cens from Spain: and it is filled with fictions evidently cogenial with those which characterife Geoffrey's history *.

Some suppose, as I have hinted above, this romance to have been written by Turpin, a monk of the eighth century; who, for his knowledge of the Latin language, his fanctity, and gallant exploits against the Spanish Saracens, was preferred to the archbishoprick of Rheims by Charlemagne. Others believe it to have been forged under archbishop Turpin's name about that time. Others very foon afterwards, in the reign of Charles the Bald. That is, about the year 870 '.

Voltaire, a writer of much deeper research than is imagined, and the first who has difplayed the literature and cuftoms of the dark ages with any degree of penetration and comprehenfion, speaking of the fictitious tales concerning Charlemagne, has remarked," Ces fables qu'un moine "ecrivit au onzieme fiécle, fous le nom de l'archeveque:

Turpin." And it might easily be fhewn that just before the commencement of the thirteenth century, romantic. ftories about Charlemagne were more fashionable than ever among the French minstrels. That is, on the recent pub-. lication of this fabulous hiftory of Charlemagne. Historical evidence concurs with numerous internal arguments to prove, that it must have been compiled after the crufades. In the twentieth chapter, a pretended pilgrimage of Charlemagne to the holy fepulchre at Jerufalem is recorded: a forgery

w I will mention only one among many others. The chriftians under Charlemagne are faid to have found in Spain a golden idol, or image of Mahomet, as high as a bird can fly. It was framed by Mahomet himself of the pureft metal, who by his knowledge in necromancy had fealed up within it a legion of diabolical fpirits. It held in its hand a prodigious club; and the Saracens had a prophetic tradition, that this club fhould fall from the hand of the

image in that year when a certain king fhould be born in France,, &c. J. Turpini Hift. de Vit. Carol. Magn. et Rolandi. cap. iv. f. 2. a.

x See Hift. Acad. des. Infcript. &c. vii. 293. edit. 4to.

See Catel, Mem. de l'Hift. du Languedoc. pag. 545.

z "Hift. Gen. ch. viii. Oeuvr. tom. i. p. 84. edit. Genev. 1756.

feemingly

feemingly contrived with a design to give an importance to those wild expeditions, and which would easily be believed when thus authenticated by an archbishop *:

There is another strong internal proof that this romance was written long after the time of Charlemagne. Our hif torian is speaking of the numerous chiefs and kings who came with their armies to affift his hero: among the reft he mentions earl Oell, and adds, "Of this man there is a song "commonly fung among the minstrels even to this day " Nor will I believe, that the European art of war, in the eighth century, could bring into the field such a prodigious parade of battering rams and wooden caftles, as those with which Charlemagne is said to have besieged the city Agennum: the crufades feem to have made these huge military machines common in the European armies. However we may suspect it appeared before, yet not long before, Geoffrey's romance; who mentions Charlemagne's TWELVE PEERS, so lavishly celebrated in Turpin's book, as present at king Arthur's imaginary coronation at Caer-leon. Although the twelve peers of France occur in chronicles of the tenth century ; and they might befides have been suggested to Geoffrey's original author, from popular traditions and fongs of minstrels. We are fure it was extant before the year 1122, for Calixtus the second in that year, by papal

d

2 See infr. SECT. iii. p. 124.

"De hoc canitur in Cantilena ufque ad "hodiernum diem." cap. xi. f. 4. b. edit. Schard. Francof. 1566. fol. Chronograph. Quat.

Ibid. cap. ix. f. 3. b. The writer adds, Cæterifque artificiis ad capiendum, &c." See alfo cap. x. ibid. Compare SECT. iv. infr. p. 16o. In one of Charlemagne's battles, the Saracens advance with horrible vifors bearded and horned, and with drums or cymbals. "Tenentefque finguli TYм"PANA, quæ manibus fortiter percutie

C 2

"bant." The unusual spectacle and found terrified the horses of the chriftian army, and threw them into confufion. In a fecond engagement, Charlemagne commanded the eyes of the horses to be covered, and their ears to be ftopped. Turpin. cap. xviii. f. 7. b. The latter expedient is copied in the Romance of RICHARD THE FIRST, written about the eleventh century. See SECT. iv. infr. p. 165. See alfo what is faid of the Saracen drums. ibid. p. 167.

d Flodoard of Rheims firft mentions them, whofe chronicle comes down to 966.

authority

:

MonTMTMTM

authority, pronounced this hiftory to be genuine feur Allard affirms, that it was written, and in the eleventh century, at Vienna by a monk of Saint Andrew's'. This monk was probably nothing more than fome Latin tranflator but a learned French antiquary is of opinion, that it was originally compofed in Latin; and moreover, that the most antient romances, even thofe of the Round Table, were originally written in that language. Oienhart, and with the greatest probability, fuppofes it to be the work of a Spaniard. He quotes an authentic manuscript to prove, that it was brought out of Spain into France before the clofe of the twelfth century; and that the miraculous exploits performed in Spain by Charlemagne and earl Roland, recorded in this romantic hiftory, were unknown among the French before that period: except only that some few of them were obfcurely and imperfectly sketched in the metrical tales of those who fung heroic adventures. Oienhart's suppofition that this history was compiled in Spain, the centre of oriental fabling in Europe, at once accounts for the na→ ture and extravagance of its fictions, and immediately points to their Arabian origin. As to the French manuscript of

• Magn. Chron. Belgic. pag. 150. fub ann. Compare J. Long. Bibl. Hift. Gall, num. 6671. And Lambec. ii. p. 333. f Bibl. de Dauphiné. p. 224. 8 See infr. SECT. viii. p. 464.. A See infr. SECT. iii. p. 135,

Arnoldi Oienharti Notit. utriufque Vafconiæ, edit. Parif.. 1638. 4to. pag. 397. lib. iii. c. 3. Such was Roland's fong, fung at the battle of Haftings. But fee this romance, cap. xx. f. 8..b. Where Turpin feems to refer to fome other fabulous materials or hiftory concerning Charlemagne.. Particularly about Galafar and Braiamant, which make fuch a figure in Boyardo and Ariosto..

* Innumerable romantic stories, of Arabian growth, are to this day current among the common people of Spain, which they call CUJENTOS DE VIEJAS. I will re

late one from that lively picture of the Spaniards, RELATION DU VOYAGE D'ESPAGNE, by Madamoiselle Danois. Within the antient caftle of Toledo, they say, there was a vast cavern whofe entrance was ftrongly barricadoed. It was univerfally believed, that if any perfon entered this cavern, the most fatal disasters would happen to the Spaniards. Thus it remained clofely fhut and unentered for many ages. At length king Roderigo, having lefs credulity but more courage and curiofity than his ancestors, commanded this formidable recefs to be opened. At entering, he began to fufpect the traditions of the people to be true: a terrible tempeft arose, and all the elements feemed united to embarrafs him. Neverthelefs, he ventured förwards into the cave, where he discerned by the light of his torches certain figures or fta

tues

this history, it is a translation from Turpin's Latin, made by Michel de Harnes in the year 1207'. And, by the way, from the tranflator's declaration, that there was a great impropriety in tranflating Latin profe into verfe, we may conclude, that at the commencement of the thirteenth century the French generally made their translations into verse.

In these two fabulous chronicles the foundations of romance feem to be laid. The principal characters, the leading fubjects, and the fundamental fictions, which have supplied fuch ample matter to this fingular fpecies of compofition, are here first displayed. And although the long continuance of the crusades imported innumerable inventions of a similar complexion, and substituted the atchievements of new champions and the wonders of other countries, yet the tales of Arthur and of Charlemagne, diverfified indeed, or enlarged with additional embellishments, ftill continued to prevail, and to be the favourite topics: and this, partly from their early popularity, partly from the quantity and the beauty of the fictions with which they were at first supported, and especially because the defign of the crufades had made thofe subjects so fashionable in which chriftians fought with infidels. In a word, these volumes are the first specimens

Mem. Lit. xvii. 737. feq. It is in the royal library at Paris, Num. 8190. Probably the French Turpin in the British Museum is the fame, Cod. MSS. Harl. 273. 23. f. 86. See infr. SECT. iii. p. 135. See inftances of the English tranflating profe Latin books into English, and fometimes French, verse.. SECT. ii. infr. paffim.

In the king's library at Paris, there is a tranflation of Dares Phrygius into French rhymes by Godfrey of Waterford an Irish Jacobin, a writer not mentioned by Tanner; in the thirteenth century. Mem. Litt. tom. xvii. p. 736. Compare SECT. iii. infr. P. 125. In the Notes.

extant in this mode of writing. No European history before these has mentioned giants, enchanters, dragons, and the like monftrous and arbitrary fictions. And the reason is obvious: they were written at a time when a new and unnatural mode of thinking took place in Europe, introduced by our communication with the east.

Hitherto I have confidered the Saracens either at their immigration into Spain about the ninth century, or at the time of the crufades, as the first authors of romantic fabling among the Europeans. But a late ingenious critic has advanced an hypothefis, which affigns a new source, and a much earlier date, to these fictions. I will cite his opinion of this matter in his own words. "Our old romances of chivalry may be derived in a LINEAL DESCENT from the antient historical fongs of the Gothic "bards and fcalds. Many of those fongs are still preserved <in the north, which exhibit all the feeds of chivalry "before it became a folemn institution. Even the common arbitrary fictions of romance were most of them "familiar to the antient fcalds of the north, long before "the time of the crufades. They believed the existence of giants and dwarfs, they had fome notion of fairies, they were strongly poffeffed with the belief of spells and in"chantment, and were fond of inventing combats with

❖

dragons and monsters "." Monfieur Mallet, a very able and elegant inquirer into the genius and antiquities of the northern nations, mantains the fame doctrine. He feems to think, that many of the opinions and practices of the Goths, however obfolete, still obfcurely fubfift. He adds, May we not rank among these, for example, that love and "admiration for the profeffion of arms which prevailed among our ancestors even to fanaticism, mad as it were through system, and brave from a point of honour?

ec

m Percy, on ANTIENT METR. Rom. i. p. 3. 4. edit. 1767.

Can