PARTH. Sir Lybius fets out on the adventure: he is derided by the dwarf and the damfel 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 just with their fpears: De la Braunch is difmounted: the battle is renewed on foot: Sir William's sword breaks: he yields. Sir Lybius makes him fwear to go and prefent himfelf to K. Arthur, as the first-fruits of his valour. The conquered knight fets out for K. Arthur's court: is met by three knights, his relations: who, informed of his difgrace, 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 affault him: Sir Lybius is wounded; yet cuts off the second brother's arm: the third yields: Sir Lybius fends them all to K. Arthur. In the third evening he is awaked by the dwarf, who has difcovered a fire in a wood. PART HI. Sir Lybius arms himself, and leaps on horfeback: he finds two Giants roafting a wild boar, who have a fair Lady their captive. Sir Lybius, by favour of the night, runs one of them through with his fpear: is affaulted by the other: a fierce battle enfues: he cuts off the giant's arm, and at length his head. The rescued Lady (an Earl's daughter) tells him her ftory; and leads him to her father's caftle: who entertains him with a great feaft; and presents him at parting with a fuit of armour and a steed. He fends the giant's head to K.Arthur. PART IV. Sir Lybius, maid Elien, and the dwarf, renew their journey: they fee a castle ftuck round with human heads; 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 faulcon, but if if overcome, to lofe his head. Sir Lybius fpends the night in the adjoining town: In the morning goes to challenge the faulcon. The knights exchange their gloves: they agree to juft in the market place: the lady and maid Ellen are placed aloft in chairs: their dreffes: the fuperior beauty of Sir Gefferon's mistress defcribed the ceremonies previous to the combat, They engage: the combat described at large: Sir Gef feron is incurably hurt; and carried home on his shield. Sir Lybius fends the faulcon to K. Arthur; and receives back a large prefent in florins. Heftays 40 days to be cured of his wounds, which he spends in feafting with the neighbouring lords. PART V. Sir Lybius proceeds for Sinadone: in a foreft he meets a knight hunting, called Sir Otes de Lifle: 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 caftle, and fummons his attendants: they go in queft of Sir Lybius: a battle enfues: he is till victorious, and forces Sir Otes to follow the other conquered knights to K. Arthur. PART VI. Sir Lybius comes to a fair city and caftle by a riverfide, befet round with pavilions or tents: he is informed, in the caftle is a beautiful lady befieged by a giant named Maugys, who keeps the bridge, and will let none pafs without doing him homage: this Lybius refuses: a- battle enfues: the giant defcribed: the feveral incidents of the battle; which lafts a whole fummer's day the giant is wounded; put to flight; flain. The citizens come out in proceffion to meet their deliverer: the lady invites him into her caftle: falls in love with him and feduces him to her embraces. He forgets the princess of Sinadone, and ftays with this bewitching lady a twelvemonth. This fair forceress, like another Alcina, intoxicates him with all kinds of : C 2 fenfual fenfual 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 remorfe, and efcapes the fame evening. At length he arrives at the city and caftle of Sinadone Is given to understand that he muft challenge the conftable of the caftle to fingle combat, before he can be received as a gueft. They juft: the conftable is worsted: Sir Lybius is feafted in the caftle: he declares his intention of delivering their lady; and inquires the particulars of her hiftory. "Two Necromancers have built a fine palace by forcery, and there keep her inchanted, till fhe will furrender her duchy to them, and yield to fuch base conditions as they would im pose." PA RT VIII. Early on the morrow Sir Lybius fets out for the inchanted palace. He alights in the court: enters the hall the wonders of which are defcribed in ftrong Gothic painting. He fits down at the high table: on a fudden all the lights are quenched it thunders, and lightens; the palace fhakes; the walls fall in pieces. about his ears. He is difmayed and confounded: but prefently hears horfes neigh, and is challenged tò fingle combat by the forcerers. He gets to his fteed: a battle enfues, with various turns of fortune: he lofes his weapon but gets a fword from one of the Necromancers, and wounds the other with it: the edge of -the fword being fecretly poifoned, the wound proves .mortal. PART IX. He goes up to the furviving forcerer, who is carried away from him by inchantment: 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 horrible ferpent with wings and a woman's face: it coils round his neck and kisses him; then is fuddenly converted into a very beautiful lady. She tells him fhe is the Lady of Sinadone, and was fo inchanted, tillfhe might kifs Sir Gawain, or fome one of his blood: that he has diffolved the charm, and that herself and her dominions may be his reward. He joyfully accepts the offer; makes her his bride, and then fets out with her for King Arthur's court.” SUCH is the fable of this ancient piece: which the reader may obferve, is as regular. in its conduct, as any of the finest poems of claffical antiquity. If the execution, particularly as to the diction and fentiments, were but equal to the plan, it would be a capital performance; but this is fuch as might be expected in rude and ignorant times, and in a barbarous unpolished language. IV.ISHALL Conclude this prolix account, with a LIST of fuch old METRICAL ROMANCES as are ftill extant: beginning with thofe mentioned by Chaucer. 1. The Romance of Horne-childe is preferved in the British Museum, where it is intitled pe gefte of kyng Horne. See Catalog. Harl. MSS. 2253. p. 70. The Language is almoft Saxon, yet from the mention in it of Sarazens, it appears to have been written after fome of the Crufades. It begins thus, All heo ben blybe bat to my fong ylype: A fong ychulle ou fing Of Allof þe gode kyngé (x) &c. Another copy of this poem, but greatly altered and fomewhat modernized, is preferved in the Advocates Library C 3 (x) i. e. May all they be blithe, that to my fong liften: A fong I fhall you fing, Of Allof the good king, &c. Library at Edinburgh, in a MS. quarto volume of old English poetry [W. 4. 1.] Num. XXXIV. in feven leaves or folios (b), intitled, Horn-child and Maiden Rinivel, and beginning thus, Mi leve frende dere, Herken and ye may here, 2. The Poem of Ipotis (or Ypotis) is preferved in the Cotton Library, Calig. A. 2. fo. 77. but is rather a religious Legend, than a Romance. Its beginning is, He bat wyll of wyfdome here Seynt Jon the Evangelyfte wytneffeth hyt. 3 The Romance of Sir Guy, was written before that of Bevis, being quoted in it (y). An account of this old poem is given below, pag. 100. To which it may be added, that two complete copies in MS. are preserved at Cambridge, the one in the public Library (x), the other in that of Caius College, Clafs A. 8.-- In Ames's Typog. p. 153. may be feen the first lines of the printed copy. The 1ft MS. begins, Sythe the tyme that God was borne. 4. Guy and Colbronde, an old Romance in three parts, is preferved in the Editor's folio MS. (p. 349.) It is in (b) In each full page of this Vol. are 44 lines, when the poem is in long metre: and 88, when the metre is fhort, and the page in 2 columns. (y) Sign. K. 2. b. (x) For this and most of the following, which are mentioned as preferved in the Public Library, I refer the reader to the Oxon Catafogue of MSS. 1697. vol. 2. pag. 394. in Appendix to Bp. More's MSS. No. 690. 33. fince given to the University of Cambridge, |