translation, of which there is a copy in the British Museum", and which was printed at Lyons in the year 1483, is the original of Lydgate's poem. This Laurence or Laurent, fometimes called Laurent de Premierfait, a village in the diocefe of Troies, was an ecclefiaftic, and a famous tranflator. He alfo tranflated into French Boccacio's DECAMERON, at the request of Jane queen of Navarre: Cicero DE AMICITIA and DE SENECTUTE; and Ariftotle's Oeconomics, dedicated to Louis de Bourbon, the king's uncle. These verfions appeared in the year 1414 and 1416°. Caxton's TULLIUS OF OLD AGE, or DE SENECTUTE, printed in 1481, is tranflated from Laurence's French verfion. Caxton, in the postscript, calls him Laurence de primo facto.

Lydgate's poem confifts of nine books, and is thus entitled in the earliest edition. "The TRAGEDIES gathered by Jhon BOCHAS of all fuch princes as fell from theyr "eftates throughe the mutability of fortune fince the CREACION of ADAM until his time, &c. Tranflated into English by John Lidgate monke of Burye'." The best and most authentic manufcript of this piece is in the British Museum; probably written under the inspection of the author, and perhaps intended as a prefent to Humphrey duke of Glocefter, at whofe gracious command the poem, as I have before hinted, was undertaken. It contains among

numerous miniatures illuftrating the feveral hiftories, portraits of Lydgate, and of another monk habited in black, perhaps an abbot of Bury, kneeling before a prince, who feems to be faint Edmund, feated on a throne under a canopy, and grasping an arrow'.

The work is not improperly styled a fet of tragedies. It is not merely a narrative of men eminent for their rank and misfortunes. The plan is perfectly dramatic, and partly suggested by the pageants of the times. Every personage is fuppofed to appear before the poet, and to relate his respective sufferings: and the figures of these spectres are fometimes finely drawn. Hence a fource is opened for moving compaffion, and for a display of imagination. In fome of the lives the author replies to the speaker, and a fort of dialogue is introduced for conducting the ftory. Brunchild, a queen of France, who murthered all her children, and was afterwards hewn in pieces, appears thus.

She came, arayed nothing like a quene,

Her hair untreffed, Bochas toke good hede;
In al his booke he had afore not fene
A more wofull creature indede,

With weping eyne, to torne was al her wede:
Rebuking Bochas cause he' had left behynde
Her wretchednes for to put in mynde".

Yet in fome of these interesting interviews, our poet excites pity of another kind. When Adam appears, he familiarly accosts the author with the falutation of Cofyn Bochas'.

Nor does our dramatist deal only in real characters and historical perfonages. Baccacio ftanding penfive in his library, is alarmed at the fudden entrance of the gigantic and mon

MSS. Harl. 1766. fol. 5.
Lib. vii. f. xxi. a. col. 1.

i B. i. fol. i. a. col. 2. In the fame ftyle he calls Ixion Juno's fecretary. B. i. ch. xii. fol. xxi. b. col. 2.

1

ftrous

ftrous image of FORTUNE, whofe agency has fo powerful and univerfal an influence in human affairs, and especially in effecting thofe viciffitudes which are the fubject of this work. There is a Gothic greatnefs in her figure, with fome touches of the grotesque. An attribute of the early poetry of all nations, before ideas of selection have taken place. I muft add, that it was Boethius's admired allegory on the CONSOLATION OF PHILOSOPHY, which introduced perfonification into the poetry of the middle ages.

Whyle Bochas penfyfe ftode in his lybrarye,
Wyth chere oppreffed, pale in hys vyfage,
Somedeale abashed, alone and solitarye;
To hym appeared a monftruous ymage,
Parted in twayne of color and corage,
Her ryght fyde ful of fommer floures,
The tother oppreffed with winter ftormy showres.

Bochas aftonied, full fearfull to abrayde,
When he beheld the wonderfull fygure
Of FORTUNE, thus to hymfelf he fayde.
"What may this meane? Is this a creature,
"Or a monftrè transfourmed agayne nature,
"Whose brenning eyen spercle of their lyght,
"As do the sterres the frofty wynter nyght?"

And of her cherè ful god hede he toke;
Her face femyng cruel and terrible,
And by disdaynè menacing of loke;

Her heare untrussd, harde, sharpe, and horyble,
Frowarde of shape, lothsome, and odible:
An hundred handes fhe had, of eche part*,
In fondrye wife her gyftes to departe'.

* On either fide.

1 Diftribute.

Some

Some of her handès lyft up men alofte,
To hye estate of wordlye dignitè;
Another handè griped ful unsofte,
Which caft another in grete adverfite,
Gave one richeffe, another poverte, &c.-

Her habyte was of manyfolde colours,
Watchet blewè of fayned stedfastnesse,
Her gold allayd like fun in watry showres,

m

Meynt TM with grene, for chaunge and doubleneffe.

Her hundred hands, her burning eyes, and disheveled treffes, are fublimely conceived. After a long filence, with a ftern countenance fhe addreffes Bochas, who is greatly terrified at her horrible appearance; and having made a long harangue on the revolutions and changes which it is her business to produce among men of the most profperous condition and the most elevated station, fhe calls up Caius Marius, and presents him to the poet.

Blacke was his wede, and his habyte also,

His heed unkempt, his lockès hore and gray,
His loke downe-cast in token of forowe and wo;
On his chekès the faltè teares lay,

Which bare recorde of his deadly affray.

His robè ftayned was with Romayne blode,
His fworde aye redy whet to do vengeaunce;
Lyke a tyraunt moft furyouse and wode",

In slaughter and murdre set at his plesaunce".

She then teaches Bochas how to defcribe his life, and disappears.

Thefe wordès faydè, Fortune made an ende,
She bete her wynges, and toke her to flyght,
I can not fè what waye fhe did wende;
Save Bochas telleth, lyke an angell bryght,
At her departing fhe fhewed a great lyght'.

In another place, Dante," of Florence the laureate poete, "demure of loke fullfilled with patience," appears to Bochas; and commands him to write the tale of Gualter duke of Florence, whofe days for his tiranny, lechery, and covetyfe, ended in mifchefe. Dante then vanishes, and only duke Gualter is left alone with the poet. Petrarch is also introduced for the fame purpose '.

The following golden couplet, concerning the prodigies which preceded the civil wars between Cefar and Pompey, indicate dawnings of that poetical colouring of expreffion, and of that facility of verfification, which mark the poetry of the present times.

Serpents and adders, fcaled fylver-bryght,

Were over Rome fene flying al the nyght'.

These verses, in which the poet describes the reign of Saturn, have much harmony, ftrength, and dignity.

Fortitude then ftode ftedfast in his might,
Defended wydowes, cherishd chastity;
Knyghtehood in prowes gave fo clere a light,
Girte with his sworde of truthe and equity '.

Apollo, Diana, and Minerva, joining the Roman army,
Rome was befieged by Brennus, are poetically touched.

P Ibid. fol. cxxxix. a. col. 2. 9 B. ix. fol. xxxiv. b. col. 1. 2. In ano、ther place Dante's three books on heaven, purgatory, and hell, are particularly commended. B. iv. Prol, fol. xciii. a. col. 1.

when

B. viii. fol. 1. Prol. a. b. He mentions all Petrarch's works, Prol. B. iv. fol. 93. a. col. 1.

B. vi. fol. 147. a. col. 1.

t B. vii. fol. 161. b. col. 1.

Appollo