intitle'd "Sagan af Ivent Eingland kappe: Historia de Ivento regis Arturi in Anglia pugile inter magnates carisfimo: continens ejus cum gigantibus atque Blamannis plurima atque periculofa certamina. Cap. 12." (Hickefi Thefaurus, III, 315.) Two modern copys of the fame, or a similar article (" Artur kongs og Iventi faga," and "Ivents faga"), expressly from the French ("Von Franfeyfen i Norrænu"), are in the B. Museum (Sloanes MSS. 4857, 4859). The fig, or tale, of herr Ywan und herr Gawan, was extant in German in the year 1450. (Symbola ad literaturam Teuto. Hauniæ, 1787, 4to, P. xxxvi.) V. 7. Arthur, the kyng of Yngland.] This monarch was the fon of Uther-Pendragon, king of Britain, by Igerna, the beautyful wife of Gorlois, duke of Cornwall, into whofe femblance (like another Jupiter) he was metamorphofe'd, by a miracle of the enchanter Merlin. Gorlois being slain in battle by the kings troops, while the monarch himself was passing his time with Igerna, they were shortly afterward uniteëd in the bands of holy wedlock. Arthur, haveing fucceeded his father, conquers the Saxons, Picts and Scots; ads to his government Ireland, Ifeland, Gothland, and the Orkneys; fubdues Norway, Dacia, Aquitain, and Gaul; and even the Romans in a pitch'd battle.* But, hearing, upon his march to Rome, that his nephew Modred, or Mordred, whom he had left vice-gerent, had, by tyrannical and trea, fonable practiceës, fet the crown upon his own head, and that his queen Guanhumara, or Guenever, was *The French, or Engleish, romance supposeës him to come to Rome, and be there "crowned emperor by the popes own hands." Mort d'Arthur, P. 1, C.99. ⚫ wickedly marry'd to this undutyful relation, he re turn'd with speed to Britain; and, after a dreadful engagement, in which Modred was flain, being himfelf mortally wounded, and carry'd to the ile of Avallon (now Glastonbury) to be cure'd of his hurts, he refign'd the crown in favour of his kinsman Constantine, the son of Cador, duke of Cornwall, in the year 542. Such, at least, is the account giveën by Geoffrey of Monmouth, in the British history, which he profefses to have translateëd from a very ancient book in that tongue, brought out of Armorica, and prefented to him for the purpose by Walter [Calenius] archdeacon of Oxford, in or about the year 1138. It is unquestionablely fabulous and romantick; but that " Arthur was merely a name given by the Welch to Aurelius Ambrofius," or that "the Arthur of Welch history is a non-existence," as asferted by the authour of "An enquiry into the history of Scotland" (I, 76), is a much more impudent and unqualify'd falsehood than any in that book. That he was a brave warriour, and, in all probability, a petty king, is manifest from authentick history, which this mendacious impostour pretends to have confulted. See Nennius, C. 61; William of Malmesbury, De geftis regum Anglorum, L. 1; Henry of Huntingdon, Historia, L. 2; Vita S. Gilda, per Caradocum Llancarvanenfem, among the kings MSS. 13 B VII; and Cartes history of Engleland, I, 202. Of these authours Nennius was dead three hundred years, at least, before the publication of The British history, which the monk of Malmesbury never saw, nor * The writeër allready mention'd has the impudence to asfert" that the chapter on Arthur is not of Nennius, but an addition taken from Geoffrey's romance:" the falsehood of which the archdeacon of Huntingdon til after he had pub-. fifh'd his own. Carádoc, allfo, a contemporary writeër, certainly borrows nothing from Geoffrey; and Carte, though a modern, feems to have made use of good materials. His fepulchre, if we may believe Girald Barry, furname'd Cambrenfis, who professes to have feen the cross and bones found therein, was discover'd at Glastonbury in the reign of king Henry II.-after that monarchs death. He has been the subject of innumerable romanceës, as wel French as Welsh and Engleifh; and old fongs, in the time of Malmesbury, fable'd that he was yet to come.* latter assertion will be manifeft to every one who confults the two books: and, it is univerfally admited, that Samuel, the interpolatour of Nennius, was nearly of the fame age. * An interpolatour of the Scotichronicon obferves that "because in the monasterial church of Glafinberi he is fay'd to be bury'd with this fort of epitaph, Hic jacet Arthurus, rex quondam atque futurus, it is believe'd by the vulgar that he ftil lives, and, as is fung in comedys, is hereafter to come to reftore the disperfe'd and exile'd Britons to their own." (Hearnes edition, P. 218.) This tradition is mention'd by Girald and other old writeërs; but the epitaph found at Glastonbury is very different, and the cross delineateëd by Camden, if not the whole transaction, a palpable forgery. Cervantes, upon whatever authority, makes don Quixote report, as an ancient and common tradition in the whole king、 dom of Great-Britain, that king Arthur did not dye, but, by art of enchantment, was converted into a crow; and that, in procefs of time, he is to return again to reign, and recover his kingdom and scepter; for which reafon, he ads, it cannot be prove'd that fince that time any Engleishman hath ever kil'd a crow." (Part 1, chap. 13.) The French have an old MS. intitle'd "Roman d'Artur le Rethoré" (i. e. le reftauré: Arthur reftore'd, or revive'd). That there were storys, and perhaps romanceës and ballads, upon the subject of Arthur, in the Welsh language, anterior to the publication of Geoffreys British history, is manifeft, not onely from that very work, where he fays "cum et gesta eorum [Arthurii, scilicet, &c.] à multis populis quafi infcripta mentibus et jucunde et memoriter predicantur;" but allfo from William of Malmesbury: "Hic eft Arthurus de quo Brittonum nuga hodieque delirant." Maiftre Wace, likewise, a writeër of the fame age or century, fays, Fift Artur la ronde table, Dunt Breton dient meinte fable." Even William of Newbrough allows that the fables of Arthur in Geoffreys history were partly takeën “ ex priscis Britonum figmentis." Nothing of this kind, however, appears to be now extant. V. 9. Als fays the buke.] The book alludeëd to is probablely Geoffrey of Monmouths British history, which gave rise, within a very short period, to a multitude of voluminous romanceës on the subject of Arthur. The phrase, however, is common in the old French historys of the round table, &c. in which a chapter is frequently introduce'd with "Or diet le compte, &c." So, likewife, in La mort d'Arthur: "And as the boke telleth, &c." or, fome. times, "As the French booke faith." V. 15. He made a feste, the foth to fay, Opon the Witfononday.] It was the custom of the ancient monarchs of France and Engleland, to hold what was then call'd a cour pleniere, or plenary court, at the three principal feasts of Eafter, Whitfuntide, and Christmas; at which they were attended by the earls and barons of the kingdom, their ladys, and children; who dine'd at the royal table V. 43. Ya, faid the mayden, fawn fayle.] This affirmation, which recurs in Le bone Florence of Rome (V, 1736): "He feyde to hur, Yaa," may be regarded as a curious inftance of affinity between the Engleish idiom and the Low-Dutch. In the old Coventry Corpus Chrifti-play (Vespafian D. VIII.) za (ya) is every where ufe'd for yea, or yes :-" et clamabunt omnes, magna voce dicentes, za, za, za, (i. e. ya, ya, ya)!” fo. 178, b. The burgefs, in Emare, replys, Yoo. V. 49. And alfo went with him the quene.] Guenever, in the old French romanceës, is the daughter of king Leodegrance of the land of Cameliard. Geoffrey of Monmouth calls her Guanhumara,* and says she was defcended from a noble family of Romans; had been educateëd under duke Cador; and in beauty furpafs'd all the women in the iland (B.9, C. 9). According to this authour, dureing Arthurs abfence in * Guenureui, Winifred. Lhuyd, P. 255. 1 |