ALTHOUGH there is little to be found of an earlier date

century bears directly upon the

popular notions of fairy mythology, as Shakespeare has embodied them in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," yet it would not be easy to develop the gradual transitions which took place in public belief in those matters, without presenting the reader with the earliest documents on the subject that have descended to our times. Reserving more detailed observations for our Introduction, it will only be necessary to observe that there probably is no absolute connection between Tryamour, the daughter of Olyroun, and Titania. Tryamour is minutely described: we see in her a maiden of wonderful beauty, and possessed of superior powers; but still there is not Shakespeare's idea of a fairy princess, and we might perhaps have failed to recognise the description, had the poet forgotten to inform us that her father was "Kyng of Fayrye." The romance of Launfal is one of the earliest pieces of the kind known to exist. It is translated from a French original written by the celebrated Marie de France, and is here given from MS. Cott. Calig. a. ii., the text adopted by Ritson; and also in Way's "Fabliaux,” ed.

1815, iii. 233-287. A later copy, written about 1508, is in MS. Rawl. c. lxxxvi., differing considerably from our text, but of course of less authority. See the extracts at the end of this article. It was printed in the sixteenth century, having been licensed to John Kynge in 1558, and mentioned in "Laneham's Letter," 1575, but I am not aware that any perfect copy has been preserved. Sir F. Madden mentions another copy in MS. Lambeth 305, which seems to be an error for the copy of Lybeaus Disconus in MS. No. 306 in the same collection. The author of the present translation was Thomas Chestre,

as appears from the concluding lines. It is very seldom

that the translators of the early metrical romances have recorded their names, and in more than one instance a mere transcriber has been handed down for years in the list of our early poets.

LAUNFALE MILES.

Be douzty Artours dawes,
That held Engelond yn good lawes,
There felle a wondyre cas
Of a ley that was y-sette,

That hyzt Launval, and hatte zette ;
Now herkeneth how hyt was.
Douzty Artoure som whyle
Sojournede yn Kardevyle,1

1 That is, Carlisle in Cumberland, according to Ritson. The old romance of Merlin calls it "la ville de Carduil en Galles ;" and the French MS. says "Kardoyl," apparently a corruption for Cairleon in Wales. At the commencement of the French romance ("Lai de Lanval, Poes. de Marie de France," ed. Roquefort, 8vo, 1820, tom. i. p. 202) we are told—

"A Cardueill sejurna li reis
Artus, li prex, e li curteis,
Pur les Escos, e pur les Pis,
Qu destruiseient mult le pais."

With jove and greet solas:
And kystes that were profitable,
With Artour, of the rounde table,
Never Loop better ther nas.
Sere Persevalle, and syr GawETI
Syr Gyheryes, and syr Agrairay,
And Launcelet on Lake,
Syr Kay, and syr Ewayn

That welle couthe fyte yn play,
Bateles for to take.

Kyng Ban-Boost, and kyng Bos,1
Of ham ther was a greet l05.

Men sawe tho nowhere ber make:
Syr Galaire, and syr Launiale
Wherof a noble tale

Among us schalle awake

With Artoure ther was a bachelere.
And hadde y-be welle many a sere.
Launfal for soth be byst;
He gaf gyitys largelyche.

Gold, and sylver, and codes ryche,
To squrer and to knyst

For hys largesse and bys bounté
The kynges stoward made was he

Ten yer, y you plysts

Of alle the krystes of the table rounde
So large ther nas noon y-founde,

Be caves re be ryst

So byt be-fylle, yn the tenthe gere.
Marlyn was Artours counsalere,

He radde bym fore to wende
To kyng Ryon of Irlond ryst,
And fette bym ther a lady bryst,

1 This enumeration of Arthur's knights is not found in the

French original.

D

Gwennere 1 hys douztyr hende.
So he dede, and hom her brouzt,
But syr Launfal lykede her nozt,

Ne other knyztes that wer hende;
For the lady bar los of swych word,
That sche hadde lemmannys unther her lord,
So fele there nas noon ende.

They were y-wedded, as y you say,
Upon a Wytsonday,

Before princes of moch pryde;
No man ne may telle yn tale
What folk ther was at that bredale,
Of countreys fer and wyde ;
No nother man was yn halle y-sette,
But he were prelat, other baronette,
In herte ys nazt to hyde:
Yf they satte nozt alle y-lyke,
Hare servyse was good and ryche,

Certeyne yn ech a syde.

And whan the lordes hadde ete yn the halle,
And the clothes wer drawen alle,

As ye mowe her and lythe,

The botelers sentyn wyn

To alle the lordes that were theryn,
With chere bothe glad and blythe.
The quene yaf y yftes for the nones,
Gold and selver, and precyous stonys,
Her curtasye to kythe;

Everych knyzt sche 3af broche and ryng,
But syr Launfal sche yaf no thyng,

1 According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Guenever was descended from a noble Roman family, and in beauty surpassed all the women in the island. She is usually represented as the paramour of Sir Launcelot, and, according to Caradoc, was ravished by Melvas, King of Estiva, now Somersetshire.

That grevede hym many a syde.
And whan the bredale was at ende,
Launfal tok hys leve to wende
At Artour the kyng,

And seyde a lettere was to hym come,
That deth hadde hys fadyr y-nome,
He most to hys beryynge.

Tho seyde kyng Artour, that was hende,
Launfal, yf thou wylt fro me wende,
Tak with the greet spendyng;1

And my suster sones two,
Bothe they schulle with the go,
At hom the for to bryng.
Launfal tok leve, withoute fable,
With knyztes of the rounde table,
And wente forth yn hys journé
Tyl he com to Karlyoun,2
To the meyrys hous of the toune,
Hys servaunt that hadde y-be.
The meyr stod, as ye may here,
And sawe hym come ryde up anblere
With two knytes and other mayné;
Agayns hym he hath wey y-nome,
And seyde, "Syre, thou art welle-come,
How faryth oure kyng tel me."
Launfal answerede and seyde than,
'He faryth as welle as any man,

66

1 It is probably implied that Launfal refused this offer, as we find him shortly afterwards in great poverty at Caerleon. In the French original, Launfal is made to quit the king's court because he had impoverished himself by his extravagance and generosity.

2 This shows that Kardevyle in the first stanza cannot be Caerleon, as has been conjectured. In the romance of Geraint the Son of Erbin, Arthur's court is held at Caerlleon upon Usk. See Lady C. Guest's edition of the Mabinogion, part iii.