Caxton's old tranflation, is as follows. "By the way they met with a knight, that was fent from : tale [Court Mantel] we have a mantle in the romance of Tristan, and in that of Perceval, it is a drinking-horn or cup; a fiction which has been borrowed both by Ariosto and Fontaine; as the mantle probably fuggested to Spénfer his Florimel's girdle." Notes to The Mantle made amifs, Way's Fabliaux, 1796.-Mr. Warton, in the Additions to his fecond volume of the Hiftory of English poetry, cites a fimilar experiment both of male and female fidelity from La Lai du Corn: "A magical horn, richly garnished, the work of a Fairy, is brought, by a beautiful boy riding on a fleet courfer, to a fumptuous feaft held at Caerleon by king Arthur, in order to try the fidelity of the knights and ladies, who are in number fixty thoufand. Those who are falfe, in drinking from this horn, fpill their wine. The only fuccefsful knight, or he who accomplishes the adventure, is Garaduc or Cradok." In the romance of Palmerin of England, I may add, a cup of dark congealed tears (fo rendered by magick) is made a teft of knightly loyalty; and the adventure is fuch, that "if any knight advance himfelfe to this cup, and is not a faithfull and conftant louer, the teares should remain dark and frozen." These tears were fhed by the only daughter of a king into a cup, during her captivity on account of her intrigue with a knight. She is delivered of a daughter, and dies. Her father "excellent well feene in the Art of Magicke," placed the child in an enchanted tower, and then "took this cup, wherein he congealed the tears, and brought them into ugly blackneffe. And at the houré of his death (feeing his kingdome should remain deftitute of an heire to fucceed him) he commanded this cup fhould be carried into all princes courts in the world, to paffe the hands of many noble knights, vntill [the] teares came to the first estate and condition; fo fhould the knight be found that furpaffeth all other in worthineffe and conftancy of love, as alfo that is able to expell and end the enchantment of the Princeffe Leonarda, who joyning mariage with her fhall gouerne the scepter and diademe of Thrace," or, if vowed to another, shall affign her a husband." Then arose a great noyle among the knights, who defired to try the cup, because their ladies fhould be better affured of their conftant love." Many attempt the adventure, but without fuccefs. At length Flo rendos and Albayzer achieve it: The cup then "received farre more brightneffe then euer it had before, and the teares. were brought into fuch an estate as though they had not beene Morgan le Faye to king Arthur; and this knight had a faire horne all garnished with gold; and the horne had such a virtue, that there might no ladie or gentlewoman drink of that horne, but if thee were true to her husband; and if thee were falfe, fhee should spill all the drinke; and fhee were true unto her lord, fhee might drink peaceably, &c." C. xlii. 98. Afterwards many trials are made with this Ariofto's copy begins with the following cup. verses, "Ecco un Donzello, a chi l'ufficio tocca, The inimitable Fontaine has new moulded this ftory from Ariofto, under the title of La coupe enchantee. As it is manifeft, from a comparison of paffages, that Ariofto was intimately converfant in this romance; fo I think we may fairly fuppofe that he drew from it the idea of his Orlando running mad with jealoufy. In La Morte d'Arthur, Sir Lancelot, fmitten with a jealous fit, is driven to madness, in which ftate he continues for the fpace of two years, performing a thoufand different pranks, no lefs extravagant than thofe of Orlando; and, like him, at last he recovers his fenfes. A popular and ridiculous romance was a fufficient hint for what we think a fine effort of poetry. I had forgot to remark before, that our author has borrowed the name of Materafta's [Malecafta's] caftle from that of Lancelot in La Morte d'Arthur : "The goodly frame "And ftately port of Castle Joyeous," F. Q. iii. i. 31. frozen at all." First Part of the Hift. of Palmerin of England, 4to. bl. 1. English translation, Ch. 90, 91, 92. TODD. Lancelot's Caftle is ftyled, by Caxton, Joyous gard, or caftle". This romance, or at leaft the ftories formed from it, fometimes furnished matter for theatrical exhibitions, as we learn from Shakspeare, II. Part Hen. IV. A. iii. S. iv. "SHALLOW. I remember' at Mile-end Green, when I lay at Clements-inn, I was Sir Dagonet in Arthur's Show." Where Theobald remarks, "The only intelligence I have gleaned of this worthy Wight [Sir Dagonet] is from Beaumont and Fletcher, in their Knight of the Burning Peftle." Sir Dagonet is an important character in La Morte d'Arthur. The magnificent Arthur bore a confiderable part in the old pageants. Thus, relating the marriage of prince Arthur, fon of Henry VII. fays Bacon, "In the devices and conceits of the triumphs of this marriage you may be fure that king Arthur the Briton, &c. was not forgotten." In our author's age, we find him introduced among the entertainments exhibited at the fplendid reception of lord Leicester. "Over the entrance of the court-gate was placed aloft upon a scaffold, as it had been in a cloud or fkie, Arthur of Britaine, whom they compared to the earl." Holing. Hift. Engl. vol. iii. p. 1426. Sidney, as appears from a curious converfation between B. Jonfon and Drummond of Hawthornden, recorded by the latter, intended to turn all the ftories of the Arcadia into the admired legend of Arthur and his Knights. In his Defence of Poefie he plainly hints at Caxton's romance. "I dare fay, that Orlando Furiofo, or "honeft King Arthur [his hiftory] will never dif " So Skelton, in the Crowne of Lawrell, p. 53, ed. ut fupr. "Of the paiants [pageants] that were played in Joyous Garde." T. WARTON. please a foldier. Ad Calc. The Counteffe of Pembroke's Arcadia, edit. 1638, p. 558. Caxton's recommendation of this book to the knights of England, conveys a curious picture of the times *. "O ye Knyghts of Englond! where is the custom and ufage of noble chyvalry that was ufid in those dayes? What do you now but go to the baynes, [baths], and playe at dyfe? And fome not well advised, ufe not honeft and good rule, agayn all order of knighthood. Leve this, leve it: And rede the noble volumes of Saynt Greal, of Lancelot, of Galaad, of Triftram, of Perfeforeft, of Percyval, of Gawayne, and many mo: There fhall ye fee manhode, curtoys, and gentlenes. And loke in latter dayes of the noble actes fyth the conqueft as in king Richard's dayes, Cuer de Lion : Edward I. and III. and his noble fones: Syr Robert Knolles, &c. Rede Froiffart. Alfo beholde that victorious and noble king, Harry the fifthie, &c." Afcham however tells us, "I know when God's bible was banished the court, and La Morte d'Arthur received into the prince's chamber." See his Scholemafter, &c. 4to. 1589. b. 1. p. 25. In the hall of the caftle of Tamworth, in Warwickshire, there is an old rude painting on the wall, of Sir Lancelot du Lake, and Sir Turquin, drawn in a gigantick fize, and tilting together. On Arthur's Round Table, as it is called, in the castle of Winchester, faid to be founded by Arthur, are infcribed in ancient characters, the names of twentyfour of his knights, juft as we find them in La Morte d'Arthur. This table was hanging there, in the year 1484, and was even then very old, being at that * From the boke of the Ordre of Chyvalry, or Knighthood: tranflated out of Frenfhe, and imprinted by William Caxton. Without date; perhaps 1484. 4to. T. WARTON. time, by tradition, called Arthur's round table. I prefume, that in commemoration of Arthur's inftitution, and in direct imitation of his practice, in later ages, a round table, infcribed with his knights, was ufually fixed in fome publick place, wherever any magnificent turney was held, on which probably the combatants were afterwards feafted. It is well known that tournaments were frequently celebrated in high fplendor at Winchefter; and this is perhaps one of thofe very tables. It was partly on account of a round table being thus actually exhibited, that these exercises were familiarly called by the hiftorians of the middle age, Tabula or Menfa Rotunda. Thus Walter Hemingford, to mention no more instances: "Eodem anno [1280] Tabula Rotunda tenebatur fumptuosè apud Warewyk." Ꮓ y See Caxton's Preface to La Morte d'Arthur. T: WARTON. z It was partly on account &c.] Harington, in the Notes on his tranflation of Orlando Furiofo, B. iv. tells us, that Arthur "instituted an order of the knights of the round table oncly (as it feemes) of fome meriment of hunting, or fome pleafant exercifes." TODD. a Vit. Edv. I. edit. Hearne, vol. i. p. 7. See Note, fupr. p. lxxv. It was often a general name for a tournament. However, every common tournament was not always ftrictly called fo. "Non ut in haftiludio illo quod communiter et vulgariter TORNEAMENTUM dicitur, fed potius in illo ludo militari qui MENSA ROTUNDA dicitur, vires fuas attemperarent." Matt. Paris, p. 1147. It was perhaps a peculiar Species of turney, fuch as was revived at Kenelworth-caftle, by earl Mortimer. At such a tournament as this, Chaucer's knight had often been the leading or principal champion, Prol. 51. "At Alleffandre he was when it was won, "Full oft timis he had the BORDE begon, But Speght (Gloff. Ch.) fays, "that, being often among the Knights of the Teutonick order in Pruffia, he was, for his worthiness, placed at the upper end of the table, before any, of what nation foever." T. WARTON. |