chasse de dieu d'amour is cited the year 1491. Another edition, in the same letter, but in octavo, appeared at Paris in 1547, Veuve de Jehan Tréperel et Jehan Jehannot. Beside the system of Rhetoric, which is only introductory, and has the separate title of L'ART DE RHETORIQUE, de ses couleurs, figures et especes, it comprehends a miscellaneous collection of Balades, rondeaux, chansons, dicties, comedies, and other entertaining little pieces', chiefly on the subject of the sentimental and ceremonious love which then prevailed *. The whole, I am speaking of the oldest edition, contains one hundred and ninety leaves. The RHETORIC is written in the short French rhyme; and the tenth chapter consists of rules for composing Moralities, Farces, Mysteries, and other ROMANS. That chapter is thus introduced, under the Latin rubric PROSECUTIO:

Expediez sont neuf chapitres,

Il faut un dixième exposer:

Et comme aussi des derniers titers,
Qu'on doit à se propos poser,
Et comme l'on doit composer
Moralités, Farces, Mistères;
Et d'autres Rommans disposer
Selon les diverses matières.

"Deci

The Latin rubrics to each species are exceedingly curious. mum Capitulum pro forma compilandi MORALITATES.-Pro COMEDIS".-Pro MISTERIIS compilandis." Receipts to make poems have generally been thought dull. But what shall we think of dull receipts for making dull poems? Gratian du Pont, a gentleman of Tholouse, printed in 1539 the "Art et Science de Rhetorique métrifiée"." It must be remembered, that there had been an early establishment of prizes in poetry at Tholouse, and that the seven troubadours or rhetoricans at Tholouse were more famous in their time than the seven sages of Greece. But the "Grand et vrai Art de plein Rhetorique,"

ing two hundred and forty-eight leaves, exclusive of the tables. This has some improvements.

Stance 22. fol. 134.

From fol. 2 a. to fol. 14 a.

But the compiler has introduced "Le DONNET, traité de grammaire baillé au feu roi Charles viii." fol. 20 a. One of the pieces is a Morisque, in which the actors are Amorevse grace, Enuieuse jalousie, Espoir de parvenir, Tout habandonne, Sot penser, fol. 32 b.

[This was the remains of one half of chivalry-love, romantic and platonic beyond belief: the other half was just the contrary, and equally indelicate from the same source. He refers for examples to Sect. xliii. pp. 116, 117 of this volume.— ASHBY.]

"The farce, or comedy, must have,

"Chose qui soit mélodieuse,
Matière qui soit comédieuse," &c.
w Par N. Viellard, 4to.

* See Verdier, ii. 649. From an ingenious correspondent, who has not given me the honour of his name, and who appears to be well acquainted with the manners and literature of Spain, I have received the following notices relating to this institution, of which other particulars may be seen in the old French History of Languedoc. "At the end of the second volume of Mayan's Origines de la Lingua Espanola, printed in duodecimo at Madrid in 1737, is an extract from a manuscript entitled, Libro de la Arte de Trovar, d Gaya Sciencia, por Don Enrique de

in two books, written by Pierre Fabri, properly Le Fevre, an ecclesiastic of Rouen, for teaching elegance in prose as well as rhyme, is dated still higher. Goujet mentions a Gothic edition of this tract in

1521. It contains remarks on the versification of mysteries and farces, and throws many lights on the old French writers.

But the French had even an ART OF POETRY so early as the year 1548. In that year Thomas Sibilet published his Art poetique at Paris, Veuve François Regnault'. This piece preserves many valuable anecdotes of the old French poetry; and, among other particulars which develope the state of the old French drama, has the following sensible strictures. "The French farce contains little or nothing of the Latin comedy. It has neither acts nor scenes, which would only serve to introduce a tedious prolixity: for the true subject of the French farce, or SOTTIE, is every sort of foolery which has a tendency to provoke laughter. The subject of the Greek and Latin comedy was totally different from every thing on the French stage; for it had more morality than drollery, and often as much truth as fiction. Our MORALITIES hold a place indifferently between tragedy and comedy: but our farces are really what the Romans called mimes, or Priapées, the intended end and effect of which was excessive laughter, and on that account they admitted all kinds of licentiousness, as our farces do at present. In the meantime, their pleasantry does not derive much advantage from rhymes, however flowing, of eight syllables"." Sibilet's work is chiefly founded on Horace. His definitions are clear and just, and his precepts well explained. The most curious part of it is the enumeration of the poets who in his time were of most repute. Jacques Pelletier du Mans, a physician, a mathematician, a poet, and a voluminous writer on various subjects both in prose and verse, also published an ART POETIQUE at Lyons in 1555. This critic had sufficient penetration to perceive the false and corrupt taste of his cotemporaries. "Instead of the regular ode and sonnet, our language is sophisticated by ballads, rondeaux, lays, and triolets. But with these we must rest contented, till the farces which have so long infatuated our nation are converted into comedy, our martyr-plays into tragedy, and our romances into heroic poems." And again, "We have no pieces in our language written in the genuine comic form, except some affected and unnatural MORALITIES, and other plays of the same character, which do not deserve the name of comedy. The drama would appear to advantage, did it but resume its proper state and ancient dignity. We have, however, some tragedies in French learnedly translated, among which is the HECUBA of Euripides by Lazare de Baïf," &c.a Of rhyme the same writer says, “S'il n'étoit question que de parler ornement, il ne faudroit sinon écrire en prose, ou s'il n'étoit question

que de rimer, il ne faudroit, sinon rimer en farceur: mais en poesie, il faut faire tous les deux, et BIEN DIRE, et BIEN RIMER." His chapters on IMITATION and TRANSLATION have much more philosophy and reflection than are to be expected for his age, and certain observations which might edify modern critics. Nor must I forget, that Pelletier also published a French translation of Horace's ART OF POETRY at Paris in 15458. I presume, that Joachim du Bellay's Deffense et Illustration de la LANGUE FRANÇOISE was published at no great distance from the year 1550. He has the same just notion of the drama. "As to tragedies and comedies, if kings and states would restore them in their ancient glory, which has been usurped by farces and MORALITIES, I am of opinion that you would lend your assistance; and if you wish to adorn our language, you know where to find models h."

The Italian vernacular criticism began chiefly in commentaries and discourses on the language and phraseology of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccace. I believe one of the first of that kind is, "Le tre fontane di Nicolò Liburnio sopra la grammatica, e l'eloquenza di Dante, del Petrarcha, e del Boccacio. In Venezia, per Gregorio Gregori, 15261.” Numerous expositions, lectures, annotations, and discourses of the same sort, especially on Dante's Inferno, and the Florentine dialect, appeared soon afterwards. Immediately after the publication of their respective poems, Ariosto, whose ORLANDO FURIOSO was styled the nuova poesia, and Tasso, were illustrated or expounded by commentators more intricate than their text. One of the earliest of these is, "Sposizione de Simon Fornari da Reggio sopra l'Orlando Furioso di Ludovico Ariosto. In Firenze per Lorenzo Torrentino 1549k." Perhaps the first criticism on what the Italians call the Volgar Lingua is by Pietro Bembo, " Prose di Pietro Bembo della volgar Lingua divise in tre libri. In Firenze per Lorenzo Torrentino, 15491." But the first edition seems to have been in 1525. This subject was discussed in an endless succession of Regole grammaticali, Osservazioni, Avvertimenti, and Ragionamenti. Here might also be mentioned, the annotations, although they are altogether explanatory, which often accompanied the early translations of the Greek and Latin classics into Italian. But I resign this labyrinth of research to the superior opportunities and abilities of the French and Italian antiquaries in their native literature. To have said nothing on the subject might have been thought an omission, and to have said more, impertinent. I therefore return to our own poetical annals.

Our three great poets, Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate, seem to have maintained their rank, and to have been in high reputation, during the period of which we are now treating. Splendid impressions of large

e Liv. ii. ch. i. De la Rime.

f See liv. i. ch. v. and vi.

Par Michel Vascosan. 8vo.

h Liv. ii. ch. iv.

In quarto. Again, per Marchio Sessa, 1534. 8vo.

In 8vo. The Seconde Partie appeared ibid. 1550. 8vo.

1 In quarto.

works were at this time great undertakings. A sumptuous edition of Gower's CONFESSIO AMANTIS was published by Berthelette in 1554. On the same ample plan, in 1555, Robert Braham printed with great accuracy, and a diligent investigation of the ancient copies, the first correct edition of Lydgate's TROYBOKE". I have before incidentally remarked, that Nicholas Briggam, a polite scholar, a student at Oxford and at the Inns of Court, and a writer of poetry, in the year 1555, deposited the bones of Chaucer under a new tomb, erected at his own cost, and inscribed with a new epitaph, in the chapel of bishop Blase in Westminster abbey, which still remains. Wilson, as we have just seen in a citation from his RHETORIC, records an anecdote, that the more accomplished and elegant courtiers were perpetually quoting Chaucer. Yet this must be restricted to the courtiers of Edward the Sixth. And indeed there is a peculiar reason why Chaucer, exclusive of his real excellence, should have been the favourite of a court which laid the foundations of the reformation of religion. It was, that his poems abounded with satirical strokes against the corruptions of the church, and the dissolute manners of the monks. And undoubtedly Chaucer long before, a lively and popular writer, greatly assisted the doctrines of his cotemporary Wickliffe, in opening the eyes of the people to the absurdities of popery, and exposing its impostures in a vein of humour and pleasantry. Fox the martyrologist, a weak and a credulous compiler, perhaps goes too far in affirming, that Chaucer has undeniably proved the pope to be the antichrist of the apocalypse P.

Of the reign of queen Mary we are accustomed to conceive every thing that is calamitous and disgusting; but when we turn our eyes from its political evils to the objects which its literary history presents, a fair and flourishing scene appears. In this prospect, the mind feels a repose from contemplating the fates of those venerable prelates, who suffered the most excruciating death for the purity and inflexibility of their faith; and whose unburied bodies, dissipated in ashes, and undistinguished in the common mass, have acquired a more glorious monument, than if they had been interred in magnificent shrines, which might have been visited by pilgrims, loaded with superstitious gifts, and venerated with the pomp of mistaken devotion.

m

Nothing can be more incorrect than the first edition in 1513.

"See supr. vol. ii. p. 263.

Undoubtedly Chaucer was originally buried in this place. Leland cites a Latin elegy, or Nænia, of thirty-four lines, which he says was composed by Stephanus Surigonius of Milan, at the request of William Caxton the printer; and which, Leland adds, was written on a white tablet by Surigonius, on a pillar near Chaucer's grave in the south aisle at Westminster. Script. Brit. GALFRID. CHAUCERUS. See Caxton's Epilogue to Chaucer's Booke of

Fame, in Caxton's Chaucer. Wood says, that Briggam" exercised his muse much in poetry, and took great delight in the works of Jeffrey Chaucer; for whose memory he had so great a respect, that he removed his bones into the south crossile or transept of S. Peter's church," &c. Ath. Oxon. i. 130. I do not apprehend there was any removal, in this case, from one part of the abbey to another. Chaucer's tomb has appropriated this aisle, or transept, to the sepulture or to the honorary monuments of our poets.

P Tom. ii. p. 42. edit. 1684.