Of one sywytel worto servy of the botelerye.

byvore the quene yt was also of al suche cortesye,
Vor to telle al the noblye thet ther was ydo,

They my tongue were of stel, me ssolde noght dure thereto.
Wynmen ne kepte of no kyngt as in druery2,

Pe he were in armys wel yproved, and atte leste thrye3.

That made, lo, the wymmen the chastore lyf lede,

And the kynghts the stalwordore1, and the betere in her dede.
Sone after thys noble metes, as ryght was of such ryde,

The kynghts atyled hem aboute in eche syde,

In feldys and in medys to prove her bachelerye®.

Somme wyth lance, some wyth suerd, wythoute vylenye,
Wyth pley inge at tables, other atte chekere.

Wyth castynge, other with ssettinge, other in some ogyrt mancre.
And wuch so of eny game adde the maystrye,

The kyng hem of ys gyfteth dyde large cortysye.

Upe the alurs of the castles the laydes thanne stode,

And byhulde thys noble game, and wyche kyngts were god.

All the thre hexte dawes" ylaste thys nobleye

In halles and in veldes, of mete and eke of pleye.

Thys men com the verthe10 day byvore the kynge there,
And he gef hem large gyftys, evere as hii werthe were.
Bisshopryches and cherches clerkes he gef somme,
And castles and townes kyngtes that were ycomell.

Many of these lines are literally translated from Geoffrey of Monmouth. In king Arthur's battle with the giant, at Barbesfleet, there are no marks of Gothic painting. But there is an effort at poetry in the description of the giant's fall.

Tho grislych yal the ssrewe tho, that grislych was his bere,
He vel doung as a gret ok, that bynethe ycorve were,

That it thogte that al hul myd the vallynge ssok12.

That is, 'The cruel giant yelled so horribly, and so vehement was his 'fall, that he fell down like an oak cut through at the bottom, and all 'the hill shook while he fell.' But this stroke is copied from Geoffry of Monmouth; who tells the same miraculous story, and in all the pomp with which it was perhaps dressed up by his favourite fablers.

3 Thrice.

4 More brave.

1 Brought also, on his part, a fair company, cloathed uniformly. 2 Modesty, decorum. Soon after this noble feast, which was proper at such an occasion, the knights accoutred themiclves." 6 Chivalry, courage, or youth. 7 Chess It is remarkable, that among the nine exercises, or accomplishments, mentioned by Kosta, an ancient northern chief, one is Playing at Chess. Bartholin. ii. c. 8. p. 4. 420. This was familiarised to the Europeans after the crusades. The romances which followed tse expeditions are full of it. Kolson, above-mentioned, had made a pilgrimage into the Holy Lard. But from the principles advanced in the first INTRODUCTORY DISSERTATION, this game might have been known in the North before. In the mean time, it is probable that the Saracens introduced it into Spain before the crusades. It is mentioned by G. of Monmouth, and in the Alexiad of Anna Commena. See Mem. Acad. Lit. v. 232.

ferent ways of playing at chess. The ladies stood on the walks made within the tatements of the castle.

* All the three high, or chief days, In halls and fields, of feasting, and turneying, &c.' 10 Fourth. 12 Pag. 208.

11 Pag. 191, 192.

40

MERLIN BRINGS STONEHENGE FROM KILDARE.

'Exclamavit vero invisus ille; et velut quercus ventorum viribus 'eradicata, cum maximo fonitu corruit.' It is difficult to determine which is most blameable, the poetical historian, or the prosaic poet.

It was a tradition invented by the old fablers, that giants brought the stones of Stonehenge from the most sequestered deserts of Africa, and placed them in Ireland; that every stone was washed with the juices of herbs, and contained a medical power; and that Merlin the magician, at the request of king Arthur, transported them from Ireland, and erected them in circles on the plain of Amesbury, as a sepulchral monument for the Britons treacherously slain by Hengist. This fable is thus delivered, without decoration, by Robert of Glocester.

'Sire kyng, quoth Merlin tho, suche thynges y wis
'Ne bethe for to schewe nogt, but wen gret nede ys,

'For gef iche seid in bismare, other bute it ned were,
Sone from me he wold wende the gost, that doth me lere1.
The kyng, tho non other nas bod hym som quoyntise
Bithinke about thilk cors that so noble were and wyse2.
'Sire kyng, quoth Merlin tho, gef thou wolt here caste
In the honour of men, a worke that ever schal ylaste,3
'To the hul of Kylar1 send in to Yrlond,

'Aftur the noble stones that ther habbet lenge ystonde;
'That was the treche of giandes, for a quoynte work ther ys
'Of stones al wyth art ymad, in the world such non ys.

'Ne ther nys nothing that me scholde myd strengthe adoune cast.
'Stode heo here, as heo doth there ever a wolde last'.

The kyng somdele to lyghes, tho he herde this tale,

'How mygte, he seyde, suche stones so grete and so faile9,

'Be ybrogt of so fer lond? And get mist of were,

'Me wolde wene, that in this londe no ston to wonke nere,'

'Syre kyng, quoth Merlyn, ne make noght an ydel such lyghyng. 'For yt nys an ydel noght that ich tell this tythyng10.

'For in the farreste stude of Affric giands while fette"

'Thike stones for medycyne and in Yrlond hem sette,

'While hco wonenden in Yrlond to make here bathes there,

"Ther undir forto bathi wen thei syk were.

'For heo wuld the stones wasch and ther enne bathe ywis.

'For ys no ston ther among that of gret vertu nys12.

1 If I should say any thing out of wantonness or vanity, the spirit, or demon, which teaches me, would immediately leave me. Nam si ea in derisionem, sive vanitatem proferrem, taceret Spiritus qui me docet, et cum opus superveniret, recederet.' Galfrid. Mon. viii. 10.

2 Bade him use his cunning, for the sake of the bodies of those noble and wise Britons." 3If you would build, to their honour, a lasting monument.

4 To the hill of Kildare.'

5 Have.

6 'The dance of giants.' The name of this wonderful assembly of immense stones.
7 'Grandes sunt lapides, nec est aliquis cujus virtuti cedant.
positi sunt, circa plateam locabuntur, stabunt in æternum.'
8 Somewhat laughed."
11 Giants once brought them from the farthest part of Africa, &c.'

9So great and so many.'

Quod si co modo, quo ibi Gafrid. Mon. viii. x. II.

10 Tyding.

Non est ibi lapis qui

12 Lavabant namque lapides et infra balnea diffundebant, unde ægroti curabantur. Miscebant etiam cum herbarum confectionibus, unde vulnerati sanabantur. 'medicamento careat.' Galfrid. Mon. ibid.

The kyng and ys conseil radde [rode] the stones forto fette,
And with gret power of batail gef any more hem lette
Uter the kynges brother, that Ambrose hett also,

In another name ychose was therto,

And fifteene thousant men this dede for to do

And Merlyn for his quointise thider went also2.

If any thing engages our attention in this passage, it is the wildness of the fiction; in which however the poet had no share.

I will here add Arthur's intrigue with Ygerne.

At the fest of Estre tho kyng sende ys sonde

That heo comen alle to London the hey men of this londe,
And the levedys al so god, to ys noble fest wyde,

For he schulde crowne here, for the hye tyde.

Alle the noble men of this lond to the noble fest come,

And heore wyves and heore dogtren with hem mony nome,
This fest was noble ynow, and nobliche y do ;

For mony was the faire ledy, that y come was therto.
Ygerne, Gorloys wyf, was fairest of echon,

That was contasse of Cornewail, for so fair nas ther non.
The kyng by huld hire faste y now, and ys herte on hire caste,
And thogte, thay heo were wyf, to do folye atte laste.
He made hire semblant fair y now, to non other so gret.
The erl nas not ther with y payed, tho he yt under get.
Aftur mete he nom ys wyfe myd stordy med y now,
And, with oute leve of the kyng, to ys contrei drow.
The kyng sende to hym tho, to by leve al nygt,
For he moste of gret consel habbe som insygt.

That was for nogt. Wolde he nogt the kyng sende get ys sonde.
That he by levede at ys parlemente, for nede of the londe.

The kyng was, tho he nolde nogt, anguyssous and wroth.

For despyte he wolde a wreke be he swor ys oth,

Bute he come to amendement. Ys power atte laste

He garkede, and wende forth to Cornewail faste.

Gorloys ys casteles a store al a boute.

In a strong castel he dude ys wyf, for of hire was al ys doute.

1 Pag. 145 146 147. That Stonehenge is a British monument, erected in memory of Hengist's massacre, rests, I believe, on the sole evidence of Geoffry of Monmouth, who had it from the British bards. But why should not the testimony of the British bards be allowed on this occasion? For they did not invent facts, so much as fables. In the present case, Hengist's massscre is an allowed event. Remove all the apparent fiction, and the bards only say, that an immense pile of stones was raised on the plain of Ambresbury in memory of that event. They lived too near the time to forge this origin of Stonehenge. The whole story was recent, and from the immensity of the work itself, must have been still more notorious. Therefore their forgery would have been too glaring. It may be objected, that they were fond of refermg every thing stupendous to their favorite hero Arthur. This I grant: but not when known authenticated facts stood in their way, and while the real cause was remembered. Even to this day, the massacre of Hengist, as I have partly hinted, is an undisputed piece of history. Why should not the other part of the history be equally true? Besides the silence of Nennius, I am aware, that this hypothesis is still attended with many difficulties and improbabiliAnd so are all the systems and conjectures ever yet framed about this amazing monu ment. It appears to me, to be the work of a rude people who had some ideas of art: such as we may suppose the Romans left behind them among the Britons. In the mean time I do not mmenker, that in the very controverted etymology of the word Stonehenge the name of HENGIST has been properly or sufficiently considered.

42

INTRIGUE OF ARTHUR WITH THE COUNTESS YGERNE.

In another hym self he was, for he nolde nogt,

Gef cas come, that heo were bothe to dethe y brogt.
The castel, that the erl inne was, the kyng by segede faste,
For he mygte ys gynnes for schame to the oter caste.
Tho he was ther sene nygt, and he spedde nogt,
Igerne the contesse so muche was in ys thogt,

That he nuste nen other wyt, ne he ne mygte for schame
Telle yt bute a pryve knygt, Ulfyn was ys name,
That he truste mest to. And tho the knygt herde this,
'Syre, he seide, y ne can wyte, wat red here of ys,
'For the castel ys so strong, that the lady ys inne,

'For ich wene al the lond ne schulde yt myd strengthe wynne.

6

6

'For the se geth al aboute, but entre on ther nys,

And that ys up on harde rockes, and so narw wei it ys,

That ther may go bote on and on, that thre men with inne

'Mygte sle al the londe, er heo com ther inne.

'And nogt for than, gef Merlyn at thi conseil were,
'Gef any mygte, he couthe the best red the lere.'
Merlyn was sone of send, pleid yt was hym sone,
That he schulde the beste red segge, wat were to done.
Merlyn was sory ynow for the kynge's folye,

And natheles, 'Sire kyng, he seide, there mot to maistrie,
"The erl hath twey men hym nert, Brygthocl and Jordan.
"Ich wol make thi self gef thou wolt, thoru art that y can,
'Habbe al tho fourme of the erl, as thou were rygt he,
'And Olfyn as Jordan, and as Brithoel me.'

This art was al clene y do, that al changet he were.
Heo thre in the otheres forme, the selve at yt were.
Ageyn even he wende forth, nuste nomon that cas,
To the castel heo come rygt as yt evene was.
The porter y se ys lord come, and ys moste privey twei,
With god herte he lette ys lord yn, and ys men beye.
The contas was glad y now, tho hire lord to hire com
And eyther other in here armes myd gret joye nom.
Tho heo to bedde com, that so longe a two were,
With hem was so gret delyt, that bitwene hem there
Bi gete was the beste body, that ever was in this londe,
Kyng Arthure the noble mon, that ever worthe understonde.
Tho the kynge's men nuste amorwe, wer he was bi come,
Heo ferde as wodemen, and wende he were ynome.
Heo a saileden the castel, as yt schulde a doun anon,
Heo that with inne were, garkede hem echon,

And smyte out in a fole wille, and fogte myd here fon:
So that the erl was y slave, and of ys men mony on,

And the castel was y nome, and the folk to sprad there,
Get, tho thei hadde al ydo, heo ne fonde not the kyng there.
The tything to the contas sone was y come,

That hire lord was y slawe, and the castel y nome.

Ac tho the messinger hym sey the erl, as hym thogte,
That he hadde so foule plow, ful sore hym of thogte,

The contasse made som del deol, for no sothnesse heo nuste.

The kyng, for to glade here, bi clupte hire and cust.
'Dame, he scide, no fixt thou wel, that les yt ys al this :
'Ne wost thou wel ich am olyue. Ich wole the segge how it ys.
'Out of the castel stilleliche ych wende al in privete,
"That none of myne men yt nuste, for to speke with the.
'And tho heo miste me to day, and nuste wer ich was,
'Heo ferden rigt as gydie men, myd wam no red nas,

And fogte with the folk with oute, and habbeth in this manere
'Y lore the castel and hem selue, ac well thou wost y am here.
'Ac for my castel, that is ylore, sory ich am y now,
'And for myn men, that the kyng and ys power slog.
'Ac my power is now to lute, ther for y drede sore,

'Leste the kyng us nyme here, and sorwe that we were more.
"Ther fore ich wole, how so yt be, wende agen the kynge,
And make my pays with hym, ar he us to schame brynge.'
Forth he wende, and het ys men that gef the kyng come,

That hei schulde hym the castel gelde, ar he with strengthe it nome. So he come towards ys men, ys own forme he nom,

And levede the erle's fourme, and the kyng Uter by com.

Sore hym of thogte the erle's deth, ac in other half he fonde

Joye in hys herte, for the contasse of spoushed was unbounde,
Tho he hadde that he wolde, and paysed with ys son,
To the contasse he wende agen, me let hym in a non.
Wat halt it to talle longe: bute heo were seth at on,
In gret loue long y now, wan yt nolde other gon;

And hadde to gedere this noble sone, that in the world ys pere nas,
The kyng Arture, and a dogter, Anne hire name was1.

In the latter end of the reign of Edward the first, many officers of the French king having extorted large sums of money from the citizens of Bruges in Flanders, were murthered: and an engagement succceding, the French army, commanded by the count du Saint Pol, was defeated; upon which the king of France, who was Philip the Fair, sent a strong body of troops, under the conduct of the count de Artois, against the Flemings: he was killed, and the French were almost all cut to pieces. On this occasion the following ballad was made in the year 13012.

Lusteneth, lordinges, bothe zonge and olde,

Of the Freynshe men that were so proude ante bolde
How the Flemmyshe men bohten hem ante solde,

Upon a Wednesday,

Betere hem were at home in huere londe,

Than force seche Flemishe bi the sea stronde

Whare rouch moni Frensh wyf wryngeth hire honde,
And syngeth welaway.

The kynge of Ffrance made statutes newe,

In the londe of Flaundres among false ant trewe,
That the communs of Bruges ful sore can arewe,
And seiden among hen,

1 Chron. p. 156.

2 The last battle was fought that year, Jul. 7.