Siquando indigenas revocabo in carmina reges,
Arturumque etiam fub terris bella moventem,

Aut dicam INVICTE fociali fædere MENS
Magnanimos Heroas.

To which we may subjoin,

What refounds

I

In fable, or romance, of Uther's fon,
Begirt with Britif, and Armoric knights †.

Before I leave this romance, I must observe, that Ariofto has been indebted to it; I do not mean, to the old tranflation, which Spenfer made use of. He has drawn his enchanter Merlin from it, and in these verfes refers to a particular ftory concerning him, quoted above. Bradamante is fupposed to vifit the tomb of Merlin.

Quefta è l'antica, e memorabil grotta,
Ch' edificò Merlino il favio mago ;
Che forfe recordare odi talbotta,
Dove inganollo la DONNA DEL LAGO.
Il fepolcro è qui giu, dove corrotta
Giace la carne fua; dove egli vago
Di fatisfare a lei, che gliel fuafe,
Vivo corcoff, e morto ci rimase *.

MANSUS. + Parad. Loft, i, v. 579.

* C. iii. 10.

Thus

Thus tranflated by Harrington,

Heere is the tombe that Merlin erft did make
By force of fecret skill, and hidden art,
In which sometimes the lady of the lake
(That with her beauty had bewitcht her hart)
Did force him enter fondly for her fake;
And he was by a woman over-reached
That unto others prophefied, and preached.

His carkas dead within this ftone is bound.

xii. 12.

This description of Merlin's tomb, fays Harrington in a marginal note, is out of the BOOK OF KING ARTHUR. Ariofto has transferred the tomb from Wales into France. He afterwards feigns, that the prophetical sculpture in Maligigi's cave was performed by Merlin's enchantment.

Merlino il favio incantator Britanno
Fe far la fonte, al tempo del re Arturo,
E di cofe, ch' al mondo hanno a venire,
La fe da buoni artefici fcolpire ‡.

Thefe whofe names appear

In marble

pure, did never live as yet,
But long time hence, after fix hundred yeare,

To their great praise in princely throne fhall fit;

‡ C. 26. 39.

Merlin the English prophet plast them here,

In Arthur's time.

Harrington.

He also mentions fome of the names of the knights of our romance. When Renaldo arrives in Great Britain, the poet takes occafion to celebrate that island for its fingular atchievements in chivalry, and for having produced many magnanimous champions; these are, Tristano,

Lancillotto, Galaffo, Artu, e Galuano ||.

Afterwards, in b. 32. Triftram makes a great figure.

From this romance is alfo borrowed Ariofto's tale * of the enchanted cup; which, in Caxton's old tranflation, is as follows. "By the way they met with a

66

knight, that was fent from Morgan le Faye to king "Arthur; and this knight had a faire horne all gar"nished with gold; and the horne had fuch a virtue, "that there might no ladie or gentlewoman drink of "that horne, but if fhee were true to her husband; "and if shee were falfe, fhee should spill all the "drinke; and fhee were true unto her lord, shee "might drink peaceably, &c." +. Afterwards many tryals are made with this cup. Ariofto's copy begins with the following verses,

NC. 4. S. 22.

* B. 2. c. 34.

+ C. 42. 98.

Ecco

Ecco un Donzello, a chi l'ufficio tocca,
Pon Ju la menfa un bel napo d' or fino.
Di fuor di gemme, e dentro pien di vino.

At laft a page came in with curtfie low,
And beares a standing cup of gold most fine,
Without of gemmes, and full within of wine.
Harrington.

The inimitable Fontaine has new moulded this story 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 jealousy. In MORTE ARTHUR, Sir Lancelot, fmitten with a jealous fit, is driven to madnefs, in which state he continues for the space of two years, performing a thousand ridiculous pranks, no less extravagant than those of Orlando; and, like him, at laft he recovers his fenfes. A popular and ridiculous romance was a sufficient 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 caftle from that of Lancelot in MORTE ARTHUR.

The

The goodly frame

And ftately port of CASTLE JOYEOUS.

3, 1, 31.

Lancelot's Caftle is ftyled, by Caxton, JOYOUS GARD, or castle.

This romance, or at least the stories formed from it, fometimes furnished matter for theatrical exhibitions, as we learn from Shakespeare." 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 Burn"ing Peftle." Sir Dagonet is an important character in MORTE ARTHUR. The magnificent Arthur bore a confiderable part in the old pageants. Thus, relating the marriage of prince Arthur, son 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 1." In our author's age, we find him introduced among the enter tainments exhibited at the fplendid reception of lord

* So Skelton, in the Crowne of Lawrell, p. 53, ed. ut fupr.
Of the paiants [pageants] that were played in Joyous Garde.
II. P. Hen. IV. A&t 3, Sc. 4.

‡ Life of Henry VII, fol, edit. 1730, vol iii, pag. 489.

VOL. I.

G

Leicester