should withhold the name of Epic Poem from the piece which I am about to analyse.

My copy is divided into IX Parts or Cantos, the several arguments of which are as follows.

PART I.

Opens with a short exordium to bespeak attention: the Hero is described; a natural son of Sir Gawain a celebrated knight of king Arthur's court, who being brought up in a forest by his mother, is kept ignorant of his name and descent. He early exhibits marks of his courage, by killing a knight in single combat, who encountered him as he was hunting. This inspires him with a desire of seeking adventures; therefore, clothing himself in his enemy's armour, he goes to K. Arthur's court, to request the order of knighthood. His request granted, he obtains a promise of having the first adventure assigned him that shall offer.- -A damsel named Ellen, attended by a dwarf, comes to implore K. Arthur's assistance, to rescue a young princess, 'the Lady of Sinadone' their mistress, who is detained from her rights, and confined in prison. The adventure is claimed by the young knight Sir Lybius: the king assents; the messengers are dissatisfied, and object to his youth; but are forced to acquiesce. And here the first book closes with a description of the ceremony of equipping him forth.

PART II.

Sir Lybius sets out on the adventure: he is derided by the dwarf and the damsel on account of his youth: they come to the bridge of Perill, which none can pass without encountering a knight called William de la Braunch. Sir Lybius is challenged: they joust with their spears: De la Braunch is dismounted: the battle is renewed on foot: Sir William's sword breaks: he yields. Sir Lybius makes him swear to go and present himself to K. Arthur, as the firstfruits of his valour. The conquered knight sets out for K. Arthur's court is met by three knights, his kinsmen; who, informed of his disgrace, vow revenge, and pursue the conqueror. The next day they overtake him : the eldest of the three attacks Sir Lybius; but is overthrown to the ground. The two other brothers assault him: Sir Lybius is wounded: yet cuts off the second brother's arm: the third yields: Sir Lybius sends them all to K. Arthur. In the third evening he is awaked by the dwarf, who has discovered a fire in the wood.

spear:

PART III.

Sir Lybius arms himself, and leaps on horseback: he finds two Giants roasting a wild boar, who have a fair Lady their captive. Sir Lybius, by favour of the night, runs one of them through with his is assaulted by the other: a fierce battle ensues: he cuts off the giant's arm, and at length his head. The rescued Lady (an Earl's daughter) tells him her story; and leads him to her father's castle; who entertains him with a great feast; and presents him at parting with a suit of armour and a steed. He sends the giant's

head to K. Arthur.

PART IV.

Sir Lybius, maid Ellen, and the dwarf, renew their journey: they see a castle stuck round with human beads; and are informed it belongs to a knight called Sir Gefferon, who, in honour of his lemman or mistress, challenges all comers. He that can produce a fairer lady, is to be rewarded with a milk-white falcon, but if overcome, to lose his head. Sir Lybius spends the night in the adjoining town in the morning goes to challenge the falcon. The knights exchange their gloves: they agree to joust in the market place: the lady and maid Ellen are placed aloft in chairs: their dresses: the superior beauty of Sir Gefferon's mistress described: the ceremonies previous to the combat. They engage: the combat described at large: Sir Gefferon is incurably hurt; and carried home on his shield. Sir Lybius sends the falcon to K. Arthur; and receives back a large present in florins. He stays forty days to be cured of his wounds, which he spends in feasting with the neighbouring lords.

PART V.

Sir Lybius proceeds for Sinadone: in a forest he meets a knight hunting, called Sir Otes de Lisle: maid Ellen charmed with a very beautiful dog, begs Sir Lybius to bestow him upon her: Sir Otes meets them, and claims his dog: is refused: being unarmed he rides to his castle, and summons his followers: they go in quest of Sir Lybius: a battle ensues: he is still victorious, and forces Sir Otes to follow the other conquered knights to K. Arthur.

PART VI.

Sir Lybius comes to a fair city and castle by a river-side, beset round with pavilions or tents: he is informed, in the castle is a beautiful lady besieged by a giant named Maugys, who keeps the bridge, and will let none pass without doing him homage: this Lybius res

fuses a battle ensues: the giant described: the several incidents of the battle; which lasts a whole summer's day: the giant is wounded; put to flight; slain. The citizens come out in procession to meet their deliverer: the lady invites him into her castle : falls in love with him; and seduces him to her embraces. He forgets the princess of Sinadone, and stays with this bewitching lady a twelvemonth. This fair sorceress, like another Alcina, intoxicates him with all kinds of sensual pleasure; and detains him from the pursuit of honour.

PART VII.

Maid Ellen by chance gets an opportunity of speaking to him; and upbraids him with his vice and folly: he is filled with remorse, and escapes the same evening. At length he arrives at the city and castle of Sinadone: Is given to understand that he must challenge the constable of the castle to single combat, before he can be received as a guest. They joust: the constable is worsted: Sir Lybius is feasted in the castle: he declares his intention of delivering their lady; and inquires the particulars of her history. "Two Necromancers have built a fine palace by sorcery, and there keep her enchanted, till she will surrender her duchy to them, and yield to such base conditions as they would impose.'

PART VIII.

Early on the morrow Sir Lybius sets out for the enchanted palace. He alights in the court: enters the hall: the wonders of which are described in strong Gothic painting. He sits down at the high table: on a sudden all the lights are quenched: it thunders, and lightens; the palace shakes; the walls fall in pieces about his ears. He is dismayed and confounded: but presently hears horses neigh, and is challenged to single combat by the sorcerers. He gets to his steed: a battle ensues, with various turns of fortune: he loses his weapon; but gets a sword from one of the Necromancers, and wounds the other with it: the edge of the sword being secretly poisoned, the wound proves mortal.

PART IX.

He goes up to the surviving sorcerer, who is carried away from him by enchantment: at length he finds him, and cuts off his head; He returns to the palace to deliver the lady; but cannot find her: as he is lamenting, a window opens, through which enters a horrible serpent with wings and a woman's face: it coils

round his neck and kisses him; then is suddenly converted into a very beautiful lady. She tells him she is the lady of Sinadone, and was so enchanted, till she might kiss Sir Gawain, or some one of his blood: that he has dissolved the charm, and that herself and her dominions may be his reward. The Knight (whose descent is by this means discovered) joyfully accepts the offer; makes her his bride, and then sets out with her for King Arthur's court.

Such is the fable of this ancient piece: which the reader may observe, is as regular in its conduct, as any of the finest poems of classical antiquity. If the execution, particularly as to the diction and sentiments, were but equal to the plan, it would be a capital performance; but this is such as might be expected in rude and ignorant times, and in a barbarous unpolished language.

IV. I shall conclude this prolix account, with a List of such old Metrical Romances as are still extant; beginning with those mentioned by Chaucer.

1. The Romance of Horne Childe is preserved in the British Museum, where it is intitled 'pe geste of kyng Horne.' See Catalog. Harl. MSS. 2253, p. 70. The language is almost Saxon, yet from the mention in it of Saracens, it appears to have been written after some of the Crusades. It begins thus:

All heo ben blype

pat to my song ylype:
A song ychulle ou sing

Of Allof pe gode kynge,1 &c.

Another copy of this poem, but greatly altered, and somewhat modernised, is preserved in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh, in a MS. quarto volume of old English poetry [W. 4. 1.] Num. XXXIV. in seven leaves or folios,

Maiden Rinivel, and beginning thus:

Mi leve frende dere,

intitled Horn-child and

Herken and ye may here.

2. The Poem of Ipotis (or Ypotis) is preserved in the Cotton Library, Calig. A. 2, fo. 77, but is rather a religious Legend, than a Romance. Its beginning is,

He pat wyll of wysdome here

Herkeneth nowe ze may here

1 i.e. May all they be blithe, that to my song listen: A song I shall you sing, Of Allof the good king, &c.—2 In each full page of this Vol. are 44 lines, when the poem is in long metre: and 88, when the metre is short, and the page in two columns.

Of a tale of holy wryte

Seynt Jon the Evangelyste wytnesseth hyt.

1

3. The Romance of Sir Guy was written before that of Bevis, being quoted in it. An account of this old poem is given below, p. 83. To which it may be added, that two complete copies in MS. are preserved at Cambridge, the one in the public library, 2 the other in that of Caius College, Class A. 8.- -In Ames's Typog. p. 153, may be seen the first lines of the printed copy.— The 1st MS. begins,

Sythe the tyme that God was borne.

4. Guy and Colbronde, an old Romance in three parts, is preserved in the Editor's folio MS. (p. 349). It is in stanzas of six lines, the first of which may be seen in vol. II. p. 141, beginning thus:

When meate and drinke is great plentye.

In the Edinburgh MS. (mentioned above) are two ancient poems on the subject of Guy of Warwick: viz. Num. XVIIL containing 26 leaves, and XX. 59 leaves. Both these have unfortunately the beginnings wanting, otherwise they would perhaps be found to be different copies of one or both the preceding articles. 5. From the same MS. I can add another article to this list, viz. The Romance of Rembrun son of Sir Guy; being Num. XXI. in 9 leaves: this is properly a Continuation of the History of Guy: and in Art. 3, the Hist. of Rembrun follows that of Guy as a necessary Part of it. This Edinburgh Romance of Rembrun begins thus:

Jesu that erst of mighte most

Fader and sone and Holy Ghost.

Before I quit the subject of Sir Guy, I must observe, that if we may believe Dugdale in his Baronage, [vol. I. p. 243, col. 2.] the fame of our English Champion had in the time of Henry IV. travelled as far as the East, and was no less popular among the Saracens, than here in the West among the nations of Christendom. In that reign a Lord Beauchamp travelling to Jerusalem, was kindly received by a noble person, the Soldan's Lieutenant, who hearing he was descended from the famous Guy of Warwick,

1 Sign. K. 2. b.—2 For this and most of the following, which are mentioned as preserved in the Public Library, I refer the reader to the Oxon Catalogue of MSS. 1697, vol. II. p. 394; in Appendix to Bp. More's MSS. No. 690, 33, since given to the University of Cambridge.