thirteenth century. French minstrels in England. Provencial poets. Popular romances.. Dares Phrygius. Guido de Colonna, Fabulous biftories of Alexander. Pilpay's Fables. Roman d'Alexandre. Alexandrines. Communications between the French and English minstrels. Use of the Provencial writers. SECTION IV. Examination and specimens of the metrical romance of Richard the First. Greek fire. Military machines used in the crufades. Specimens of other popular metrical romances which appeared about the end of the thirteenth century. Sir Guy. The Squier of Low Degree. Sir Degore. King Robert of Sicily. The Adam Davie flourished in the beginning of the fourteenth century. Specimens of his poetry. His Life of Alexander. Robert Bafton's comedies. Anecdotes of the early periods of the English, Character of the reign of Edward the third. Hampole's Pricke SECTION VIII. Pierce Plowman's Vifions. Antient state and original institution SECTION SECTION IX. Pierce the Plowman's Crede. Conftitution and character of the Various fpecimens of alliterative poetry. Antient alliterative hymn. John Barbour's History of Robert Bruce, and Blind Harry's Sir SECTION. XII.. ( General view of the character of Chaucer. Boccacio's Tefeide.. SECTION XIII. The fubject of Chaucer continued. His Romaunt of the Rose. SECTION XIV. Chaucer continued. His Troilus and Creffeide. Boccacio's SECTION. SECTION XV. Chaucer continued. The fuppofed occafion of his Canterbury Tales SECTION XVI. Chaucer - continued. Tale of the Nun's Priest. Its origin and SECTION XVII. Chaucer continued. State of French and Italian poetry: and their ON OF THE ORIGIN OF ROMANTIC FICTION in EUROPE. T DISSERTATION I HAT peculiar and arbitrary species of Fiction which we commonly call Romantic, was entirely unknown to the writers of Greece and Rome. It appears to have been imported into Europe by a people, whofe modes of thinking, and habits of invention, are not natural to that country. It is generally supposed to have been borrowed from the Arabians. But this origin has not been hitherto perhaps examined or afcertained with a fufficient degree of accuracy. It is my prefent defign, by a more diftinct and extended inquiry than has yet been applied to the fubject, to trace the manner and the period of its introduction into the popular belief, the oral poetry, and the literature, of the Europeans. It is an established maxim of modern criticifm, that the fictions of Arabian imagination were communicated to the Vol. I. a western western world by means of the crufades. Undoubtedly thofe expeditions greatly contributed to propagate this mode of fabling in Europe. But it is evident, although a circumstance which certainly makes no material difference as to the principles here established, that these fancies were introduced at a much earlier period. The Saracens, or Arabians, having been for fome time seated on the northern coasts of Africa, entered Spain about the beginning of the eighth century. Of this country they foon effected a complete conqueft and impofing their religion, language, and customs,. upon the inhabitants, erected a royal feat in the capital city of Cordoua. That by means of this establishment they first revived the fciences of Greece in Europe, will be proved at large in another place: and it is obvious to conclude, that at the fame time they diffeminated those extravagant inventions which were fo peculiar to their romantic and creative genius. A manuscript cited by Du Cange acquaints us, that the Spaniards, foon after the irruption of the Saracens, entirely neglected the study of the Latin language; and captivated with the novelty of the oriental books imported by these ftrangers, fuddenly adopted an unusual pomp of style, and an affected elevation of diction . The ideal tales of these eastern invaders, recommended by a brilliancy of defcription, a variety of imagery, and an exuberance of invention, hitherto unknown and unfamiliar to the cold and barren conceptions of a western climate, were eagerly caught up, and univerfally diffused. From Spain, by the communications of a conftant commercial intercourfe through the ports of Toulon and Marseilles, they foon paffed into France and Italy. a See ALMAKIN, edit. Pocock. p. 72. See the fecond Differtation. << Arabico eloquio fublimati, &c. Du Cang. Gloff. Med. Inf. Latinitat. tom. i. |