And Camden refers to this hiftory of king Arthur, as to a book familiarly known to the readers of his age. Remains, printed in 1604. Art. Names. Speaking of the Name TRISTRAM, he obferves, "I know not whether the first of his name was chriftned by king Arthur's fabler." Again, of LAUNCELOT he fpeaks, "Some think it to be no auncient name, but forged by the writer of king Arthur's hiftory, for one of his douty knights." And of GAWEN, "A name devised by the author of king Arthur's table." To this we may add, that Milton manifeftly hints at it in the following lines, Par. Reg. B. ii. 359. "Damfels met in forefts wide "By knights of Logris, or of Lyones, 661 Lancelot, or Pelleas, or Pellenore." These are Sir Lancelot (or Sir Meliot) of Logris Sir Triftram of Lyones, and king Pellenore, who are often mentioned in La Morte d'Arthur, and reprefented as meeting beautiful damfels in folate forefts and probably he might have it in his eye when he wrote the following, as the Round Table is exprefsly hinted at, Manfus, v. Siquando indigenas Siquando indigenas revocabo in carmina reges, To which we may fubjoin, Par. L. B. i. 579. "What refounds "In fable, or romance, of Uther's fon, Before I leave this romance, I muft obferve, that Ariofto has been indebted to it; I do not mean to the old tranflation, which Spenfer made ufe of. He has drawn his enchanter Merlin from it, and în thefe verfes refers to a particular ftory concerning him, quoted above. Bradamante is fuppofed to vifit the tomb of Merlin, C. iii. 10. "Quefta è l'antica e memorabil grotta, This defcription of Merlin's tomb, fays Harington, the tranflator of Ariofto, 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 fculpture in Maligigi's cave was performed by Merlin's enchantment, C. xxvi. 39. "Merlino, il favio incantator Britanno, 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 achievements in chivalry, and for having produced many magnanimous champions; these are, "Triftano, "Lancillotto, Galaffo, Artu, e Galuano." C. iv. 52. Afterwards, Triftram makes a great figure, in C. xxxii. From this romance is alfo borrowed Ariofto's *tale of the enchanted cup, C. ii. 34; which, in tale of the ENCHANTED CUP,} "Some magical teft of female fidelity," fays an acute and elegant writer, "feems to have been fashionable among the romance-writers. In this VOL. II. f Caxton's old tranflation, is as follows. "By the way they met with a knight, that was fent from tale [Court Mantel] we have a mantle; in the romance of Tristan, and in that of Perceval, it is a drinking-horn or cup; a fiction which has been borrowed both by Ariosto and Fontaine; as the mantle probably fuggefted to Spenfer his Florimel's girdle." Notes to The Mantle made amifs, Way's Fabliaux, 1796.-Mr. Warton, in the Additions to his fecond volume of the Hiftory of English poetry, cites a fimilar experiment both of male and female fidelity from La Lai du Corn: "A magical horn, richly garnithed, the work of a Fairy, is brought, by a beautiful boy riding on a fleet courfer, to a fumptuous fealt held at Caerleon by king Arthur, in order to try the fidelity of the knights and ladies, who are in number fixty thoufand. Those who are falfe, in drinking from this horn, fpill their wine. The only fuccefsful knight, or he who accomplishes the adventure, is Garaduc or Cradok." In the romance of Palmerin of England, I may add, a cup of dark congealed tears (fo rendered by magick) is made a test of knightly loyalty; and the adventure is fuch, that "if any knight advance himselfe to this cup, and is not a faithfull and conftant louer, the teares fhould remain dark and frozen." These tears were shed by the only daughter of a king into a cup, during her captivity on account of her intrigue with a knight. She is delivered of a daughter, and dies. Her father "excellent well feene in the Art of Magicke," placed the child in an enchanted tower, and then "took this cup, wherein he congealed the tears, and brought them into ugly blackneffe. And at the houre of his death (feeing his kingdome fhould remain deftitute of an heire to fucceed him) he commanded this cup fhould be carried into all princes courts in the world, to paffe the hands of many noble knights, vntill [the] teares came to the first estate and condition, so should the knight be found that furpaffeth all other in worthineffe and constancy of love, as alfo that is able to expell and end the enchantment of the Princeffe Leonarda, who joyning mariage with her fhall gouerne the scepter and diademe of Thrace," or, if vowed to another, fhall affign her a husband." Then arose a great noyfe among the knights, who defired to try the cup, because their ladies fhould be better affured of their conftant love." Many attempt the adventure, but without fuccefs. At length Florendos and Albayzer achieve it: The cup then "received a farre more brightneffe then euer it had before, and the teares were brought into fuch an estate as though they had not beene Morgan le Faye to king Arthur; and this knight had a faire horne all garnished with gold; and the horne had fuch a virtue, that there might no ladie or gentlewoman drink of that horne, but if thee were true to her husband; and if thee were falfe, fhee fhould fpill all the drinke; and thee were true unto her lord, fhee might drink peaceably, &c." C. xlii. 98. Afterwards many trials are made with this Ariofto's copy begins with the following cup. verses, "Ecco un Donzello, a chi l' ufficio tocca, "Di fuor di gemme, e dentro pien di vino." The inimitable Fontaine has new moulded this ftory 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 jealoufy. In La Morte d'Arthur, Sir Lancelot, fmitten with a jealous fit, is driven to madness, in which state he continues for the space of two years, performing a thoufand different pranks, no lefs extravagant than those of Orlando; and, like him, at laft he recovers his fenfes. A popular and ridiculous romance was a fufficient 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 [Malecafta's] caftle from that of Lancelot in La Morte d'Arthur : "The goodly frame "And stately port of Castle Joyeous," F. Q. iii. i. 31. frozen at all." First Part of the Hift. of Palmerin of England, 4to. bl. 1. English translation, Ch. 90, 91, 92. TODD, Lancelot's Caftle is ftyled, by Caxton, Joyous gard, or caftle". This romance, or at least the ftories formed from it, fometimes furnished matter for theatrical exhibitions, as we learn from Shakspeare, II. Part Hen. IV. A. iii. S. iv. "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 Burning Peftle." Sir Dagonet is an important character in La Morte d'Arthur. The magnificent Arthur bore a confiderable part in the old pageants. Thus, relating the marriage of prince Arthur, fon 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." In our author's age, we find him introduced among the entertainments exhibited at the fplendid reception of lord Leicefter. "Over the entrance of the court-gate was placed aloft upon a fcaffold, as it had been in a cloud or skie, Arthur of Britaine, whom they compared to the earl." Holing. Hift. Engl. vol. iii. p. 1426. Sidney, as appears from a curious converfation between B. Jonfon and Drummond of Hawthornden, recorded by the latter, intended to turn all the ftories of the Arcadia into the admired legend of Arthur and his Knights. his Defence of Poefe he plainly hints at Caxton's romance. "I dare fay, that Orlando Furiofo, or "honeft King Arthur [his hiftory] will never dif In " So Skelton, in the Crowne of Lawrell, p. 53, ed. ut fupr. "Of the paiants [pageants] that were played in Joyous Garde." T. WARTON. |