POETRY, ROMANCES, AND OTHER WORKS OF FICTION. 349 Marci Accii Plauti Comœdiæ viij; Amphitrio, Asinaria, Captivi, Curgulio, Casina, Cistellaria, Epidicus, Aulularia, cum variis lectionibus. MANUSCRIPT, of the fifteenth century, on paper, 4to. 4l. 4s. Written in the Italic cursive character, with the initial letters of each play illuminated. From some lines which the scribe has affixed at the end, we learn that his name was Petrus Cennina. 350 DUE FAVOLE DI OVIDIO tradotte in ottava rima nel secolo XIV;-Epistolæ Variæ;-Canzoni Varie. ON VELLUM, of the sixteenth century, 8vo. MANUSCRIPT 21. 12s. 6d The translations of Ovid are of very early date, lo stile è Toscano ma del 1300 o al più al principio del 1400.' They consist of the story of Penelope, and of Phædra and Hippolytus. The rest of the volume is of a very miscellaneous nature, and written at different periods of time. There are contained in it: Songs; an Inscription containing an ancient will, copied from an old marble in Spain; Medical Recipes; Historical Memoranda, &c. &c. 351 ALAIN CHARTIER.-Le Quadrilogue invectif d'Alain Chartier, traictie contre le Roi d'Angleterre (Edouard III.) "Cy commence ung petit traictie de conseil compile par reuerent pere en dieu guillaume euesque de tournay.' L'Esperance, ou Consolation des trois vertus, la Foy, l'Esperance et la Charité. A BEAUTIFUL MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, of the fifteenth century, in the original binding, with bosses, the gilt leaves and sides stamped with fleurs-de-lis, 16/. 16s. ALAIN CHARTIER, 'Pere de l'Eloquence Française,' was Secretary to Charles V. VI. and VII. of France, and the most esteemed French poet and orator of his time, some venture to add, historian. He was a great favourite at court, and aided Agnes Sorel in her endeavours to rouse Charles VII. from his luxurious sloth to war against the English. The well known auecdote of the compliment paid to him by Margaret of Scotland, wife of Louis, (XI.) then Dauphin, was first (and is best) told by Bouchet,-'un jour ainsi qu'elle passoit par une salle, où ledit Maistre Alain se estoit endormy sur ung banc, comme il dormoit le fut baiser deuant toute la compagnie: dont celuy qui la menoit fut enuieux, et luy dist: madame, ie suis esbahy comment auez baisé cest homme qui est si laid, car à la verité il n'auoit pas beau visage. Et elle fist response: Je n'ay pas baisé l'homme, mais la precieuse bouche, de laquelle sont yssuz et sortis tant de bons mots et vertueuses paroles.' The title of the first piece in this volume explains itself, the second appears to be the production of the then Bishop of Tournay, for the use of the prince, (probably of Charles VII.): it is not a translation from either of the two authors of the thirteenth century, known respectively as' Gulielmus Tornacensis.' The last piece, a mixture of prose and verse, is one of the most interesting of Chartier's works, it contains a valuable picture of the wretched and degenerate state of France in morals, which he deeply laments,-' plus il y a. Car ce fol langage court auiourd'huy entre les curiaulx que noble homme ne doit scavoir les lettres, et tiennent à reprouche de gentilesse bien lire ou bien escrire.' Another work by Chartier, his Curial (Courtier) was translated and printed by Caxton. The Manuscript is written upon very beautiful vellum, with numerous illuminated and painted initials; the first leaf of each treatise is surrounded with a richly illuminated border, containing at the bottom the arms of the noble family of Coëtquen of Brittany, for whom the MS. must have been executed, (bendy of six, argent and gules.) This family, one of the most illustrious in that province, were Counts of Combourg, and were raised to the rank of Marquis of Coëtquen by Henry III. in 1575. The family is now merged in that of the Duke de Duras. 352 EARLY FRENCH POETRY, &c. viz. MANUSCRIPT ON i. LE PELERINAGE DE VIE HUMAINE. VELLUM, of the fourteenth century, with seventy-nine curious and rude drawings, folio, the first leaf damaged. An early MS. of this singular romance in verse. It was written about 1330, by Guillaume de Guilleville or De Guigneville, a Bernardine monk of the Abbey of Chaalis, in the Diocese of Senlis. Not only in early ages, but in later also, mankind have been found less willing to be instructed by abstract reasoning, than by fables or similitudes. Hence the popularity of the old religious fictions,—the 'Pilgrim's Progress' of our days, confessedly excels all other productions of its kind and though some have endeavoured to trace its prototype in earlier works, it was, probably, a perfectly spontaneous and original effort of the genius of its unlettered author.' : We can hardly suspect the Bedford Tinker of plagiarism from an old French mystery; but there is certainly more resemblance between his work and this performance, than Dante's 'Divina Commedia,' which some have considered to be his prototype. De Guilleville, however, is generally considered to have taken his plan from Dante. But a French prose version of this Romance was early translated into English, and was printed by Caxton in 1483, under the title of 'Pilgrimage of the Sowle :' now, as 'CAXTONS' were not SO recherchés in 1660, when Bunyan wrote, as in 1812, at the Roxburghe sale, and were then, perhaps, in the hands of the more common people, (one great cause of their present rarity,) it is far froin improbable that Bunyan had read this translation. Even were this proved, it would not detract from the merit of his Pilgrim's Progress, which, as it is one of the most original and ingenious books in the English language, so also it seems to defy successful imitation, for even the learned Bishop Patrick toiled after him in vain.' ii. Credo, Pater Noster, et Ave Maria, in versibus rythmicis fact per peregrinum.' MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, of the fourteenth century. This curious piece consists of seven leaves in the same hand-writing with the preceding, and is probably also the work of De Guigneville, 'the pilgrim.' Twelve lines of verse are given in explanation of each word in the credo, &c. We believe these have never been printed. iii. Rescripsio unius cordigeri qui abiit in Regionem Tartarorum ex precepto pape et regis francie, quomodo se habuit inter tartaros et etiam in itinere. MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, of the early part of the fifteenth century. These are the Travels of William of Rubruc, Ruybrock, Rubroc, or Rubruquis, a Cordelier, who was sent into Tartary about the year 1253, by Fope Innocent IV. and Louis IX. of France (St. Louis). According to Pitseus, Rubrock was an Englishman. His early account of these countries is very curious. iv. Le Confort de Maistre Jehan de meun. MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, of the fourteenth century, with three curious and rude drawings, (damaged, three drawings having been cut out.) Jehan de Meung dit Clopinel is well known as the continuator, after Lorris, of the celebrated Roman de la Rose.' This piece is otherwise known as his 'Codicile et Testament.' The above four works are contained in one volume folio, in old french calf binding, reuses. 102. 10s. 353 ROMAN EN VERS, contenant les Regrets de trois dames amouA BEAUTIFUL MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, of the fifteenth century, wITH TWELVE LARGE AND HIGHLY FINISHED MINIATURE PAINTINGS, 4to., in old red morrocco binding, richly tooled, 15/. 15s, This very fine MS. is described by one of its former possessors as a work of Alain Chartier, on the authority, we suppose, of the following passage, which occurs in the fifth page of the introduction: 'Lors quand ie vey vng si piteux obiect Pour les seruir comme elles ont mestier." We do not find any such piece attributed to him by his biographers, and it is not contained nor mentioned in André Duchesne's edition of Chartier's works, which is not only the most complete, but has some that are falsely ascribed to him. The above lines are only complimentary to Chartier, one of whose most admired poems the author of this romance has evidently wished to imitate, both in the subject and in the measure of the verse; the 'Livre des Quatre Dames,' in which Chartier introduces four ladies lamenting the loss of their lovers at the fatal battle of Agincourt, in October 1415. It does not appear who is the author of this romance, but it is a poem of considerable merit, and we cannot find that it has been printed. At the commencement is emblazoned a large coat of arms, containing these bearings, Quarterly; i. also quarterly of Castile and Leon, for De Foix; ij. Azure, semée of France, a tower machicollated argent, for |