*

bours. Among these the progress from poetical hiflory to poetical fiction is very difcernable: they have fome of the latter kind, that are in effect complete Romances of Chivalry |}. They have aljo a multitude of SAGAS or hiftories on romantic fubjects, containing a mixture of profe and verse, of various dates, fome of them written fince the times of the CruJades, others long before: but their narratives in verse only are efteemed the more ancient.

With regard to the Saxons and Franks, who it should feem bad made their irruptions into Britain and Gaul, before prafe compofitions were known in the North, they had originally their fabulous ftories and tales of amusement wholly in verse. The firft Romances of Chivalry that were known in France were in metre †, and so were those that were current in England. In both kingdoms tales in verse were usually Sung by minstrels to the harp on feftival occafions: and probably both nations derived their relish for this fort of entertainment from their Gothic ancestors, without borrowing it either from the other. In both nations narrative fongs on true or fictitious Jubjects had doubtless obtained from the earliest times. But the profeffed Romances ef Chivalry seem to have been first compofed in France; where also they had their name.

The Latin Tongue, as is obferved by an ingenious writer ‡, ceafed to be spoken in France about the ninth century, and was fucceeded by what was called the ROMANCE Tongue, a mixture of the language of the Franks and bad Latin. As the Songs of Chivalry became the most popular compofitions in that language, they were emphatically called ROMANS or RoMANTS; tho' this name was at firft given to any piece of Poetry.

See a Specimen at the end of L'Edda par M. Mallet. 4to 1756. * Eccardi Hift. Stud. Etym. 1711. p. 179, &c. Hickes's Thefaur. Vol. 2. p. 314.

San Graal, Perceval, Lancelot du Lac, &c. were among the first prole Romances in French, yet these were originally composed in me... tre. See a Note of Wanley's in Harl. Catalog. Num. 2252. p. 49. &c. Nicholfon's Eng. Hift. Library. 2d. Ed. p. 91. &c.. - See alfo a curious Collect, of old French Romances with Mr. Wanley's account of thefe fort of pieces in Harl. MSS. Cat. 978. 106.

The Author of the Effay on the Genius of Pope, p. 282.

etry. The Romances of Chivalry can be traced as early as the eleventh Century §. Le Roman de Brut by Maiflre Euftache was written in 1155: But it is well known to Hiftorians, that (long before this) when William the Conqueror with his Normans marched down to the battle of Haflings, they animated themfelves by finging (in fome popular Romance or Ballad) the exploits of Roland, the great Hero of Chivalry.

So early as this I cannot trace the Songs of Chivalry in English. The most ancient I have feen, is that of Hornechild described below, which feems not earlier than the twelfth century. However, as this rather resembles the Saxon poetry, than the French, it is not certain that the first English Romances were tranflated from that language. We have feen above that a propenfity to this kind of fiction prevailed among all the Gothic nations; and, tho' after the Norman Conquest, both the French and English tranflated each others Romances, There is no room to doubt, but each of them compofed original pieces of their own.

The ftories of King Arthur and his round table, may be reasonably fuppofed of the growth of this ifland; both the English and the French had them from the Britons *. The ftcries of Guy and Bevis, with fome others, were probably the invention of English Minstrels: on the other hand, the English procured tranflations of fuch Romances as were most current in France, and in the Lift given at the conclufion of thefe Remarks, many are doubtless of French original.

The firft PROSE books of Chivalry that appeared in our language, were thofe printed by Caxton ; at least, these are

b iv

§ Ibid. p. 283. Hift. Lit. Tom. 6. 7.

the

The Welsh have fome very old Romances about K. Arthur, but as these are in profe, they are not probably their first pieces that were composed on that subject.

Recuyel of the Hyftoryes of Troy, 1471. Godfroye of Boloyne, 1481. Le Morte de Arthur, 1485. The Life of Charlemagne, 1485. &c. As the old Minftrelfy wore out, profe books of Chivalry became more admired, especially after the Spanish Romances began to be tranflated into English towards the end of Q. Elizabeth's reign: then the most popular metrical Romances began to be reduced into profe, as $ig Guy, Bevis, &c.

the firft I have been able to difcover, and thefe are all tranflations from the French. Whereas Romances of this kind had been long current in metre, and were fo generally admired in the time of Chaucer, that his Rhyme of fir Thopas was evidently written to ridicule and burlesque them *.

He exprefsly mentions feveral of them by name in a flanza, which I fhall have occafion to quote more than once in this volume.

Men fpeken of Romaunces of Price,

Of Horne-Child, and Ipotis,

Of Bevis, and fir Guy,

Of Sir Libeaux and Blandamoure,

But Sir Thopas bereth the floure,
Of riall chevalirie.

Moft, if not all, of these are fill extant in MS, in fome or other of our libraries, as I fhall fhew in the conclufion of this flight Efay, where I fhall give a lift of fuch metrical Hiftories and Romances as have fallen under my obfervation.

As many of thefe contain a confiderable portion of poetic merit, and throw great light on the manners and opinions of former times, it were to be wished that fome of the best of them were refcued from oblivion. A judicious collection of them accurately published with proper illuftrations, would be an important acceffion to our flock of ancient English Literature. Many of them exhibit no mean attempts at Epic Poetry, and tho' full of the exploded fictions of Chivalry, frequently difplayTM great defcriptive and inventive powers in the Bards, who compofed them. They are at least generally equal to any other poetry of the fame age. They cannot indeed be put in competition with the nervous productions of fo univerfal and commanding a genius as Chaucer, but they have a fimplicity that makes them be read with less interruption, and be more eafily

under

*See Extract from a Letter in Mr. Warton's Obfervations, Vol. 2. P. 139. [Where in p. 140. inftead of "Moft of these &c" read "Many of the old poetical Romances are in the very fame metre, &c.. The old black-letter Edit. in p. 142. proves to be one of Speght's.]

underflood: and they are far more fpirited and entertaining than the tedious allegories of Gower, or the dull and prolix legends of Lydgate. Yet, while fo much firefs is laid upon the writings of thefe laft, by fuch as treat of English poetry, the old metrical Romances tho' far more popular in their time are bardly known to exift. But it has happened unluckily that the antiquaries, who have revived the works of our ancient writers, have been for the most part men void of tafle and genius, and therefore have always faftidiously rejected the old poetical Romances, because founded on fictitious or popular fsubjets, while they have been careful to grub up every petty fragment of the most dull and infipid rhimift, whofe merit it was to deform morality, or objcure true history. Should the public encourage the revival of fome of thofe ancient Epic Songs of Chivalry, they would frequently fee the rich ore of an Ariofto or a Taffo, tho' buried it may among the rubbish and dross of barbarous times.

be

Such a publication would answer many important uses: It would throw new light on the rife and progress of English poetry, the hiftory of which can be but imperfectly underflood, if these are neglected: it would also ferve to illuftrate innumerable paffages in our ancient claffic poets, which without their help must be for ever obfcure. For not to mention Chaucer and Spencer, who abound with perpetual allufions to them; I fhail give an infance or two from Shakespeare, by way of fpecimen of their use.

In his play of KING JOHN our great Dramatic poet alludes to an exploit of Richard I, which the reader will in vain look for in any true hiftory. Faulconbridge fays to his mother, Act. 1. fc. 1.

"Needs muft you lay your heart at his difpofe...
"Against whofe furie and unmatched force,

"The awlefie lion could not wage the fight

"Nor keepe his princely heart.from Richard's hand:

"He that perforce robs Lions of their hearts

May eally winne a woman's: ",

The

The fact here referred to, is to be traced to its fource only in the old Romance of RICHARD CEUR DE LYON *, in which bis encounter with a Lion makes a very shining figure. I fhall give a large extract from this poem, as a fpecimen of the manner of these old rhapfodifts, and to fhew that they did not in their fictions neglect the proper means to produce the ends, as was afterwards done in jo childijh a manner in the profe books of Chivalry: The poet tells us, that Richard in his return from the Holy Land having been difcovered in the habit of "a palmer in Almayne," and apprehended as a py, was by the king thrown into prifon. Wardrewe the king's fon hearing of Richard's great ftrength, defires the jailor to let him have a fight of his prifoners. Richard being the foremost, Wardrewe asks him if he dare ftand a buffet from his hand?" and that on the morrow he shall return him another. Richard confents and receives a blow that flaggers him. On the morrow, having previously waxed his hands, he waits his antagonist's arrival. Wardrewe accordingly, proceeds the story, held forth as a trewe man," and Richard gave him fuch a blow on the cheek, as broke his jaw-bone and killed him on the spot. king to revenge the death of his fon orders by the advice of one Eldrede, that a Lion kept purposely from food, should be turned loofe upon Richard. But the king's daughter having fallen in love with him, tells him of her father's refolution and at his request procures him forty ells of white filk" ker"chers;" and here the defcription of the Combat begins,

The kever-chefes † he toke on honde,
And aboute his arme he wonde;

The

And

* Dr. Grey has fhewn that the fame story is alluded to in Raftell's Chronicle: As it was doubtless originally had from the Romance, this is proof that the old metrical Romances throw light on our old writers in profe: many of our ancient Hiftorians have recorded the fictions of Romance.

ti. e. Handkerchiefs. Here we have the etymology of the word, yiz. "Couvre le chef."