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ments of style, and other arts of compofition, which an attention to the genuine models would have afforded, but by being written without any ideas of elegance, and in the most barbarous phrafeology. Yet productive as they were of these and other inconvenient confequences, they were not without their use in the rude periods of literature. By gradually weaning the minds of readers from monkish legends, they introduced a relish for real and rational history; and kindling an ardour of inquiring into the transactions of past ages, at length awakened a curiofity to obtain a more accurate and authentic knowledge of important events by searching the original authors. Nor are they to be entirely neglected in modern and more polifhed ages. For, befides that they contain curious pictures of the credulity and ignorance of our ancestors, they frequently preserve facts transcribed from books which have not defcended to pofterity. It is extremely probable, that the plan on which they are all constructed, that of deducing a perpetual history from the creation to the writer's age, was partly taken from Ovid's Metamorphofes, and partly from the Bible.

In the mean time there are three hiftories of a less general nature, which Gower feems more immediately to have followed in fome of his tales. These are Colonna's Romance of Troy, the Romance of Sir Lancelot, and the GESTA ROMANORUM.

From Colonna's Romance, which he calls The Tale of Troie, The Boke of Troie, and fometimes The Cronike", he has taken

• Of Palamedes and Nauplius, "The boke of Troie whofo rede." Lib. ii. fol. 52. b. col. 2. The story of Jason and Medea, "whereof the tale in fpeciall is in the

boke of Troie writte." Lib. v. fol. 101. a. col. 2. Of the Syrens feen by Ulyffes, " which in the tale of Troie I finde." Lib. i. f. 10. b. col. 1. Of the eloquence of Ulyffes," As in the boke of Troie is funde." Lib. vii. f. 150. a. col. 1. &c. &c. See fupr. vol. 1. p. 127.

i

In the ftory of the Theban chief Capaneus, "This knight as the CRONIKE "feine." Lib. 1. f. 18. b. col. 2. Of Achilles and Teucer, " In a CRONIQUE I "fynde thus." Lib. iii. fol. 62. a. col. 1. Of Peleus and Phocus, "As the CRONIQUE "feithe." Lib. iii. f. 61. b. col. 1. Of Ulyffes and Penelope, "In a CRONIQUE "I finde writte." Lib. iv. f. 63. b. col. 2. He mentions alfo the CRONIQUE for tales of other nations. "In the CRONIQUE

all that relates to the Trojan and Grecian story, or, in Milton's language, THE TALE OF TROY DIVINE. This piece was first printed at Cologne in the year1477. At Colonia an Italian translation appeared in the fame year, and one at Venice in 1481. It was translated into Italian fo early as 1324, by Philipp Ceffi a Florentine*. By fome writers it is called the British as well as the Trojan ftory'; and there are manuscripts in which it is entitled the history of Medea and Jafon". In most of the Italian translations it is called LA STORIA DELLA GUERRA DI TROJA. This hiftory is repeatedly called the TROIE BOKE by Lydgate, who translated it into English verse".

As to the romance of fir Lancelot, our author, among others on the subject, refers to a volume of which he was the hero: perhaps that of Robert Borron, altered foon afterwards by Godefroy de Leigny, under the title of le ROMAN DE LA CHARETTE, and printed with additions at Paris by Antony Verard, in the year 1494.

as

"6 I finde, Cham was he which first the "letters fonde, and wrote in Hebrew "with his honde, of naturall philofophie." Lib. iv. fol. 76. a col. 1. For Darius's four queftions, Lib. vii. fol. 151. b. col. 1. For Perillus's brazen bull. f. &c. &c. See below.

In quarto. HISTORIA TROJANA, a Guidone de Columpna Meffanenfi Judice edita 1287. Impresa per Arnoldum Therburnem Coloniæ commorantem, 1477. Die penult. Nov. I am mistaken in what I have faid, fupr. vol. i. p. 126. There is another edition at Oxford by Rood, 1480, 4-to. Two at Strafburgh 1486, and 1489. fol. Ames calls him Columella. Hift. Print. p. 204.

* See Haym's Bibl. Italian. p. 35. edit, Venez. 1741. 4-to. I am not fure whether Haym's Italian tranflation in the year 1477 is not the Latin of that year. They are both in quarto, and by Arnoldo Terbone. A

Florence edition of the tranflation in 1610, quarto, is faid to be most scarce.

1 Sandius and Hallerwood, in their Supplement to Voffius's Latin Hiftorians, fuppofe Colonna's Trojan and British chronicle the fame. In Theodoric Engelhufen's CHRONICA CHRONICORUM, compiled about the year 1420, where the author fpeaks of Troy, he cites Colonna de Bello Trojano. In the Preface he mentions Colonna's CHRONICA BRITANNORUM. See Engelhufen's first edition, Helmft. 1671, 4-to. Or rather, Scriptor. Brunfvic. Leib nitii, tom. p. 977• See alfo Fabyan and

other hiftorians.

m See fupr. vol. i. p. 138. Notes. It will occur again under Lydgate.

n Tragedies of Bochas, B. i. ch. xvi. How the tranflatoure wrote a booke of the fiege of Troy, called TROYE BOXE. And ib. St. 7. 17. 20. edit. Wayland. fol. xxx. b. xxxi.a. And in Lydg. DESTR. of Troy

For

Of

For if thou wilt the bokes rede
Of LAUNCELOT and other mo,
Then might thou seen how it was tho
armes, for this wolde atteine
To love, which, withouten peine
Maie not be gette of idleness:
And that I take to witnesse
An old Cronike in speciall
The which in to memoriall

Is write for his loves fake,

How that a Knight shall undertake.

He alludes to a story about fir Triftram, which he fuppofes to be univerfally known, related in this romance.

In everie mans mouth it is

How Triftram was of love dronke
With Bele Ifolde, whan this dronke

The drinke which Bragweine him betoke,
Er that kyng Marke, &c ".

And again, in the affembly of lovers.

Ther was Triftram which was beloved

With Bele Ifolde, and Lancelot

Stood with Gonnor, and Galahot

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The oldest edition of the GESTA ROMANORUM, a manuscript of which I have feen in almoft Saxon characters, I believe to be this. Incipiunt Hyftorie NOTABILES, collecte ex GESTIS ROMANORUM, et quibufdam aliis libris cum applicationibus eorundem*.

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It is without date or place, but fuppofed by the critics in typographical antiquities to have been printed before or about the year 1473. Then followed a fecond edition at Louvain by John de Westfalia, with this title: Ex GESTIS ROMANORUM HISTORIE NOTABILES de viciis virtutibusque tractantes cum applicationibus moralifatis et myfticis. At the end this colophon appears: GESTA ROMANORUM cum quibufdam aliis biftoriis eifdem annexis ad moralitates dilucide reducta hic finem babent. Quæ diligenter, correctis aliorum viciis, impreffit Joannes de Weftfalia, alma in Univerf. Louvanienfi'. This edition has twenty-nine chapters more than there are in the former: and the first of these additional chapters is the ftory of Antiochus, related in our author. It is probably of the year 1473. Another followed foon afterwards, by GESTIS ROMANORUM HISTORIE NOTABILES moralizata per Girardum Lieu. Gouda, 1480". The next is at Louvain, GESTA ROMANORUM, cum applicationibus moralifatis ac myfticis.---At the end.---EX GESTIS ROMANORUM cum pluribus applicatis HYSTORIIS de virtutibus et vitiis miftice ad intellectum tranfumptis recollectorii finis. Anno noftræ falutis 1494. In die fancti Adriani martyris*.

It was one of my reafons for giving these titles and colophons fo much at large, that the reader might more fully comprehend the nature and design of a performance which operated so powerfully on the present state of our poetry. Servius fays that the Eneis was fometimes called GESTA populi Romani'. Ammianus Marcellinus, who wrote about the year 450, mentions a work called the GESTORUM VOLUMEN, which according to custom, was folemnly recited to

86

46

Princip. "De DILECTIONE, cap. i. Pompeius regnavit dives valde, &c."MORALIZATIO. De MISERICORDIA, De ADULTERIO, in cap. cap. ii." clxxxi. It is in quarto, with fignatures to Kk. The initials are written in red ink. Mr. Farmer of Cambridge has this edition. • In quarto.

w But I think there is another Gouda,
1489. fol.

In quarto. Again, Parif. 1499, quarto.
Hagen. 1508. fol. Parif. 1521. octav.
And undoubtedly others. It appeared in
Dutch fo early as the year 1484. fol.
y Ad Æneid. vi. 752.

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the emperour. Here perhaps we may perceive the groundwork of the title.

In this mixture of moralifation and narrative, the GESTA ROMANORUM fomewhat refembles the plan of Gower's poem. In the rubric of the story of Julius and the poor knight, our author alludes to this book in the expreffion, Hic fecundum GESTA, &c. When he speaks of the emperours of Rome paying reverence to a virgin, he fays he found this custom mentioned, "Of Rome among the GESTES Olde'.' olde"." Yet he adds, that the GESTES took it from Valerius Maximus. The ftory of Tarquin and his fon Arrous is ushered in with this line, "So as these olde GESTES feyne." The tale of Antiochus, as I have hinted, is in the GESTA ROMANORUM; although for fome parts of it Gower was perhaps indebted to Godfrey's PANTHEON abovementioned. The foundation of Shakespeare's story of the three cafketts in the Merchant MERCHANT OF VENICE, is to be found in this favourite collection: this is likewise in our author, yet in a different form, who cites a Cronike for his authority. I make no apology for giving the paffage fomewhat at large, as the fource of this elegant little

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z Imperatori de more recitatum," Hift. xxix. i. In the title of the SAINT ALBANS CHRONICLE, printed 1483, Titus Livyus de GESTIS ROMANORUM is recited.

a Lib. viii. f. 153. a. col. 1. And in other rubrics. In the rubric there is also GESTA ALEXANDRI, lib. iii. f. 61. a. col. 1. And in the ftory of Sardanapalus, "Thefe olde GESTES tellen us," lib. iii. 167. a. col. 1.

6 Lib. v. f. 118. a. col. 2.
* Lib. vii, f. 169. a. col. 1.

See fupr. vol i. p. 150. Notes, h.

• He refers to a CRONIKE for other ftories, as the ftory of Lucius king of Rome, and the king's fool." In a CRO"NIKE it telleth us." Lib. vii. f. 165. a. col. 2. Of the tranflation of the Roman empire to the Lombards. "This

"made an emperour anon, whofe name, the "CHRONICLE telleth was Othes." Prol. fol. 5. b. col. 2. Of Conftantine's leprofy. "For in CRONIKE thus I rede." Lib. iii. f. 46. b. col. 2. For which he also cites "the bokes of Latine," ib. f. 45.a a. col. I. In the ftory of Caius Fabricius, "In a CRONIQUE I fynde thus." Lib. vii. f. 157. a. col. 2. Of the foothfayer and the emperor of Rome. "As in CRONIKE it "is witholde."-" Which the CHRO"NIKE hath autorized." Lib. vii. f. 154. b. col. 1. f. 155. b. col. 2. Of the empe rour's fon who serves the Soldan of Persa. "There was as the CRONIQUE feith, an

emperour, &c." Lib. ii. f. 41. b. col. 1. For the ftory of Carmidotoirus conful of Rome, he refers to these olde bøkes, Lib. vii. f. 157. b. col. 2. &c. &c.

apologue,

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