"Near this monaftery stands the most famous royal palace "of England; in which is that celebrated chamber, on "whose walls all the warlike hiftories of the whole Bible "are painted with inexpreffible skill, and explained by a "regular and complete feries of texts, beautifully written " in French over each battle, to the no fmall admiration of "the beholder, and the increase of royal magnificence 1.” This ornament of a royal palace, while it conveys a curious history of the arts, admirably exemplifies the chivalry and the devotion of the times, united. That part of the Old Teftament, indeed, which records the Jewish wars, was almost regarded as a book of chivalry: and their chief heroes, Joshua and David, the latter of whom killed a giant, are often recited among the champions of romance. France, the battles of the kings of Ifrael with the Philistines and Affyrians, were wrought into a grand volume, under the title of " Plufieurs Batailles des roys d'Ifrael en contre les "Philistines et Affyriens."

This palace was confumed by fire in 1299, but immediately rebuilt, I fuppose, by Edward the firft. Stowe's LONDON, P. 379. 387. edit. 1599. So that these paintings must have been done between the years 1299, and 1322. It was again deftroyed by fire in 1512, and never afterwards re-edified. Stowe, ibid. p. 389. About the year 1500, the walls of the Virgin Mary's chapel, built by prior Silkestede, in the cathedral of Winchefter, were elegantly painted with the miracles, and other itories, of the New Teftament, in small figures; many delicate traces of which now remain.

Falcandus, the old hiftorian of Sicily, who wrote about the year 1200, fays, that the chapel in the royal palace at Palermo, had its walls decorated" de lapillulis qua"dris, partim aureis, partim diverficolori"bus veteris ac novi Teftamenti depictam "hiftoriam continentibus." Sicil. Hiftor. p. 10. edit. Paris. 1550. 4to. But this was mofaic work, which, chiefly by means

Vol. II.

In

of the Crufades, was communicated to all parts of Europe from the Byzantine Greeks; and with which all the churches, and other public edifices at Conftantinople, were adorned. EPIST. de COMPARAT. Vet. et Nov. Romæ. p. 122. Man. Chryfolor. See fupr. vol. i. p. 354. Leo Oftienfis fays, that one of the abbots of Caffino in Italy, in the eleventh century, fent meffengers to Conftantinople, to bring over artificers in MOSAIC, to ornament the church of the monastery, after Rome or Italy had loft that art for five hundred years. He calls Rome magiftra Latinitas. Chron. Caffin. lib. iii. c. 27. Compare Muratori, ANTICH. ITALIAN. Tom. i. Diff. xxiv. p. 279. Nap. 1752. 4to.

MSS. Reg. [Brit. Muf.] 19 D. 7, fol. Among the Harleian manufcripts, there is an Arabic book, containing the Pfalms of David, with an additional pfalm, on the flaughter of the giant Goliah. MSS. Harl. 5476. See above.

With regard to the form of Hawes's poem, I am of opinion, that VISIONS, which are fo common in the poetry of the middle ages, partly took their rife from Tully's SomNIUM SCIPIONIS. Had this compofition defcended to pofterity among Tully's fix books de REPUBLICA, to the laft of which it originally belonged, perhaps it would have been overlooked and neglected. But being preserved, and illustrated with a prolix commentary, by Macrobius, it quickly attracted the attention of readers, who were fond of the marvellous, and with whom Macrobius was a more admired claffic than Tully. It was printed, fubjoined to Tully's OFFICES, in the infancy of the typographic art". It was tranflated into Greek by Maximus Planudes ̊; and is frequently quoted by Chaucer'. Particularly in the ASSEMBLY OF FOULES, he fuppofes himself to fall asleep after reading the SOMNIUM SCIPIONIS, and that Scipio fhewed. him the beautiful vision which is the fubject of that poem'. Nor is it improbable, that, not only the form, but the first

But they were extant about the year 1000, for they are cited by Gerbert. Epift. 83. And by Peter of Poitou, who died in 1197. See Barth. Adverf. xxxii. 5. 58. Leland fays, that Tully de REPUBLICA was confumed by fire, among other books, in the library of William Selling, a learned abbot of faint Auftin's at Canterbury, who died in 1494. SCRIPT. CELLINGUS. Venet. 1472. fol. Apud. Vindel. Spi

ram.

• Lambeccius mentions a Greek manufcript of Julian, a cardinal of S. Angelo, O OVEIROS TO EXITIwros. 5. p. 153. The DISPUTATIO of Favonius Elogius, a Carthaginian rhetorician, and a difciple of faint Austin, on the SOMNIUM SCIPIONIS, was printed by G. Schottus, Antw. 1613. 4to.

1 ROM. ROSE. lib. i. v. 7. {&c.] An author that hight MACROBE, That halte not dremis falfe ne lefe;

But undoth us the AVISION

That whilom met KING CIPIQUN. NONNES PR. TALE, V. 1238. Urr.

MACROBIUS that writith th' AVISION In Affricke, of the worthy SCIPION. DREME CH. v. 284. He mentions this as the most wonderful of dreams. House F. v. 407. lib. i. He defcribes a profpect more extenfive and various than that which Scipio faw in his dream.

That fawe in dreme, at point devife, Heven, and erth, hell, and paradife. And in other places.

He makes Scipio say to him, v. 110.

-Thou haft the fo wel borne

In looking of mine olde book al to torne,
Of which MACROBIE raught not a lite, &c.

idea

idea of Dante's INFERNO, was suggested by this favourite apologue; which, in Chaucer's words, treats

Of heaven, and hell,.

And yearth, and fouls, that therein dwell.

Not to insist on Dante's fubject, he uses the fhade of Virgil for a mystagogue; as Tully fuppofes Scipio to have shown the other world to his ancestor Africanus.

But Hawes's capital performance is a poem entitled, "THE PASSETYME OF PLEASURE, or the HISTORIE OF "GRAUNDE AMOURE and LA BAL PUCEL: contayning the knowledge of the seven sciences, and the course of man's lyfe in this worlde. Invented by Stephen Hawes, groome " of kyng Henry the feventh hys chambre." It is dedicated to the king, and was finished at the beginning of the year 1506.

cer.

If the poems of Rowlie are not genuine, the PASTIME OF PLEASURE is almost the only effort of imagination and invention which had yet appeared in our poetry fince ChauThis poem contains no common touches of romantic and allegoric fiction. The personifications are often happily fustained, and indicate the writer's familiarity with the Provencial school. The model of his versification and phraseology is that improved harmony of numbers, and facility of diction, with which his predeceffor Lydgate adorned our octave stanza. But Hawes has added new graces to Lydgate's manner. Antony Wood, with the zeal of a true antiquary, laments, that "fuch is the fate of poetry, that this book, "which in the time of Henry the seventh and eighth was

"taken into the hands of all ingenious men, is now "thought but worthy of a ballad-monger's ftall!" The truth is, fuch is the good fortune of poetry, and such the improvement of taste, that much better books are become fashionable. It must indeed be acknowledged, that this poem has been unjustly neglected: and on that account, an apology will be lefs neceffary for giving the reader a circumstantial analysis of its fubftance and design.

GRAUNDE AMOURE, the hero of the poem, and who fpeaks in his own person*, is represented walking in a delicious meadow. Here he discovers a path which conducts him to a glorious image, both whose hands are stretched out and pointing to two highways; one of which is the path of CONTEMPLATION, the other of ACTIVE LIFE, leading to the Tower of Beauty. He chufes the last-mentioned path, yet is often tempted to turn afide into a variety of bye-paths, which seemed more pleasant: but proceeding directly forward, he fees afar off another image, on whose breast is written, "This is the road to the Tower of DOCTRINE, he. "that would arrive there must avoid floth, &c." The even

* There is something dramatic in this eircumftance. Raimond Vidal de Befaudin, a troubadour of Provence, who flourished about the year 1200, has given the following dramatic form to one of his contes or tales. One day, fays the troubadour, Alphonfus, king of Caftille, whofe court was famous for good cheer, magnificence, loyalty, valour, the practice of arms and the management of horses, held a folemn affembly of minstrels and knights. When the hall was quite full, came his queen Eleanor, covered with a veil, and disguised in a close robe bordered with filver, adorned with the blafon of a golden lion who making obeyfance, feated herself at fome distance from the king. At this inftant, a minstrel advancing to the king, addreffed him thus. "O king, emperour "of valour, I come to fupplicate you to "give me audience." The king, under

;

pain of difgrace, ordered that no perfon fhould interrupt the minstrel in what he fhould fay. The minftrel had travelled from his own country to recite an adventure which had happened to a baron of Arragon, not unknown to king Alphonfus: and he now proceeds to tell no unaffecting story concerning a jealous hufband. At the clofe, the minstrel humbly requests the king and queen, to banifh all jealous husbands from their dominions. The king replied, "MINSTREL, your tale is pleasant and gentle, " and you shall be rewarded. But to fhew you ftill further how much you have "entertained me, I command that hence"forth your tale fhall be called Le JALOUX "CHATIE." Our troubadour's tale is greatly enlivened by these accompaniments, and by being thrown into the mouth of a minstrel.

ing being far advanced, he fits down at the feet of the image, and falls into a profound fleep; when, towards the morning, he is fuddenly awakened by the loud blaft of a horn. He looks forward through a valley, and perceives a beautiful lady on a palfrey, swift as the wind, riding towards him, encircled with tongues of fire'. Her name was FAME, and with her ran two milk-white greyhounds, on whose golden collars were infcribed in diamond letters Grace and Governaunce". Her palfrey is Pegafus; and the burning tongues denote her office of configning the names of