We learn from the following paffage in Skelton, who wrote in the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII. what books and ftories were then the delight of english readers, and the fashion of the times. I can rede and spell Of the Tales of Canterbury, As Palemon and Arcet, Duke Thefeus and Partelet; And tell can a grete pece How Jafon it wan Like a valiant man. Of ARTUR's round table, With his knights commendable; How dame Gaynour his queen, Was fomewhat wanton, I ween; For his ladies fake: Of Trifton and King Marke, Of Bel fold his wife....... } And And of Syr Libius, [Libeaux] Of quater fils Aymund, And how they were fommond And how they rode eche one, And of Cafar Julius ; And of the love between *Paris and Viene‡: And of duke Hanyball...... * The entire hiftory of Charlemagne was firft imported into England by Caxton, who printed the Hyftory and Lyf of the most noble and criften prince, Charles the Great, Kyng of Fraunce, and Emperor of Rome, &c. 1485. In this book, befides those of Charlemagne, we have the atchievements of Richard of Normandy, Rowland and Oliver, the Four Sons of Aymon, &c. It confifts of three parts; and was compiled by the tranflator, Caxton, from two french books, by the advice of Henry Bolounyer, canon of Laufanne. The firft and third part were drawn from a book which he calls Myrrour Hiftoryall; the fecond from an old french romance. Lewis, in his Life of Caxton, pag. 97. mentions a hiftory of Charlemagne, written in french, by Christiana of Pisa, 1404. † A horfe famous in romance, belonging to Reynaldos of Montauban. A romance printed by Caxton, viz. Thyftorye of the noble, right valyant, and worthy Knight Parys, and of the fayre Vyenne, the Daulphyns Doughter of Vyennoys; the which fuffered many adversyties, because of their true love, &c, fol. 1485. It is tranflated from the french. And though I can expound And of the love fo hote Upon faire Crefeide*, &c. ..... In the account of queen Elizabeth's entertainment at Kenelworth Caftle, quoted above t, the curious reader may find a catalogue of feveral old pieces in the romantic and humourous kind. Hall, bishop of Norwich, in his Satires, published in 1597, mentions the following favorite ftories. No man his threshold better knowes, than I St. George's forell, or his craffe of blood, Arthur's round board, or Caledonian wood: Or holie battles of bold Charlemayne, What were his knights did Salem's fiege maintayne: The dauphin is Sir Godfrey of Alaunfon, coufin to Charles, king of France, 1271. *The story of Troilus and Creffida became very popular from Chaucer's poem on the subject. He took it from Lollius, an historiographer of Urbino in Italy. As write mine auctour, callid Lollius. Tr. and Cr. 1. 395. Lollius is honoured with a niche in the House of Fame, 3. 380. as one of the writers of the trojan ftory. † Pag. 28. vol. I. Jerufalem. Godfrey of Bulloigne, the subject of Taffo's How How the mad rival § of faire Angelice, B. i. c. xii. f. xxxix. Many an angels voice, Singing before th' eternall majestie Thus in An Hymne of heavenly Love; of angels, There they, in their trinal triplicities, About him wait. The image of the angels waiting in their trinal triplicities, puts me in mind of a passage in Milton's Lycidas, where the pointing feems to be wrong. There entertain him all the faints above, According to the present punctuation, the sense is, "The faints who are in folemn troops, and sweet "focieties, entertain him;" or, entertain him in [among] their folemn troops, and fweet focieties: but if the comma was ftruck off after focieties, another and § Orlando, in Ariosto. B. 6, fat. I, more more beautiful meaning would be introduced, viz. "The faints who SING IN folemn troops and fweet "focieties, entertain him, &c." B. ii. c. iii. f. xxiv. Of Belphæbe speaking, And twixt the pearles and rubies foftly brake A filver found. Thus in Sonnet 81. But faireft fhe, when so she doth display The gate with pearles, and rubies richly dight, Ariofto gives us pearls and corall for the lips and teeth. Che da i coralli, e da le pretiofe Perle ufcir fanno i dolci accenti mozzi *. The corall and the perle by nature wrought. This is common in the italian poets. B. ii. c. iii. f. xxv. Upon her eyelids many graces fate * C. 12. f. ult. Harrington. |