PREFACE. T HE fabulous hiftories of wandering knights, diftreffed damfels, giants, enchanted caftles, and the whole train of legendary adventures, that, for a long time, were the delight of our ancestors, are now univerfally exploded: the inimitable satire of Cervantes has contributed not a little to bring them into disrepute; but however justly he may have ridiculed their many abfurdities, yet, perhaps, we have too rafhly adopted the contempt, which almost every one now profeffes for writings, from which it is certain that the greatest poets have derived many fine images; to which we are, probably, in a great measure, indebted for the FAIRY QUEEN of our admired Spenfer, and which have been the foundation of the ORLANDO FURIOSo, that has procured to its author the appellation of DIVINE. The Italians have among them many works of a fimilar nature with this poem, being accuftomed to tranflate, or compofe romances in the octave stanza. Among others, Bernardo Taffo, VOL. I. a the the father of the great Torquato, published a free translation of the Amadis de Gaul, divided into one hundred cantos: but the much greater part of these performances are not to be confidered as rifing to any degree of competition with Ariofto, being little elfe than wild ftories of chivalry, with fcarce any tincture of poetical imagery and expreffion; or heavy dull narratives of fiction without imagination, and of events without intereft. Most of these poems, or rather rhyming romances, are drawn from the current romances of the times; fuch as the hiftory of king Arthur, and his round table, and the account of Merlin, and his prophecies: but the chief of them are built on the romantic hiftory of Charlemain, and the twelve peers of France, called Paladins ; which was a title of honour given by Charlemain, to that number of valiant men belonging to his court, who employed their arms in defence of the faith. The principal of these was Orlando, the great hero of chivalry, whofe fabulous atchievements filled all the books and provincial fongs of that age. It is recorded, that when William the Conqueror marched with his Normans to engage Harold, at the memorable battle of Haftings, his foldiers animated each other |