mentioned frequently in the French romance of Alexander'. In the romance of PERCEFORREST, he is called king of Scotland, and said to be crowned by Alexander the Great". But whether or no this profe HISTOIRE DU CHEVALIER THESEUS is the ftory of Thefeus in queftion, or whether this is the fame Thefeus, I cannot afcertain. There is likewife in the fame royal library a manufcript, called by Montfaucon, HisTORIA THESEI IN LINGUA VULGARI, in ten books". The Abbe Goujet obferves, that there is in fome libraries of France an old French tranflation of Boccacio's THESEID, from which Anna de Graville formed the French poem of PALAMON and ARCITE, at the command of queen Claude, wife of Francis the first, about the year 1487. Either the tranflation ufed by Anna de Graville, or her poem, is perhaps the fecond of the manufcripts mentioned by Montfaucon. Boccacio's THESEID has alfo been tranflated into Italian profe, by Nicolas Granuci, and printed at Lucca in 1579. Boccacio himfelf mentions the ftory of Palamon and Arcite. This may feem to imply that the story existed before his time: unless he artfully intended to recommend his own poem on the fubject by fuch an allufion. It is where he introduces two lovers finging a portion of this tale. “Dio neo e Fiametta gran pezza canterona infieme d'ARCITE e "de PALAMONE." By Dionco, Boccacio reprefents himself; and by Fiametta, his mistress, Mary of Arragon, a natural daughter of Robert king of Naples. I confefs I am of opinion, that Boccacio's THESEID is an original compofition. But there is a Greco-barbarous poem extant on this fubject, which, if it could be proved to be antecedent in point of time to the Italian poem, would degrade Boccacio to a mere tranflator on this occafion. It is a matter that deferves to be examined at large, and to be traced with accuracy. This Greek poem is as little known and as fcarce as Boccacio's THESEID. It is entitled, Θησεος και γαμε της Εμηλίας. It was printed in quarto at Venice in the year 1529. Stampata in Vinegia per Giovanantonio et fratelli da Sabbio a requifitione de M. Damiano de Santa Maria de Spici M.D.XXIX. del Mefe de Decembrio. It is not mentioned by Crufius or Fabricius; but it is often cited by Du Cange in his Greek gloffary, under the title, DE NUPTIIS THESEI ET EMILIE. The heads of the chapters are adorned with rude wooden cuts of the story. I once fufpected that Boccacio, having received this poem from fome of his learned friends among the Grecian exiles, who being driven from Conftantinople took refuge in Italy about the fourteenth century, tranflated it into Italian. Under this fuppofition, I was indeed furprifed to find the ideas of chivalry, and the ceremonies of a tournament minutely defcribed, in a poem which appeared to have been written at Conftantinople. But this difficulty was foon removed, when I recollected that the Franks, Venetians, and Germans had been in poffeffion of that city for more than one hundred years; and that Baldwin earl of Flanders was elected emperor of Conftantinople in the year 1204, and was fucceeded by four Latin or Frankifh emperors, down to the year 1261. 1261. Add A manufcript of it is in the Royal library at Paris, Cod. 2569. Du Cange, Ind. Auct. Gloff. Gr. Barb. ii. p. 65. col. I. b About which period it is probable that the anonymous Greek poem, called the Loves of Lybifter and Rhedamna, was written. This appears by the German name Frederic, which often occurs in it, and is grecifed, with many other German words. In a manufcript of this poem which Crufius faw, were many paintings and illuminations; where, in the reprefentation of a battle, he obferved no guns, but javelins, and bows and arrows. He adds, "et mu"ficæ teftudines. It is written in the Y y z iambic to this, that the word, Tegveμévrov, a TOURNAMENT, Occurs τερνεμέντον, in the Byzantine hiftorians. From the fame communication likewife, I mean the Greek exiles, I fancied Boccacio might have procured the ftories of feveral of his tales in the DECAMERON as, for inftance, that of CYMON and IPHIGENIA, where the names are entirely Grecian, and the scene laid in Rhodes, Cyprus, Crete, and other parts of Greece belonging iambic measure mentioned below. It is a series of wandering adventures with little art or invention. Lybifter, the son of a Latin king, and a Chriftian, fets forward accompanied with an hundred attendants in fearch of Rhodamna, whom he had loft by the ftratagems of a certain old woman fkilled in magic. He meets Clitophon fon of a king in Armenia. They undergo various dangers in different countries. Lybifter relates his dream concerning a partridge and an eagle; and how from that dream he fell in love with Rhodamna daughter of Chyfes a pagan king, and communicated his paffion by fending an arrow, to which his name was affixed, into a tower, or castle, called Argyrocaftre, &c. See Crufii Turco-Græcia, p. 974. But we find a certain fpecies of erotic romances, fome in verse and some in profe, existing in the Greek empire, the remains and the dregs of Heliodorus, Achilles Tatius, Xenophon the Ephefian, Charito, Euftathius or Eumathius, and others, about or rather before the year 1200. Such are the Loves of Rhodante and Doficles of Theodorus Prodromus, who wrote about the year 1130. This piece was imitated by Nicetas Eugenianus in the Loves of Charicell and Drofilla. See Labb. Bibl. Nov. Manufcript. Whether or no The Loves of Callimachus and Chryforrboe, The Erotic biftory of Hemperius, The hiftory of the Loves of Florius and Platzaflora, with fome others, all by anonymous authors, and in Greco-barbarous iambics, were written at Conftantinople; or whether they were the compofitions of the learned Greeks after their difperfion, of whom more will be faid hereafter, I am not able to determine. P. 220. See Neffel. i. p. 342. 343. Meurf Gloff. Gr. Barb. V. Bár. And Lambecc. v. P. 262. 264. noi. As alfo Topre, Haftiludium, Fr. TourAnd Toupviour, baftiludio contendere. John Cantacuzenus relates, that when Anne of Savoy, daughter of Amadeus, the fourth earl of the Allobroges, was married to the emperor Andronicus, junior, the Frankish and Savoyard nobles, who accompanied the princess, held tilts and tournaments before the court at Conftantinople; which, he adds, the Greeks learned of the Franks. This was in the year 1326. Hift. Byzant. 1. i. cap. 42. But Nicetas fays, that when the emperor Manuel made fome stay at Antioch, the Greeks held a folemn tournament against the Franks. This was about the year 1160. Hift. Byzant. 1. iii. cap. 3. Cinnamus obferves, that the fame emperor Manuel altered the fhape of the shields and lances of the Greeks to those of the Franks. Hift. Byzant. lib. iii. Nicephorus Gregoras, who wrote about the year 1340, affirms, that the Greeks learned this practice from the Franks. Hift. Byzant. 1. x. P. 339. edit. fol. Genev. 1615. The word KaBanλago, Knights, Chevaliers, occurs often in the Byzantine hiftorians, even as early as Anna Commena, who wrote about 1140. Alexiad. lib. xiii. p. 411. And we have in J. Cantacuzenus, "ry Kaßaλagiar παρείχε τίμην,” He conferred the honour of Knighthood. This indeed is faid of the Franks. Hift. ut fupr. 1. iii. cap. 25. And in the Greek poem now under confideration one of the titles is, 6 Πῶς ἔποιηκεν ὁ Θεςεὺς σε τις δύο Θηβαίος Καβαλαρίας.” How Thefeus dubbed the two Thebans Knights. lib. vii. Signatur. » . fol. verf. 66 66 to to the imperial territory. But, to fay no more of this, I have at prefent no fort of doubt of what I before afferted, that Boccacio is the writer and inventor of this piece. Our Greek poem is in fact a literal tranflation from the Italian THESEID. It confifts of twelve books, and is written in Boccacio's octave stanza, the two laft lines of every stanza rhyming together. The verfes are of the iambic kind, and fomething like the VERSUS POLITICI, which were common among the Greek scholars a little before and long after Conftantinople was taken by the Turks, in the year 1443. It will readily be allowed, that the circumstance of the stanzas and rhymes is very fingular in a poem composed in the Greek language, and is alone fufficient to prove this piece to be a tranflation from Boccacio. I must not forget to obferve, that the Greek is extremely barbarous, and of the lowest period of that language. It was a common practice of the learned and indigent Greeks, who frequented Italy and the neighbouring states about the fifteenth and fixteenth centuries, to tranflate the popular pieces of Italian poetry, and the romances or tales most in vogue, into thefe Greco-barbarous iambics. PASTOR FIDO was thus tranflated. The romance of ALEXANDER THE GREAT was also tranflated in the fame manner by Demetrius Zenus, who flourished in 1530, under the title of Αλεξάνδρους ὁ Μακέδων, and printed at Venice in the 1529'. In the very year, and at the fame place, when and where our Greek poem on Thefeus, or Palamon and Arcite, was printed. APOLLONIUS OF TYRE, another famous romance of the middle ages, was tranflated in the fame manner, and year entitled Διηγήςις ὡραιω]άτη Απολλωνία τε ἐν Τυρώς ρημάδα". The story of king Arthur .they alfo reduced into the fame language. The learned Martinus Crufius, who introduced the Greco-barbarous language and literature into the German univerfities, relates, that his friends who ftudied at Padua fent him in the year 1564, together with Homer's Iliad, Aidaxaι REGIS ARTHURI, ALEXANDER above-mentioned, and other fictitious hiftories or story-books of a 8 That is, Rhythmically, Poetically. Gr. Barb. h Du Cange mentions, " Malayaliqua σε απο Λαλινίκης εις Ρωμαίκην διήγηςις πολλησε παθῶς Απολλωνία το Τύρω.” Ind. Aut. Gloff. Gr. Barb. ii. p. 36. col. b. Compare Fabricius, Bibl. Gr. vi. 821. I believe it was first printed at Venice, 1563. viz. "Hiftoria Apollonii Tyanæi, [Ty 66 renfis] Ven. 1563. Liber Eroticus, Gr. "barb. lingua exaratus ad modum ryth"morum noftrorum, rariffimus audit, &c." Vogt. Catal. libr. rarior. p. 345. edit. 1753. I think it was reprinted at Venice, 1696. apud Nicol. Glycem. 8vo. In the works of Velferus, there is Narratio Eorum que Apollonia regi acciderunt, &c. He fays it was firft written by fome Greek author. Velferi Op. p. 697. edit. 1682. fol. The Latin is in Bibl. Bodl. MSS. Laud, 39.Bodl. F. 7. 7. And F. 11. 45. In the preface, Velferus, who died 1614, fays, that he believes the original in Greek still remains at Conftantinople, in the library of Manuel Eugenicus. Montfaucon mentions a noble copy of this romance, written in the thirteenth century, in the royal library at Paris. Bibl. MSS. p. 753. Compare MSS. Langb. Bibl. Bodl. vi. p. 15. Gefta Apollonii, &c. There is a manufcript in Saxon of the romance of APOLLONIUS TYRE. Wanley's Catal. apud Hickes, ii. 146. See Martin. Crufii Turco-Græc. p.209. edit. 1594 Gower recites many stories of this romance in his CONFESSIO AMANTIS. He calls Apollonius "a yonge, a freshe, a luftie knight." See Lib. viii. fol. 175. b.-185. a. But he refers to Godfrey of Viterbo's PANTHEON, or univerfal Chro 66 OF nicle, called alfo Memoria Sæculorum, partly in profe, partly verfe, from the Creation of the world, to the year 1186. The author died in 1190. A Cronike in daies gone The which is.cleped Panteone, &c. fol. 175. a. The play called PERICLES PRINCE OF TYRE, attributed to Shakefpeare, is taken from this ftory of Apol lonius as told by Gower, who speaks the Prologue. It exifted in Latin before the year 900. See Barth. Adverfar. lviii. cap. i. Chaucer calls him "of Tyre Apolloneus." PROL. Man. L. TALE. V. 81. p. 50. Urr. edit. And quotes from this romance, How that the curfid king Antiochus In the royal library there is "Hiftoire Thyr en Affrique et roy d' Antioch, "traduite par Gilles Corozet, Faris, 1530. "8vo." And there is an old black-letter edition, printed in quarto at Geneva, entitled, "La Chronique d' Appollin roy de "Thir." At 1:ngth the ftory appeared in a modern drefs by M. le Brun, under the title of " Avantures d'Apollonius de Thyr," printed in twelves at Paris and Roterdam, in 1710. And again at Paris the following year. fimilar |