Another poem of the fame nature may be found in Hearnes appendix to Robert of Gloucesters chronicle (P. 505), in the glosfary to which work (P. 731) he introduceës an extract from the fragment of a fimilar performance.

The present bears internal evidence of haveing been compose'd in the reign of Edward the fecond; and that the manufcript itsself is of the fame age feems no less certain; haveing the pointed ỷ, and the þ, both Saxon characters, the latter of which is rarely ufe'd at a lateër period, a different letter, p, being adopted in its ftead. As to the reft, the hand is, apparently, that of a Norman-law-fcribe, and bears the clofeëft refemblance to that of the Harleian MS. 2253, which contains King Horn, &c.

V. 178. Four tonnes, &c.] The fragment of this chronicle printed by Selden, in a note upon the third fong of Draytons Poly-Olbion, reads,

and contains other flight variations in allmost every line. It does not appear whence he had it.

VOLUME III.

LE BONE FLORENCE OF ROME.

THE-onely copy of this excellent old romance is extant in a paper MS. in bishop Mores collections, in the publick library of the university of Cambridge (Num. 690); writen, it seems, in or about the time of king Edward IV. from which it has been, and, it is hope'd, carefully, transcribe'd. No French original is known, though repeated referenceës to "the boke" or "romance" render it more than probable that such a one has actually exifted. As to the reft, a story, much more concife, indeed, but, in many refpects, fimilar, is to be found in the manufcript copys of the Latin Gesta Romanorum (Harley, 2270, &c. C. 101), as wel as in the Engleish verfions of that work (Ibi. 7333, Num. 69, and Robinsons edition, fig. O b). This, which is likewise told in the Speculum historiale of Vincentius Bellovacenfis (L. 7, C. 90), was dilateëd in profaick ftanzas by Thomas Hoccleve; and a material incident, common to both (that of the bloody knife), is introduce'd into Gowers legend of Conftance, and Chaucers Man of lawes tale; though it does not occur in Emare, which, as wil be elsewhere obferve'd, is substantially the same narrative.* See Wartons History of English poetry, III, lxxxiii. The same story, in French verse, exists in a MS. of the twelfth and thirteenth

* This incident has, likewife, found its way into the Histoire de Gerard comte de Nevers; fee tome 2, C. 4.

century, in the library of Berne (Num. 634). See Sinners catalogue (III, 389), and Le Grand, Fabliaux ou contes, V, 164. It is allfo in the Patrañas de Timoneda, fo. 21. The MS. has every where the Saxon p for th.

The name of the romance, or its heroine, would be more properly writen La bonne Florence of Rome, but our ancestours, who acquire'd their French, like Chaucers prioress,

"After the fcole of Stratford atte bowe,"

feem to have pay'd little or no attention to gender. We ftil call the parish of St. Mary la bonne, as, grammatically, it owes to be, St. Mary le bone.

There is no head-title in the MS. but, at the end, is "Explicit le bone Florence of Rome.'

V. 33. A fourth part of this stanza is wanting: all the reft are perfect.

V. 198. 66 Feyre, fyrrys, mote you befalle."]

This interruption in the embasfadours addrefs feems to be a compliment, or welcome, on the kings part; after which the embasfadour proceeds.

V.655. At the furfte wynnyng of ther schone.]

A young or new-made knight was fay'd to win his Spurs when he first achieve'd fome gallant action. To win his fhoes is a phrase of fimilar import, but of lefs dignity. It occurs again, in The Squyre of low degre: "For, and ye my love fhould wynne,

Again:

With chyvalry ye must begynne,

And other dedes of armes to done,

Through which ye may wynne your shone :"

"And whan ye, fyr, thus have done,

Than are ye worthy to were your fhone.”

At the battle of Cresfy, the prince, Edward, being hard befet," fent a mesfanger to the kinge, who was on a lytell winde-mill-hill; then the knighte fayd to the king, Sir, therle of Warwike, and therle of Camfert, fir Reynolde Cobham, and other fuche as be about the prince your fon, are fiersly fought withal, and are fore handled; wherfore they defyre you that you and your bataile wold come and aide them, for if the Frenchmen encrease, as they dout they wyll, youre fonne and they fhall have muche ado. Then the kynge fayde, Is my fonne dead, or hurt, or on the earth felled? No, fyr, quod the knight, but he is hardely matched, wherefore he hath nede of your ayde. Well, fayde the king, retourne to him, and to them that fent you hither, and fay to them, that they fende no more to me for any adventure that falleth, as long as my fonne is alyve; and also say to them, that they fuffer him this day TO WINNE HIS SPURRES; for, yf god be pleased, i will this iourney be his, and the honour therof, and to them that be about hym." (Froisfarts Cronycles, by fir John Bourchier, lord Berners, 1525, P. 65 See allfo Fabliaux ou contes, D, 107.)

V. 1340. The three last lines of this stanza are apparently missing: every other confifting of twelve, of which the rime of every third line is uniform.

THE ERLE OF TOLOUS.

This romance is printed from a tranfcript made, for the editour, by his amiable and accomplish'd friend the late John Baynes, from the MS. in the publick library of the univerfity of Cambridge allready de

fcribe'd. There is another copy of it in the Ashmolean museum (45, 4to), of which doctor Percy has got a transcript, and a third (imperfect) in the library of Lincoln-cathedral. This laft is intitle'd as follows: "Here bygynnes the romance of Dyoclecyane the emperour, and the erle Berade of Tholous, and of the emprice Beaulilione;" and commenceës, unmetrically,

"Jhu Crifte god and lorde in trynyte.”

No French original is known: the "Roman de Diocletian" (as it is occafionally call'd) being that of The feven wife masters of Rome: neither has the story itsfelf been met with, though incidents of a fimilar nature are

not uncommon.

Warton thinks he has "feen fome evidence to prove, that Chestre [the authour of Sir Launfal] was alfo the author of the metrical romance called The erle

of Tholoufe." (H. E. P. II, 103): it is a pity he could not recollect where or what, as no one, it is believe'd, has been equally fortunate.

V. 355. Hur hondys whyte as whallys bonne.]

This allufion is not to what we now call whale-bone, which is wel known to be black, but to the ivory of the horn or tooth of the Narwhal, or fea-unicorn, which feems to have been mistakeën for the whale. The fimilé is a remarkable favourite: Thus, in Syr Eglamour of Artoys:

"The erle had no chylde but one,
A mayden as white as whale's bone.”

Again, in Syr Ifembras:

"His wyfe as white as whales bone."

Again, in The fquyr of low degre:

"Lady as white as whalës bone.”