and sung his achievements there, in a Latin poem entitled Odocporicon Ricardi Regis, dedicated to Herbert, archbishop of Canterbury, and Stephen Turnham, a captain in the expedition. He is called "Poeta per eam ætatem excellens." The French minstrels in Richard's army were so numerous, that the writer of his life would only be embarrassed by the trouble of selection; and it may be supposed that his romance must have been finished by the middle of the thirteenth century, because it is referred to by Robert of Gloucester as a work already in general circulation. When or by whom it was translated is not known; but as the exploits of so popular a monarch were likely to find their way into the language of his subjects as soon as the art of rhyming began to be generally practised in England, we may safely refer the translation to the reign of Edward II.

To the same period Mr. Warton also assigns the popular stories of SIR GUY, THE SQUIRE OF LOW DEGREE, SIR DEGORE, KING ROBERT OF SICILY, THE KING OF TARS, IPOMEDON, and LA MORT ARTUR; from all of which he has given us extracts. But as he suspects that they have, in common with the romance of Richard Cœur de Lion, undergone considerable alterations in their language from frequent transcription, it may be proper

to dismiss them for the present, and pass on to the only writer of English rhymes in this reign whose name has been transmitted to us, and whose works appear to have been preserved in their original simplicity of language; this is ADAM DAVIE. "He 86 may be placed," says Mr. Warton," about the

' year 1312. I can collect no circumstances of "his life, but that he was marshall of Stratford-le"bow near London. He has left several poems

never printed, which are almost as forgotten "as his name. Only one manuscript of these pieces

now remains, which seems to be coeval with its "author." It is in the Bodleian library* (MSS. Laud I. 74. fol. membran.), "has been much "damaged, and on that account is often illegible."

Adam Dávie's works consist of Visions; The Battle of Jerusalem; The Legend of St. Alexius; Scripture Histories; Of fifteen tokens before the day of judgment; Lamentations of Souls; and THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER. This last is his principal work, and, as we are told, well deserves to be printed intire. It is founded on Simeon Seth's history, lately mentioned, but with many passages that are

* Mr. Warton afterwards pointed out another MS. of the Life of Alexander in the library of Lincoln's Inn. (Hist. of E. P. Vol. III. xxxiii.) from which a transcript has been lately made with a view to publication.

apparently borrowed from the French Roman d'Alexandre.

The following is the description of a splendid procession made by Queen Olympias:

Mickle she desireth to shew her body,
Her fair hair, her face rody,

To have lees, and all praising:
And all is folly! by heaven king!

*

In fair attire in diverse quaintise
Many there rode in riche wise.
So did the dame Olympias
For to show her gentil 5 face.

* Mr. Warton not having transcribed the MS. correctly, these extracts have been revised from the original in the Bodleian.

* Pretty. Fr.

Trade, occupation. Fr.

• Elegant. Fr.

• Well-bred. Fr.

4 Commendation. Fr.

A mule also, white so milk,
With saddle of gold, sambu' of silk,
Was y-brought to the queen,
And many bell of silver sheen,
Y-fasten'd on orfreys of mound2
That hangen nigh down to ground.
Forth she fared mid her rout;
A thousand ladies of rich soute. 3
A sparrow-hawk that was honest
So sat on the lady's fist.

Four trumps toforne her blew ;
Many men that day her knew:

An hundred thousand, and eke mo,
All alouten her unto.

All the town be-hanged was,

Against the lady Olympias.

4

Orgues, chymbes, each manner glee, *

• A saddle-cloth, or housing. Fr.

Orfrais, aurifrigium, is gold embroidery. It appears however from a passage in Maundevile to have meant a border of embroidery. "And all tho robes ben orfrayed alle "abouten.-The second thousand is all clothed in clothes

diapered of red silk, all wrought with gold, and the orfrayes "set full of great pearl," &c. 8vo. edit. p. 279. The meaning of the word mound is not easy to ascertain: does it relate to raised or embossed work? or does it mean embroidery of pure gold, from the French word monder?

3 Suit, apparel.

+ Organs, cymbals, and all sorts of music.

Was drynan, ayein that lady free.
Withouten the townes murèy 3

Was mered each manner play.
There was knights tournaying,
There was maiden's caroling.
There was champions skirming, s
- also wrestling.

Of lions' chace, of bear-baiting,
A bay of boar, of bull slayting.
Ali the city was be-hong

With rich samytes and pelles 7 long.
Dame Olympias among this press
Single rode, all mantle-less.

Her yellow hair was fair-attired,
Mid riche stringes of golde wired;
It helyd her abouten all

8

To her gentile middle small:

Bright and shene was her face;

Every fair-head in her was.

Ringing? drignon, Old Fr. is a chime of bells. Vide

La Combe, Dict du Vieux Lang.

• Against; in the presence of.

Walls. Fr.

Probaby seen, gazed at; miré. Fr.

• Skirmishing.

Satins. Fr.

7 Palls, or perhaps furs; pelisses. Fr.

Hid. Helan. Sax.