progrefs, 1575, is fignified. The paffage is this. "Her highnefs all along this tilt-yard rode vnto the inner gate, next the bafe coourt of the caftl: where the LADY OF THE LAKE (famous in king Arthur's book) with too nymphes waiting upon her, arrayed all in fylks, attended her highnets comming, from the midst of the pool, whear, upon a moovabl iland, bright-blazing with torches, fhe, floting to land, met her majefty with a well-penned meter, and matter, after this fort; firft of the auncientée of the caftl; whoo had been owners of the fame een till this day, moft allweys in the hands of the earls of Leyceter; hoow fhee had kept this lake fins king Arthurs days, and now, vnderstanding of her highnefs hither comming, thought it both office, and duetie, in humble wife, to difcouer her, and her eftate, offering up the fame, her lake, and pooer therein; with promife of repayr to the coourt. pleafed her highnefs too thank this lady, &c." It P Killingworth-caftle was early made the theatre of romantick gallantries; and was the place where tilts and tournaments, after a long difufe, were re-established in their original splendour by Roger earl of Mortimer, in the reign of Edward I. Thus earl Mortimer, his grandfon, to Q. Ifabell, in Drayton's heroical Epiftles: "My grandfon was the firft fince Arthur's reign "To whofe great court at Kenilworth did come Where fays the note,-" Roger Mortimer erected the round table at Kenelworth, after the antient order of king Arthur's table, with the retinue of 100 knights, and 100 ladies in his houfe, for the entertaining fuch adventurers as came thither from all parts of Christendom.' Walfingham mentions the reestablishment of this table at Kenelworth. Hearne has printed from the Red book of the Exchequer, a curious Latin Inftrument of Richard I. concerning the places of holding turnaments in England, where Kenilworth is fpecified among the reft. See "Tho. Hearnii præfat. ad Gul. Neubrig. Hift. pag. xlix, 1." It is alfo printed in Selden, De Duello. T. WARTON. Gafcoyne, in a little narrative, called the Princely Pleasures of Kenilworth Cafite, gives us fome of the above-mentioned metre, written by Ferrers, one of the contributors to the Mirrour for Magiftrates, of which thefe may ferve as a fpecimen. "I am the lady of this pleasant lake, "Who fince the time of great king Arthur's reigne, "That here with royall court aboade did make, "Have led a lowring life in reftlefs paine; "Till now that this your third arrival here, "Doth cause me come abroad, and boldly thús appeare. "For after him fuch ftormes this caftle fhooke, "By fwarming Saxons first, who fcourgde this land "As forth of this my poole I neer durft looke, &c. She is afterwards introduced complaining to the queen, that fir Brufe had infulted her for doing an injury to Merlin, an incident related in La Morte d'Arthur; and that he would have put her to death had not Neptune delivered her, by concealing her in that lake; from which confinement the queen is afterwards fuppofed to deliver her, &c. Without expatiating upon the nature of fuch a royal entertainment as this, I fhall obferve from it, that as the 9 LADY OF THE LAKE was a very popu 9 the Lady of the Lake was a very popular character in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, fo confequently the romance, &c.] I muft obferve that this LADY is alfo introduced in the romance of Palmerin of England. She fends a letter to the "Emperour of Conftantinople, which gives him at large to understand what hould happen to the young Prince Palmerin;" and which is figned," By her, who is more in duty then by pen or words fhe can any way difclofe, THE LADIE OF THE LAKE." See the English transl. bl. 1. 4to. P. i. Ch. viii. A damofell, mounted on a white courfer, and armed, is the bearer of this letter; and, to the question of the emperour, who this Lady of the Lake fhould be, the returns this anfwer, expreffive of her abfolute confidence in the power of her fair employer: "Noble fir, fhe is altogether vnknown of me, but thus much I dare boldly affure your Majesty, that what her letter prefenteth, shall bee performed in this worthy yong Prince." TODD. lar character in the reign of queen Elizabeth, fo confequently the romance, which fupplied this fiction, was at the fame time no lefs popular. We may add, that it is not improbable that Spenfer might allude in the above-cited verfes to fome of the circumftances in this part of the queen's entertainment; for queen Elifabeth, the Fayre Elifa, is the lady whom the LADIES OF THE LAKE are reprefented as repairing to, in that eclogue. Nor is it improbable that this lady was often exhibited upon other occafions: nor is it improper to remark in this place, that Ben Jonfon has introduced, her, together with king Arthur and Merlin, in an entertainment before the court of James I. called, Prince Henries Barriers. The above ancient letter acquaints us, that the queen was entertained with a fong from this romance, which is a corroborative proof of it's popularity at that time. "A minftrall came forth with a follem fong warranted for story out of king Arthur's acts, the firft book, 24. whereof I gat a copy, and that is this. This is the fong above hinted at, where mention is made of king Ryence demanding the beard of King Arthur. In the fame letter, a gentleman who fhewed fome particular feats of activity before the queen, is faid to be "very cunning in fens, and Spenfer's Paftorals were published about four years after this entertainment. The firft edition is dated 1579. It is a thin quarto printed in the black letter, with the commentary of E. K. perhaps Edward King. Some have thought, that his name was Kerke: I fuppofe, because Spenfer, in his letters to Harvey, mentions his lodging with, one Mrs. Kerke, and, in the fame, fends E. K.'s compliments to Harvey. T. WARTON. hardy as Gawen." This Gawen was king Arthur's nephew, and his atchievements are highly celebrated in La Morte d' Arthur. We find Spenfer in another place alluding to the fable of the lady of the lake fo much spoken of in this romance, F. Q. iii. iii. 10. "A litle whyle "Before that Merlin dyde, he did intend XI. In the meane time, through that falfe Ladies traine He was furpris'd and buried under beare, - Ne ever to his worke return'd againe.” These verfes are obfcure, unless we confider the following relation in La Morte d'Arthur. "The LADY OF THE LAKE and Merlin departed; and by the way as they went, Merlin fhewed to her many wonders, and came into Cornwaile. And alwaies Merlin lay about the ladie for to have her favour; and fhe was ever paffing wery of him, and faine would have been delivered of him; for she was afraid of him, because he was a divells fon, and she could not put him away by no meanes. And fo upon a time it hapned that Merlin fhewed to her in a roche [rock] whereas was a great wonder, and wrought by enchauntment, which went under a ftone, fo by her fubtile craft and working the made Merlin to go under that ftone, to let him wit of the marvailes there. But the wrought fo there for him, that he came never out, for all the craft that he could doe." B. i. C. 60. Our author has taken notice of a fuperftitious tradition, which is related at large in this romance, "That first received Chriftianity,, "Who brought with him the holy grayle, they fay, "And preacht the truth; but fince it greatly did decay.". The holy grale, that is, the real blood of our bleffed Saviour. What Spenfer here writes grayle, is often written Sangreal, or St. grale, in La Morte d Arthur; and it is there, faid to have been brought into England by Jofeph of Arimathea. Many of king Arthur's knights are in the fame book reprefented as adventuring in queft, or in fearch of the Sangreal, or fanguis realis. This expedition was one of the firft fubjects of the old romance. This romance feems to have extended its reputation beyond the reign of queen Elizabeth. Jonfon, befides his allufion to it concerning the LADY OF THE LAKE, mentioned above, hints at it more than once. See his Execration upon Vulcane, in the Underwoods: "Had I compil'd from Amadis de Gaule, And afterwards, in the fame poem, "The whole fumme "Of errant knighthood; with the dames and dwarfes, S Concerning the preaching of Jofeph of Arimathea there was an old fong or legend. "The olde man had an harpe, and there he fung how Jofeph of Arimathea came into this land." Morte Arthur B. iii. c. 5. See alfo c. 38. T. WARTON, |