From an abbefs difpofed to turn author, we might more reasonably have expected a manual of meditations for the closet, or felect rules for making falves, or diftilling strong waters. But the diverfions of the field were not thought inconfiftent with the character of a religious lady of this eminent rank, who refembled an abbot in respect of exercifing an extenfive manerial jurifdiction; and who hawked and hunted in common with other ladies of diftinction ". This work, however, is here mentioned, because the second of these treatises is written in rhyme. It is fpoken in her own person; in which, being otherwife a woman of authority, she affumes the title of dame. I fufpect the whole to be a tranflation from the French and Latin *. To this period I refer William of Naffyngton, a proctor or advocate in the ecclefiaftical court at York. He tranflated into English rhymes, as I conjecture, about the year 1480, a theological tract, entitled A treatise on the Trinity and Unity with a declaration of God's Works and of the Paffion of Jefus Chrift, written by John of Waldenby, an Augustine frier of Yorkshire, a ftudent in the Auguftine convent at Oxford, the provincial of his order in England, and a ftrenuous champion against the doctrines of Wiccliffe'. I once faw a manuscript of Naffyngton's tranflation in the library of Lincoln cathedral'; and was tempted to transcribe the few following lines from the prologue, as they convey an idea of our poet's character, record the titles of fome old popular romances, and discover antient modes of public amufement. I warne you firfte at the begynnynge, And of many other GESTES, And namely when they come to festes; Our translator in these verses formally declares his intention of giving his reader no entertainment; and disavows all concern with fecular vanities, especially thofe unedifying tales of love and arms, which were the customary themes of other poets, and the delight of an idle age. The romances of OCTAVIAN, fir BEVIS, and fir Guy, have already been difcuffed at large. That of fir ISEMBRAS was familiar in the time of Chaucer, and occurs in the RIME of SIR THOPAS". In Mr. Garrick's curious library of chivalry, which his friends share in common with himself, there is an edition f Wood, Ant. Univ. Oxon. i. 117. See alfo MSS. Reg. 17 C. viii. p. 2. h V. 6. See fupr. vol. i. p. 123. Notes. by by Copland, extremely different from the manuscript copies preferved at Cambridge', and in the Cotton collection *. I believe it to be originally a French romance, yet not of very high antiquity. It is written in the stanza of Chaucer's fir THOPAS. The incidents are for the most part those trite expedients, which almost constantly form the plan of these metrical narratives. I take this opportunity of remarking, that the MINSTRELS, who in this prologue of Naffyngton are named separately from the GESTOURS, or tale-tellers, were fometimes diftinguished from the harpers. In the year 1374, fix Minstrels, accompanied with four Harpers, on the anniversary of Alwyne the bishop, performed their minstrelfies, at dinner, in the hall of the convent of faint Swithin at Winchefter; and during fupper, fung the fame GEST, or tale, in the great arched chamber of the prior: on which folemn occafion, the faid chamber was hung with the arras, or tapestry, of THE THREE KINGS OF COLOGNE". These minftrels and harpers belonged, partly to the royal houfhold in Winchester castle, and partly to the bishop of Winchester. IMSS. Caius Coll. Clafs. A. 9. (2.) * CALIG. A, 12. f. 128. 1 See Percy's BALL. i. 306. m Registr. Priorat. S. Šwithini Winton. ut fupr. vol. i. p. 89.]" In fefto Alwyni "epifcopi. Et durante pietancia in “ aulâ conventûs, fex MINISTRALLI, CUM "quatuor CITHARISATORIBUS, faciebant "miniftralcias fuas. Et poft cenam, in magna camera arcuatâ dom. Prioris, can"tabant idem GESTUM, in quâ camerâ fu 65 ..... fpendebatur, ut moris eft, magnum dor"fale Prioris, habens picturas trium regum "Colein. Veniebant autem dicti jocula"tores a caftello domini regis, et ex fami"liâ epifcopi....".The reft is much obliterated, and the date is hardly discernible. Among the Harleian manufcripts, there is an antient fong on the three kings of Cologne, in which the whole ftory of that favorite romance is refolved into al chemy. MSS. 2407. 13. fol. Wynkyn And the thre kinges, with all their company, In an Inventory of ornaments belonging to the church of Holbech in Lincolnshire, and fold in the year 1548, we find this article. "Item, for the COATS of the iii. "kyngs of Coloyne, vs. iiiid." I fuppofe thefe coats were for dreffing perfons who represented There was an annual mass at the fhrine or tomb of bishop Alwyne in the church, which was regularly followed by a feast in the convent. It is probable, that the GEST here specified was fome poetical legend of the prelate, to whose memory this yearly feftival was inftituted, and who was a Saxon bishop of Winchefter about the year 1040. Although fongs of chivalry were equally common, and I believe more welcome to the monks, at these folemnities. In an accompt-roll of the priory of Bicefter, in Oxfordshire, I find a parallel inftance, under the year 1432. It is in this. entry. "Dat. fex Miniftrallis de Bokyngham cantantibus " in refectorio MARTYRIUM SEPTEM DORMIENTIUM in ffefto. epiphanie, iv s." That is, the treasurer of the monastery. gave four fhillings to fix minstrels from Buckingham, for finging in the refectory a legend called the MARTYRDOM OF THE SEVEN SLEEPERS', on the feaft of the Epiphany. In the Cotton library, there is a Norman poem in Saxon characters. on this fubject'; which was probably tranflated afterwards. into English rhyme. The original is a Greek legend', never represented the three kings in fome procef fion on the NATIVITY. Or perhaps for a MYSTERY on the fubject, plaid by the parish. But in the fame Inventory, we have, Lem, for the apofylls [the apoftles] coats, and for HAROD's [Herod's] coate, &c. Stukeley's ITIN. CURIOS. pag. 19. In old accompts of church-wardens for faint Helen's at Abingdon, Berks, for the year 1566, there is an entry For fetting up RoBIN HOODES BOWER. I fuppofe for a parish interlude. ARCHEOL. vol. i. p. 16. " He is buried in the north wall of the prefbytery, with an inscription. • In Thefauriaro Coll. Trin. Oxon. [See fupr. vol. i. p. 90.] In the fourth century,, being inclosed: in a cave at Ephefus by the emperour De372 years, they were afterwards found fleeping, and alive. cius 4 MSS. Cott. CALIG. A. ix. iii. fol. 213. b. [See fupr. vol. i. p. 18.] "ci commence la vie de Seint dormanz.' ་ Lauertu beu tur tut supj bure MSS. Lambecc. viii. p. 375. Pho-tius, without naming the author, gives the fubftance of this Greek legend, Bibl. COD.. CCLIII. pag. 1399, edit. 1591. fol. This. ftory was common among the Arabians. The muffulmans borrowed many wonderful narratives from the chriftians, which they embellished with new fictions. They pretend that a dog, which was accidentally. fhut up in the cavern with the Seven fleepers, become rational. See Herbelót, DICT. ORIENT. p. 139. a. V.. ASHAB. p. 17. In the British Museum there is a poem,, partly in Saxon characters, De pueritia domini noftri Jhefu Crifti. Or, the childhood of Chrift. MSS. Harl. 2399, 10. fol. 47. begins thus. Alle myzhty god yn Trynyte, That bowth [bought] man on rode dere ;. A lytyl wyle that ye wylle me here. Who printed; but which, in the dark ages, went about in a barbarous Latin tranflation, by one Syrus'; or in a narrative framed from thence by Gregory of Tours'. Henry Bradshaw has rather larger pretenfions to poetical fame than William of Naffington, although fcarcely deferving the name of an original writer in any refpect. He was a native of Chefter, educated at Gloucester college in Oxford, and at length a Benedictine monk of faint Werburgh's abbey in his native place". Before the year 1500, he wrote the LIFE OF SAINT WERBURGH, a daughter of a king of the Mercians, in English verfe". This poem, befide the devout deeds and paffion of the poet's patronefs faint, Who would fufpect that this abfurd legend had also a Greek original? It was taken, I do not fuppofe immediately, from an apocryphal narrative afcribed to faint Thomas the apoftle, but really compiled by Thomas Ifraelites, and entitled, Λόγος εἰς τὰ παιδικὰ καὶ μεγαλεῖα το κυρία και φωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰης Xerole, Liber de pueritia et miraculis domini, It is printed in part by Cotelerius, Not. ad Patr Apoftol. p. 274. Who there mentions a book of Saint Matthew the Evangelift, De Infantia Salvatoris, in which our Lord is introduced learning to read, &c. &c. See Iren. lib. i. c. xvii. p. 104. Among other figments of this kind, in the Pfeudo-Gelafian Decree are recited, The biftory and nativity of our Saviour, and of Mary and the midwife. And, The history of the infancy of our Saviour. Jur. Can. DISTINCT. can. 3. The latter piece is mentioned by Anaftafius, where he cenfures as fuppofititious, the puerile miracles of Christ. Oday. c. xiii. p. 26. On the fame fubject there is an Arabic book, probably compiled foon after the rife of Mahometanifm, tranflated into Latin by Sikius, called EVANGELIUM INFANTIE, Arab. et Latin. Traject. ad Rhen. 1697. 8vo. In this piece, Chrift is examined by the Jewish doctors, in aftronomy, medicine, physics, and metaphyfics. Sikius fays, that the PUERILE MIRACLES of Chritt were common among the Per fians. Ibid. in Not. p. 55. Fabricius cites a German poem, more than four hundred years old, founded on these legends. Cod. Apocryph. Nov. TEST. tom. i. pag. 212. Hamburg. 1703. At the end of the English poem on this fubject above cited, is the following rubric. "Qöd dnus Johannes Arcitenens canoni cus Bodminie et natus in illa." Whether this canon of Bodmin in Cornwall, whofe name was perhaps Archer, or Bowyer, is the poet, or only the tranfcriber, I cannot fay. See fol. 48. In the fame _manufcript volume, [8.] there is an old English poem to our Saviour, with this note. "Explicit Contemplationem bonam. Quöd "dnus Johannes Arcuarius Canonicus Bod"minie." See what is faid, below, of the PSEUDO-EVANGELIUM attributed to Ni chodemus. Apud Surium, ad 27 Jul. Hiftoria Septem Dormientium. Parif. 1511. 4to. Ibid. 1640. And apud Ruinart. p. 1270. See Præf. Ruinart. §. 79. And Gregory himself De gloria martyrum, cap. 95. pag. 826. This piece is noticed and much commended by the old chronicler Albericus, ad ann. 319. " Athen. Oxon. i. p. 9. Pitf. 690. He declares, that he does not mean to rival Chaucer, Lydgate fententious, pregnaunt Barklay, and inventive Skelton. The two laft were his cotemporaries. L. ii. c. 24. comprehends |