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.

Two forts of troubadours.

SECTION IV.

Examination and specimens of the metrical romance of Richard

the First. Greek fire. Military machines used in the crufades.

Mufical inftruments of the Saracen armies. Ignorance of

geography in the dark ages.

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

King of Tars. Ippomedon. La Mort Arthure. Subjects

of antient tapestry.

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,

French, and Italian, drama.

Character of the reign of Edward the third. Hampole's Pricke
of Confcience.

SECTION VIII.

Pierce Plowman's Vifions. Antient state and original institution
of fairs. Donat explained. Antichrift.

SECTION

SECTION IX.

Pierce the Plowman's Crede. Conftitution and character of the
four orders of mendicant friars. Wickliffe.

Various fpecimens of alliterative poetry. Antient alliterative hymn.
to the Virgin Mary.

John Barbour's History of Robert Bruce, and Blind Harry's Sir
William Wallace. Hiftorical romances of recent events com-
mence about the clofe of the fourteenth century. Chiefly compofed
by heralds. Character and business of antient heralds. Narra-
tives written by them. Froiffart's Hiftory. His life and cha-
racter. Retrospective view of manners.

SECTION. XII..

(

General view of the character of Chaucer. Boccacio's Tefeide..
A Greek poem on that fubject. Tournaments at Conftantinople.
Common practice of the Greek exiles to tranflate the popular
Italian poems. Specimens both of the Greek and Italian Thefeid.
Critical examination of the Knight's Tale..

SECTION XIII.

The fubject of Chaucer continued. His Romaunt of the Rose.
William of Lorris and John of Meun. Specimens of the French
Le Roman de la Rofe. Improved by Chaucer. William of
Lorris excells in allegorical perfonages. Petrarch diflikes this
poem.

SECTION XIV.

Chaucer continued. His Troilus and Creffeide. Boccacio's
Troilo. Sentimental and pathetic ftrokes in Chaucer's poem..
Houfe of Fame. A Provencial compofition. Analysed.
Improperly imitated by Pope.

SECTION.

SECTION XV.

Chaucer continued. The fuppofed occafion of his Canterbury Tales
Superior to that of Boccacio's Decameron. Squire's Tale,
Chaucer's capital poem. Origin of its fictions. Story of Patient
Grifilde. Its origin, popularity, and characteristic excellence.
How conducted by Chaucer.

SECTION XVI.

Chaucer - continued. Tale of the Nun's Priest. Its origin and
allufions. January and May. Its imitations. Licentiousness
of Boccacio. Miller's Tale. Its fingular humour and ridi-
culous characters. Other Tales of the comic species. Their ori-
gin, allufions, and respective merits. Rime of Sir Thopas.
Its defign and tendency.

SECTION XVII.
Chaucer continued. General view of the Prologues to the Can-
terbury Tales. The Prioreffe. The Wife of Bath. The
Frankelein. The Doctor of Phyficke. State of medical
erudition and practice. Medicine and aftronomy blended.
Chaucer's phyfician's library. Learning of the Spanish Jews.
The Sompnour. The Pardonere. The Monke. Qualifica-
tions of an abbot. The Frere. The Parfoune. The Squire.
English crufades into Lithuania. The Reeve. The Clarke of
Oxenford. The Serjeaunt of Lawe. The Hofte. Supple-
mental Tale, or History of Beryn. Analyfed and examined.

Chaucer continued. State of French and Italian poetry: and their
influence on Chaucer. Rife of allegorical compofition in the dark
ages. Love-courts, and Love-fraternities, in France. Tales of
the troubadours. Dolopathos. Boccacio, Dante, and Petrarch.
Decline of Provencial poetry. Succeeded in France by a new
Species. Froiffart. The Floure and the Leafe. Floral games in
France. Allegorical beings.

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.
Præf. p. xxvii. §. 31.