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thou art the beginner; and of all the termes of hunting and hawking ye are the beginner." B. ii. C. 91.

In Tuberville's treatise Of Falconrie, &c. Sir Triftram is often introduced as the patron of field-sports. A huntfma thus fpeaks, p. 96. edit. 4to. 1611. "Before the King I come report to make,

"Then hushe and peace for noble Trijiram's fake.' And in another place, p. 40.

"Wherefore who lyft to learn the perfect trade
"Of venerié, &c.

"Let him give ear to skillfull Tristram's lore.”

Many of the precepts, contained in the Book of Sir Triftram, are often referred to in this treatife of Tuberville.

From this romance our author alfo took the hint of his BLATANT BEAST; which is there called the QUESTING BEAST, B. ii. C. 53. "Therewithall the King faw coming towards him the ftrangeft beaft that ever he faw, or heard tell offAnd the noyfe was in the beafts belly like unto the Queftin of thirtie couple of houndes." The QUESTING BEAST is afterwards more particularly defcribed. "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 fuch a noyse, as it had been the noyfe of thirtie couple of houndes Queftyn, and fuch a noyfe that beaft made wherefoever he went." He is alfo called the GLATISANT BEAST. ibid. B. ii. C. 98. "Tell them that I am the knight that followeth the Glatifant Beaft, that is to fay, in English, the QUESTING BEAST, &c." Spenfer has made him a much more monftrous animal than he is here reprefented to be, and in general has varied from this defcription. But there is one circumftance in Spenfer's

representation, in which there is a minute refem-
blance, viz. fpeaking of his mouth, F. Q. vi. xii. 27.
"And therein were a thousand tongues empight,
"Of fundry kindes, and fundry quality;

"Some were of dogs that barked night and day,
"And fome, &c.'

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 deftined to purfue the QUESTING BEAST perpetually without fuccefs: which Spenfer, fpeaking of this BLATANT BEAST, hints at in these lines, F. Q. vi. xii. 39.

66

m

"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 them could ever bring him into band.”

m to pursue the QUESTING BEAST] The adventure of the QUESTING BEAST, or, as it is called, LA BESTE GLATISSANT, makes a confiderable figure in the old romance of Le Chevalier aux armes dorée. The defcription of this Beast, which closely refembles the account in La Morte d' Arthur, is alfo decorated with circumstances, which I am surprised at not finding in the poetry of Spenfer. See L'hyftoire du Cheualier aux armes dorec, &c. 4to. Paris, fans date, en lettres gothiques. Sign. F. i. b. Quand le Cheualier vint aupres de la cauerne, il regarda, & vit lune des merueilleufes beftes du monde, & la plus terrible quoncques auoit veue. Celle befte auoit tefte de ferpent, & le col dune befte que les Sarrazins nomment Dagglor, & eftoit le col tant merucilleux que toutes les couleurs du monde y apparoiffoyent ordonneement affifes & compaffees, & vous aduertis que la reuerberatio des couleurs qui fentremefloiet au ray du foleil eftoit tant delectable a regarder que &c." The chapter is entitled, "Comme le Cheualier aux armes doree fe partit pour aller trouuer la pucelle Neronnes fa dame, & par le chemin il trouua la BESTE GLATISSANT, laquelle il fubiugua, &c." TODD.

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

This romance fupplied our author with the ftory of the mantle made of the "beards of knights, and locks of ladies. The laft circumstance is added by Spenfer, F. Q. vi. i. 13.

"For may no knight nor lady paffe along

"That way, (and yet they needs muft paffe that way By reafon of the ftreight and rocks among)

"But they that Ladies lockes doe fhave away,

"And that Knights berd for toll, which they for paffage pay."

Afterwards, in ft. 15.

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

"Untill a mantle fhe for him do fynd,

"With berds of Knights and lockes of Ladies lynd." Thus in La Morte d' Arthur: "Came a meffengerfaying, that king Ryence had difcomfited and 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 Arthur's berd for king Ryence had purfeled a mantell with king's beards, and there lacked for one place of the mantell. Wherefore he fent for his berd; or elfe hee would enter into his lands, and brenn and fley, and never leave, till he have thy head and beard." B. i. C. 24. Drayton, in his Polyolbion,

n

Immenfe Beards feem to have had a wonderful influence in the proper economy of an enchantment. Thus we fee 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 Countefs of Trifaldi's Squire is defcribed parte 2. lib. vii. c. 36. as wearing "la mas larga, la mas horrida, &c." T. WARTON,

fpeaks of a coat compofed of the beards of kings. He is celebrating king Arthur, Song iv.

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

An ancient ballad on this fubject is also printed in P. Enderbie's Cambria Triumphans, fol. 1661. p. 197.

But Drayton, in thefe lines, manifeftly alludes to a paffage in Geoffry 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 laft, 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. See Orig. & Geft. Reg. Brit. B. x. 13.

And though further proofs of Spenfer's copying this romance are perhaps fuperfluous, I fhall add, that Spenfer has quoted an authority for an ancient cuftom from La Morte d' Arthur in his View of Ireland. "The knights in ancient times ufed to wear their miftreffes 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 difpleafed." This is the paffage in La Morte d' Arthur: "When queen Genever wift that Sir Launcelot beare the red fleeve of the Faire Maide

on this fubject] See alfo Mr. Warton's note on The Boy and the Mantle, cited in this Effay, and the Song of KING RYENCE in Percy's Reliques of Anc. Eng. Poetry, vol. iii. p. 25. 4th edit. TODD.

of Aftolat, fhe was nigh out of her minde for anger." P. iii. Ch. 119.

There is great reafon to conclude, not only from what has already been mentioned concerning Spenfer's imitations from this romantick hiftory of king Arthur and his knights, but from fome circumftances which I fhall now produce, that it was a favourite and reigning romance about the age of queen Elizabeth; or at least one very well known and much read at that time. Spenfer in the Shepherd's Calendar has the following paffage, Aprill : “And whither rennes this bevie of ladies bright

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"They been all Ladies of the Lake behight,

"That unto her go."

Upon the words Ladies of the Lake, E. K. the old commentator on the paftorals has left us the following remark. "Ladies of the Lake be nymphes: for it was an old opinion among the antient heathens, that of every fpring and fountaine was a goddeffe the foveraine; which opinion ftucke in the minds of men not many years fince by meanes of certain fine fablers, or loofe lyers; fuch as were the authors of king Arthur the great:-Who tell many an unlawfull leefing of the Ladies of the Lake." Thefe fine fablers or loofe lyers, are the authors of the romance above-mentioned, viz. La Morte d' Arthur, in which many miracles are performed, and much enchantment is conducted, by the means and interpofition of the LADY OF THE LAKE. Now it should be obferved, that the LADY OF THE LAKE was introduced to make part of queen Elizabeth's entertainment at Kenelworth; as evidence of which, I fhall produce a paffage from an ancient book entitled, A LETTER, whearein part of the entertainment entoo the queens majefty, at Killingwoorth-caftl in Warwickfheer, in this foomers

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