To the paleis they gonne ride His horse Bucephalus, who even in classical fiction is a horse of romance, is thus described. An horn the forhed amydward That wolde perce scheldis hard. To which these lines may be added. And sittith on his hygh deys His duykes and his barouns saun doute The two following extracts are in a softer strain, and not inelegant for the rude simplicity of the times. Again, Mury is the blast of the styvour Swete hit is in maidenes bour Appeol swote berith faire colour In tyme of May, the nyghtyngale w line 1075. * line 3966. I cannot explain this word. It is a wind-instrument. 2 This poem has likewise, in the same vein, the following well-known old rhyme, which paints the manners, and is perhaps the true reading, line 1163. Swithe mury hit is in halle Here, by the way, it appears, that the minstrels and juglers were distinct characters. So Robert de Brunne, in describing the coronation of king Arthur, apud Anstis, Ord. Gart. i. p. 304. Jogeleurs wer ther inouh That wer queitise for the drouh, Mynstrels many with dyvers glew, &c. And Chaucer mentions "minstrels and eke joglours." Rom. R. v. 764. But they are often confounded or made the same. a line 2571. So doth the foules grete and smale Som on hulle, som on dale. Much the same vernal delights, cloathed in a similar style, with the addition of knights turneying and maidens dancing, invite king Philip on a progress; who is entertained on the road with hearing tales of ancient heroes. Mery time it is in May The foules syngeth her lay; Our author thus describes a battle." And mony gentil knyght him myde xl. thousand chivalrie He heom taketh in his batailè, He perced his bruny and clewyd his scheld, Theo duyk feol doun to the grounde Other tole nane Y payd: Yut ye schole, of myn paye He brak his launce in the fallyng. With his sweord he wolde his heved He sygh Alisaundre the gode gome Of no wounde tok he kep; Tho' of Rome, and heo of Mede Simple knyghtis with riche sire; f point. i n they. k strife. With Perciens foughte Egregies'; They kyddem there they nere nyce There was sone in litel thrawe", Was sone fro the body weved: Mony gentil levedy P There les hire amy¶: There was mony mon killed Mony londes nygh and feor. Theo blod of heom that was slawen I have already mentioned Alexander's miraculous horn*. He blew his horn, saun doute His folk come swithe aboute: And he heom saide with voys clere, With stronge knyghtis, and myghty of hond." Alexander's adventures in the deserts among the Gymnosophists, and in Inde, are not omitted. The authors whom he quotes for his vouchers, shew the reading and ideas of the times.w Thoo Alisaundre went thorough desert Many wondres he seigh apertx Whiche he dude wel descryve By good clerkes in her lyve By Aristotle his maister that was He was with hym and seigh and wroot In his bokes telleth this. Maister Eustroge bereth hym witnesse w line 4772. * saw openly. Y Isidore. He means, I suppose, Isidorus Hispalensis, a Latin writer of the seventh century. He means Justin's Trogus Pompeius the historian, whom he confounds with Pompey the Great. a❝don't look on me as the inventor." 1 |