The Cambridge MS. has it, "Lystenyth, lordingis, gente and fre." 23. Ipomydon (or Chylde Ipomydon) is preserved among the Harl. MSS. 2252 (44). It is in distichs, and begins, "Mekely, lordyngis, gentylle and fre." In the library of Lincoln Cathedral, K. k. 3. 10, is an old imperfect printed copy, wanting the whole first sheet A. 24. The Squyr of Lowe Degre, is one of those burlesqued by Chaucer in his Rhyme of Thopas. "-Mr. Garrick has a printed copy of this among his old plays, K. vol. ix. It begins, "It was a squyer of lowe degre, That loved the kings daughter of Hungre." 25. Historye of K. Richard Cure [Cour] de Lyon [Impr. W. de Worde, 1528, 4to], is preserved in the Bodleian library, c. 39, art. Selden. A fragment of it is also remaining in the Edinburgh MS. of old English poems; no. xxxvi. in 2 leaves. A large extract from this romance has been given already above, p. 91. Richard was the peculiar patron of Chivalry, and favourite of the old Minstrels and Troubadours.-See Warton's Observ. vol ii. p. 29; vol. ii. p. 40. 26. Of the following I have only seen No. 27, but I believe they may all be referred to the class of romances. The Knight of Courtesy and the Lady of Faguel (Bodl. lib. c. 39, art. Seld., a printed copy). This Mr. Warton thinks is the story of Coucy's Heart, related in Fauchet, and in Howel's Letters [V. i. s. 6, 1. 20.See Wart. Obs. v. ii. p. 40]. The Editor has seen a very beautiful old ballad on this subject in French. 27. The four following are all preserved in the MS. so often referred to in the public library at Cambridge (690. Appendix to Bp. More's MSS. in Cat. MSS. tom. ii. p. 394), viz. The Lay of Erle of Tholouse (No. 27), of which the Editor hath also a copy from "Cod. MSS. Mus. Ashmol. Oxon." The first line of both is, "Jesu Chryste in Trynyte." 28. Roberd Kynge of Cysyll (or Sicily), shewing the fall of Pride. Of this there is also a copy among the Harl. MSS. 1703 (3). The Cambridge MS. begins, "Princis that be prowde in prese." This is alluded to by Shakspeare in his Henry V. (act. v.), where Fluellyn tells Pistol, he will make him a Squire of Low Degree, when he means to knock him down, 29. Le bone Florence of Rome, beginning thus: "As ferre as men ride or gone." 30. Dioclesian the Emperour, beginning, "Sum tyme ther was a noble man." 31. The two knightly brothers, Amys and Amelion (among the Harl. MSS. 2386, § 42), is an old Romance of chivalry; as is also, I believe, the fragment of Lady Belesant, the Duke of Lombardy's fair daughter, mentioned in the same article.-See the Catalog. vol. ii. 32. In the Edinburgh MS. so often referred to (preserved in the Advocates' library, W. 4. 1), might probably be found some other articles to add to this list, as well as other copies of some of the pieces mentioned in it; for the whole volume contains not fewer than 37 Poems or Romances, some of them very long. But as many of them have lost the beginnings, which have been cut out for the sake of the illuminations; and as I have not had an opportunity of examining the MS. myself, I shall be content to mention only the articles that follow: " viz., 6 An old Romance about Rouland (not, I believe, the famous Paladine, but a champion named Rouland Louth; query), being in the volume, no. xxvii. in 5 leaves, and wants the beginning. 33. Another Romance, that seems to be a kind of continuation of this last, entitled Otuel a Knight (no. xxviii.), in 11 leaves and a half. The two first lines are, "Herkneth both zinge and old, That willen heren of battailes bold." 34. The King of Tars (no. iv. in 5 leaves and a half; it is also in the Bodleian library, MS. Vernon, f. 304), beginning thus: "Herkneth to me both eld and zing, For Maries love that swete thing." 35. A Tale or Romance (no. i. 2 leaves) that wants both beginning and end. The first lines now remaining are, "Th Erl him graunted his will y-wis. that the knicht him haden y-told. The Baronnis that were of mikle pris, befor him thay weren y-cald." 36. Another mutilated Tale or Romance (no. iii. 4 leaves). The first lines at present are, 6 Some of these I give, though mutilated and divested of their titles, because they may enable a curious inquirer to complete or improve other copies. "To Mr. Steward will y gon. Reseyved bestow sone anon. and tellen him the sothe of the 37. A mutilated Tale or Romance (no. xi. in 13 leaves). The two first lines that occur are, "That riche Dooke his fest gan hold With Erls and with Baronns bold." I cannot conclude my account of this curious manuscript, without acknowledging that I was indebted to the friendship of the Rev. Dr. Blair, the ingenious Professor of Belles Lettres in the University of Edinburgh, for whatever I learned of its contents, and for the important additions it enabled me to make to the foregoing list. To the preceding articles, two ancient metrical romances in the Scottish dialect may now be added, which are published in Pinkerton's Scottish Poems, reprinted from scarce editions, Lond. 1792, in 3 vols. 8vo, viz.: 38. Gawan and Gologras, a Metrical Romance; from an edition printed at Edinburgh, 1508, 8vo, beginning, "In the tyme of Arthur, as trew men me tald." It is in stanzas of thirteen lines. 39. Sir Gawan and Sir Galaron of Galloway, a Metrical Romance, in the same stanzas as no. 38, from an ancient MS. beginning thus: 7 "In the tyme of Arthur an aunter betydde By the Turnwathelan, as the boke tells; Whan he to Carlele was comen, and conqueror kyd," &c. Both these (which exhibit the union of the old alliterative metre, with rhyme, &c., and in the termination of each stanza the short triplets of the Tournament of Tottenham) are judged to be as old as the time of our King Henry VI., being apparently the production of an old poet, thus mentioned by Dunbar, in his "Lament for the Deth of the Makkaris: " "Clerk of Tranent eik he hes take, That made the aventors of Sir Gawane." It will scarce be necessary to remind the reader, that Turnewathelan is evidently Tearne- Wadling, celebrated in the old ballad of the Marriage of Sir Gawaine.-See p. 113, and no. xix. book ix. of this volume. Many new references, and perhaps some additional articles might be added to the foregoing list from Mr. Warton's History of English Poetry, 3 vols. 4to, and from the Notes to Mr. Tyrwhitt's improved edition of 7 i. e. adventure. 104 ON THE ANCIENT METRICAL ROMANCES, ETC. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, &c., in 5 vols. 8vo, which have been published since this Essay, &c., was first composed; but it will be sufficient once for all to refer the curious reader to those popular works. The reader will also see many interesting particulars on the subject of these volumes, as well as on most points of general literature, in Sir John Hawkins's curious History of Music, &c., in 5 volumes, 4to; as also in Dr. Burney's Hist., &c., in 4 vols. 4to. END OF THE ESSAY. I. The Boy and the Mantle is printed verbatim from the old MS. described in the Preface. The Editor believes it more ancient than it will appear to be at first sight; the transcriber of that manuscript having reduced the orthography and style in many instances to the standard of his own times. The incidents of the mantle and the knife have not, that I can recollect, been borrowed from any other writer. The former of these evidently suggested to Spenser his conceit of Florimel's girdle, b. iv. c. 5, st. 3. "That girdle gave the virtue of chaste love And wivehood true to all that did it beare'; So it happened to the false Florimel, st. 16, when -being brought, about her middle small But when they thought it fast, eftsoones it was untide. Thereat all knights gan laugh and ladies lowre, Likewise assayed to prove that girdle's powre. And having it about her middle set As for the trial of the horne, it is not peculiar to our poet : it occurs in |