VID, Contrast of German and Latin races-Character of

the Saxon race— -Its endurance under the Nor-

man conquest

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92

L.

II.

ΠΙ.

IV.

CHAPTER II

The Normans.

Formation and character of Feudalism.

The Norman invasion; character of the Normans

-Contrast with the Saxons-The Normans are

French-How they became so-Their taste and

architecture Their spirit of inquiry and their

literature Chivalry and amusements-Their

tactics and their success.

Bent of the French genius-Two principal charac-

teristics; clear and consecutive ideas-Psycho-

logical form of French genius-Prosaic histories;

lack of colour and passion, ease and discursive-

ness-Natural logic and clearness, soberness,

grace and delicacy, refinement and cynicism-

Order and charm-The nature of the beauty and

of the ideas which the French have introduced.

The Normans in England-Their position and their

tyranny - They implant their literature and

language-They forget the same-Learn English

by degrees-Gradually English becomes galli-

cised.

They translate French works into English-Opinion
of Sir John Mandeville-Layamon, Robert of
Gloucester, Robert de Brunne-They imitate in
English the French literature--Moral manuals,
chansons, fabliaux, Gestes-Brightness, frivolity,
and futility of this French literature-Barbarity
and ignorance of the feudal civilisation-Geste

95

96

104

115

VI.

PAGE

of Richard Coeur de Lion, and voyages of Sir

John Mandeville-Poorness of the literature in-

troduced and implanted in England-Why it has

not endured on the Continent or in England. 121

The Saxons in England-Endurance of the Saxon

nation, and formation of the English constitution

-Endurance of the Saxon character, and forma-

tion of the English character.

VII-IX. Comparison of the ideal hero in France and

England-Fabliaux of Reynard, and ballads of

Robin Hood-How the Saxon character makes

way for and supports political liberty--Compa-

rison of the condition of the Commons in France

and England-Theory of the English constitu-

tion, by Sir John Fortescue-How the Saxon

constitution makes way for and supports political

liberty-Situation of the Church, and precursors

of the Reformation in England-Piers Plowman

and Wycliffe-How the Saxon character and the

situation of the Norman Church made way for

religious reform-Incompleteness and importance

of the national literature Why it has not

endured

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138

145

CHAPTER III

The New Tongue.

Chaucer-His education-His political and social

life-Wherein his talent was serviceable-He

paints the second feudal society

How the middle age degenerated-Decline of the

serious element in manners, books, and works of

art-Need of excitement-Analogies of archi-

tecture and literature

170

.

171

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IV.

7.

VI.

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PAGE

Wherein Chaucer belongs to the middle-age

Romantic and ornamental poems—Le Roman de

la Rose-Troilus and Cressida-Canterbury Tales

-Order of description and events-The House of

Fame Fantastic dreams and visions - Love

poems-Troilus and Cressida-Exaggerated de-

velopment of love in the middle age-Why the

mind took this path-Mystic love-The Flower

and the Leaf-Sensual love-Troilus and Cressida 173

Wherein Chaucer is French-Satirical and jovial

poems-Canterbury Tales-The Wife of Bath and

marriage The mendicant friar and religion-

Buffoonery, waggery, and coarseness in the

middle-age

Wherein Chaucer was English and original-Idea

of character and individual-Van Eyck and

Chaucer contemporary-Prologue to Canterbury

Tales-Portraits of the franklin, monk, miller,

citizen, knight, squire, prioress, the good clerk-

Connection of events and characters-General

idea-Importance of the same- -Chaucer a pre-

cursor of the Reformation-He halts by the way

-Tediousness and Childishness-Causes of this

feebleness-His prose, and scholastic notion-

How he is isolated in his age.

Connection of philosophy and poetry-How general

notions failed under the scholastic philosophy-

Why poetry failed-Comparison of civilisation

and decadence in the middle age, and in Spain—

Extinction of the English literature-Translators

-Rhyming chroniclers-Didactic poets-Com-

pilers of moralities-Gower-Occleve-Lydgate

Analogy of taste in costumes, buildings, and

literature-Sad notion of fate, and human misery

-Hawes Barclay-Skelton-Elements of the

Reformation and of the Renaissance

193

203

213

BOOK II. THE RENAISSANCE

CHAPTER I.

The Pagan Renaissance.

§ 1. MANNERS OF THE TIME.

Idea which men had formed of the world, since the

dissolution of the old society-How and why

human inventiveness reappears-The form of the

spirit of the Renaissance-The representation of

objects is imitative, characteristic, and complete

Why the ideal changes-Improvement of the state

of man in Europe-In England-Peace-In-

dustry-Commerce-Pasturage-Agriculture-

Growth of public wealth-Buildings and furni-

ture-The palace, meals and habits-Court

pageantries Celebrations under Elizabeth

Masques under James I.

-

-

I. Manners of the people-Pageants-Theatres-Vil-

lage feasts-Pagan development

IV. Models-The ancients-Translation and study of

classical authors-Sympathy for the manners and

mythology of the ancients-The moderns-Taste

for Italian writings and ideas -Poetry and

painting in Italy were pagan-The ideal is the

strong and happy man, limited by the present

life

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227

230

239

243

L

Π

§ 2. POETRY.

The English Renaissance is the Renaissance of the

Saxon genius

The forerunners-The Earl of Surrey-His feudal

and chivalrous life-His English individual

250

character-His serious and melancholy poems--

His conception of inward love.

m. His style-His masters, Petrarch and Virgil-His

progress, power, precocious perfection-Birth of

art-Weaknesses, imitation, research-Art in-

complete

IV. Growth and completion of art-Euphues and fashion

-Style and spirit of the Renaissance-Copious-

ness and irregularity-How manners, style, and

spirit correspond-Sir Philip Sydney-His edu-

cation, life, character His learning, gravity,

generosity, forcible expression-The Arcadia-

Exaggeration and mannerism of sentiments and

style-Defence of Poesie-Eloquence and energy-

His sonnets-Wherein the body and the passions

of the Renaissance differ from those of the

moderns-Sensual love-Mystical love

V.

Pastoral poetry-The great number of poets-Spirit

and force of the poetry-State of mind which

produces it-Love of the country-Reappearance

of the ancient gods-Enthusiasm for beauty--

Picture of ingenuous and happy love-Shaks-

peare, Jonson, Fletcher, Drayton, Marlowe,

Warner, Breton, Lodge, Greene-How the trans-

formation of the people transforms art

VL Ideal poetry-Spenser-His life-His character---

His platonism-His Hymns of love and beauty -

Copiousness of his imagination-How far it was

suited for the epic-Wherein it was allied to the

"faerie"-His tentatives-Shepherd's Calendar—

His short poems-His masterpiece-The Fuërie

Queene-His epic is allegorical and yet life-like-

It embraces Christian chivalry and the Pagan

Olympus-How it combines these .

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256

259

276

289