CONTENTS PAGE V. Robert of Brunne. (From The Academy, Jan. 8, 1887) Percy's Folio MS., 1687) 40 (From The Academy for Dec. 4, 55 62 (8) The Date of 'The Canterbury Tales.' (From The Athenæum for April 8, 1893) (9) The Prioress's 'Greatest Oath.' (From The (10) 'The Preestes Three.' (From The Academy for 95 99 102 106 XII. Spenseriana. (From The Academy, Nov. 28, 1874) XIII. Sir John Davies' Poems. (From The Athenæum for The Pilgrimage to Parnassus, with the Two Parts of the Return from Parnassus. (1, From The Academy (1) An Unexplained Passage in 'Comus.' (From The Athenæum for April 20, 1889) (3) Did Milton serve in the Parliamentary Army? XIX. Bunyan. (From The Academy for Feb. 20, 1875 and XX. The Revival of Ballad Poetry in the Eighteenth Century. (From the printed edition of the Percy Folio MS., 1687). 258 FOLIA LITTERARIA I OLD ENGLISH METRICAL ROMANCES THE (From Fraser's Magazine for September, 1875) HE word Romance denoted originally any one of the various forms assumed by the Latin language towards the close of the Dark Ages, so called, in those provinces of Western Europe upon which the influence of Rome had been most deeply impressed. The ancient Hispania and Gallia had resigned themselves altogether to Roman culture; their barbarian eyes had been dazzled by the splendour of their imperial conquerors; they eagerly forsook the language of their race, and endeavoured to adopt that of Italy. The word Romance, slightly modified, is still used in a certain district of Switzerland to denote a Latin-descended speech. In process of time this word came to be applied especially to the Roman dialect spoken in France, perhaps because the earliest cultivation of a modern language for literary purposes would seem to have been attempted there, and must have rendered the tongue of that land famous throughout the contiguous countries; also because the central position of France, with regard to England, Italy and Spain, must have made its speech more generally known than that A |