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And in another place.

Wherefore who lyft to learn the perfect trade

Of venerie, &c..

Let him give ear to skillfull TRISTRAM's lore *.

Many of the precepts contained in the BOOK of SIR TRISTRAM are often referred to in this treatise of Tuberville.

From this romance our author alfo took the hint of his BLATANT BEAST; which is there called the QUESTING BEAST §. "Therewithall the King faw 66 coming towards him the strangest beast that ever "he faw, or heard tell off.-And the noyfe was in "the beafts belly like unto the Queftin of thirtie "couple of houndes." The QUESTING BEAST is afterwards more particularly described. "That had "in fhap an head like a ferpent's head, and a body "like a liberd, buttocks like a lyon, and footed like "a hart; and in his body there was such a noyse, as "it had been the noyfe of thirtie couple of houndes << Queftyn, and fuch a noyse that beast made where"foever he went +." Spenfer has made him a much

*Pag. 40. See also Mort. Arth. B. ii. c. 138.

§ B. ii. c. 53.

He is alfo called the GLATISANT BEAST. ibid. B. ii. c. 98. "Tell them that I am the knight that followeth the Glatifant Beast, "that is to fay, in English, the QUESTING BEAST, &c."

more

more monftrous animal than he is here reprefented to be, and in general has varied from this description. But there is one circumstance in Spenser's reprefentation, in which there is a minute refemblance, viz.speaking of his mouth,

And therein were a thousand tongues empight,
Of fundry kindes, and fundry qualities,
Some were of dogs that barked night and day.
And fome, &c.

6. 12. 27.

So dreadfully his hundred tongues did bray.

5. 12. 41.

By what has been hitherto faid, perhaps the reader may not be perfuaded, that Spenfer, in his BLATANT BEAST, had the QUESTING BEAST of our romance in his eye. But the poet has himself taken care to inform us of this: for we learn, from the romance, that certain knights of the round table were destined to perfue the QUESTING BEAST perpetually without fuccefs which Spenser, speaking of this BLATANT BEAST, hints at in these lines.

Albe that long time after Calidore,

The good Sir Pelleas him took in hand,

And after him Sir Lamoracke of yore,

And all his brethren born in Britaine land,

Yet none of these could ever bring him into band.

6. 12. 39.

Sir

Sir Lamoracke and Sir Pelleas are two very valourous champions of Arthur's round table.

This romance supplied our author with the story of the mantle made of the * beards of knights, and locks of ladies. The last circumstance is added by Spenser.

For may no knight or ladie paffe along

That way (and yet they needs must passe that way)
By reason of the ftreight and rocks among,

But they that ladies lockes do fhave away,

And that knights berd for toll, which they for paffage pay. 6. 1. 13.

Afterwards,

His name is Crudor, who through high difdaine,
And proud defpyght of his felfe-pleafing mynd,
Refused hath to yeald her love againe,

Untill a mantle fhe for him do find,

With berds of knights, and lockes of ladies lynd.

6. 3. 15.

Thus in MORTE ARTHUR." Came a meffengersaying, that king Ryence had discomfited, and

* Immense Beards seem to have had a wonderful influence in the proper œconomy of an enchantment. Thus we see the barber, who was to perfonate the Squire of the Princess Micomicona has "una gran barba, &c." D. Quix. parte prim. c. 26. libro 3.

And the Countess of Trifaldi's Squire is described parte 2. lib. vii. . 36. as wearing " la mas larga, la mas horrida, &c."

overcomen

"overcomen eleaven knights, and everiche of them ❝ did him homage; and that was this; they gave " him their beards cleane flayne of as much as there "was: wherefore the meffenger came for king Ar"thur's berd: for king Ryence had purfeled a man"tell with king's beards, and there lacked for one "place of the mantell. Wherefore he fent for his "berd; or else hee would enter into his lands, and "brenn and fley, and never leave, till he have thy "head and beard." After this paffage we have an antient ballad †, the subject of which is this infolent demand of king Ryence. Drayton §, in his Polyolbion, fpeaks of a coat compofed of the beards of kings. He is celebrating king Arthur.

As how great Rithout's felf, he flew in his repair
And ravisht Howel's niece, young Helena the fair.
And for a trophie brought the giant's coat away,
Made of the beards of kings.

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* B. i. c. 24. †This is alfo printed in P. Enderbury's CAMBRIA TRIUMPHANS, Lond. p. 197.

§ I must take this opportunity of mentioning a circumstance relating to Drayton's tomb in Westminster-Abbey, which is erected near that of Spenfer. Heylin informs us, that Drayton was not buried in the fouth ile of the church, where his monument is now to be seen but under the north wall, near a little door which opens to one of the ; prebendal houses. This Heylin affirms from his own knowledge, he being invited to Drayton's funeral. Appeal of Inj. Innocence, pag. 42. part 2. fubjoined to Fuller's Ch. Hift. Ed. 1655. Bayle would have expended a folio page in adjusting such a point as this. || Song 4. E

VOL I.

But

But Drayton, in these lines, manifeftly alludes to a paffage in Geoffrey of Monmouth; who informs us, that a Spanish giant, named Ritho, having forcibly conveyed away from her guard Helena the niece of duke Hoel, poffeffed himself of St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall, from whence he made frequent fallies, and committed various outrages; that, at last, king Arthur conquered this giant, and took from him a certain coat, which he had been compofing of the beards of kings, a vacant place being left for king Arthur's beard *.

And though further proofs of Spenfer's copying this. romance are perhaps fuperfluous, I fhall add, that Spenfer has quoted an authority for an antient custom from MORTE ARTHUR in his State of Ireland. "The "knights in antient times used to wear their mistresses "or lover's fleeve upon their arms, as appeareth by

that which is written of Sir Launcelot, that he wore "the fleeve of the Faire Maid of Afteloth in a tournay : "whereat queen Genever was much displeased t.” This is the paffage. "When queen Genever wist "that Sir Launcelot beare the red fleeve of the Faire "Maide of Aftolat, fhe was nigh out of her minde ❝ for anger." +

*Orig. & Geft. Reft. Brit. B. x. 13.

Hughes's Edit. vol. vi. pag. 114. Edit, 1750.

Arth. p. 3. ch. 119.

+ Mort.

There

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