathetic scene may be selected from many others. Troilus seeing Cresside in a swoon, imagines her to be dead. He unsheaths his sword with an intent to kill himself, and utters these exclamations.

sigh.

And thou, cite, in which I live in wo,
And thou Priam, and brethren al ifere1,
And thou, my mother, farwel, for I go:
And, Atropos, make ready thou my bere:
And thou Creseidè, O sweet hertè dere,
Receive thou now my spirit, would he say,
With swerd at hert all redy for to dey.

[blocks in formation]

n thought, imagined. * l. i. v. 359. herdsman, a shepherd.

。 with confidence.
P her fears ceased.
1. iii. v. 1239.

T

together.

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