story of the mantle made of the beards of knights, and locks of ladies. The last circumstance is added by Spenser, F. Q. vi. i. 13. way For may no knight nor lady passe along That way, (and yet they needs must pass that By reason of the streight and rocks among) But they that Ladies lockes doe shave away, 'And that Knights berd for toll, which they for passage pay.' Afterwards, in st. 15. His name is Crudor, who through high disdaine, "With berds of Knights and lockes of Ladies lynd." Thus in La Morte d'Arthur: Came a messenger-saying, that king Ryence had discomfited and overcomen eleaven knights, and everiche of them did him homage; and that was this; they gave him their beards cleane flayne of as much as there was: wherefore the messenger came for king Arthur's berd: for king Ryence *Immense Beards seem to have had a wonderful influence in the proper economy of an enchantment. Thus we see the barber, who was to personate the Squire of the Princess Mi comic na has una gran barba, &c. D. Quix. parte prim. c. 26. libro 3. And the countess of Trifaldr's Squire is described, parte 2. lib. vii. c. 36. as wearing la mas larga, la mas horrida, &c. T. WARTON. had purfeled a mantell with king's beards, and there lacked for one place of the mantell. Wherefore he sent for his berd; or else hee would enter into his lands, and brenn and sley, and never leave, till he have thy head and beard.' B. i. C. 24. Drayton, in his Polyolbion, speaks of a coat composed of the beards of kings. He is celebrating king Arthur, Song iv. As how great Rithout's self he slew in his repair, An ancient ballad on this subject is also printed in P. Enderbie's Cambria Triumphans, fol. 166.1, p. 197. But Drayton, in these lines, manifestly alludes to a passage in Geoffry of Monmouth; who informs us, that a Spanish giant, named Ritho, having forcibly conveyed away, from her guard, Helena the niece of duke Hoel, possessed himself of St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall, from whence he made frequent sallies, and committed various outrages; that, at last, king Arthur conquered this giant, and took from him a certain coat, which he had been composing of the beards of kings, a vacant place being left for king Arthur's beard. See Orig. & Gest. Reg. Brit. B. x. 13. And though further proofs of Spenser's copy ing this romance are perhaps superfluous, I shall add, that Spenser has quoted an authority for an ancient custom from La Morte d'Arthur in his View of Ireland. The knights in ancient times ་ used to wear the mistresses or lover's sleeve upon their arms, as appeareth by that which is 'written of Sir Launcelot, that he wore the 'sleeve of the Faire Maid of Asteloth in a tour6 nay: whereat queen Genever was much dis pleased.' This is the passage in La Morte 'd'Arthur: 'When queen Genever wist that Sir Launcelot beare the red sleeve of the Faire Maide of Astolat, she was nigh out of her 'minde for anger.' P. iii. Ch. 19. There is great reason to conclude, not only from what has already been mentioned concerning Spenser's imitations from this romantick history of king Arthur and his knights, but from some circumstances which I shall now produce, that it was a favourite and reigning romance about the age of queen Elizabeth; or at least one very well known and much read at that time. Spenser in the Shepherd's Calendar has the fol lowing passage, Aprill: "And whither rennes this bevie of ladies bright Raunged in a row? ་ They been all Ladies of the Lake behight, That unto her go.' Upon the words Ladies of the Lake, E. K. the old commentator on the pastorals, has left us the following remark : Ladies of the Lake be ' nymphes: for it was an old opinion among the ' antient heathens, that of every spring and foun'taine was a goddesse the soveraine; which opi⚫nion stucke in the minds of men not many years 'since by meanes of certain fine fablers, or loose lyers; such as were the authors of king Arthur the great:-Who tell many an unlawfull leesing of the Ladies of the Lake?' These fine fablers or loose lyers, are the authors of the romance above mentioned, viz. La Morte d'Arthur, in which many miracles are performed, and much enchantment is conducted, by the means and interposition of the LADY OF THE LAKE. Now it should be observed, that the LADY OF THE LAKE was introduced to make part of queen Elizabeth's entertainment at Kenelworth; as evidence of which, I shall produce a passage from an ancient book, entitled A LETTER, whearein part of the erlertainment vntoo the queens ma jesty, at Killingworth-castl in Warwicksheer in this soomers progress, 1575, is signified * Killingworth-castle was early made the theatre of romantick gallantries; and was the place where tilts and tournaments, after a long disuse, were re-established in their origi nal splendour by Roger earl of Mortimer, in the reign of Edward I. Thus earl Mortimer, his grandson, to Q Isabell, in Drayton's heroical Epistles: My grandson was the first since Arthur's reign To whose great court at Kenilworth did come The passage is this: Her highness all along this tilt-yard rode vnto the inner gate, next the base coourt of the castl: where the LADY OF THE LAKE (famous in king Arthur's book) with 'too nymphes waiting upon her, arrayed all in 'sylks, attended her highness comming, from the midst of the pool, whear, upon a moovabl 'iland, bright-blazing with torches, she, floting to land, met her majesty with a well-penned meter, and matter, after this sort; first of the 'auncientée of the castl; whoo had been owners 6 of the same een till this day, most allweys in 'the hands of the earls of Leyceter; hoow shee had kept this lake sins king Arthurs days, and now, vnderstanding of her highness hither comming, thought it both office, and duetie, in humble wise, to discouer her, and her es'tate, offering up the same, her lake, and pooer therein; with promise of repayr to the It pleased her highness too thank this 'coourt. lady, &c.' Gascoyne, in a little narrative, called the Where says the note, Roger Mortimer erected the round table at Kenelworth, after the antient order of king Arthur's table, with the retinue of 100 knights and 100 ladies in his house, for the entertaining such adventurers as came thither from all parts of Christendom.' Walsingham mentions the re-establishment of this table at Kenelworth. Hearne has printed from the Red book of the Exchequer, a curious Latin Instrument of Richard I. concerning the places of holding tournaments in England, where Kenilworth is specified among the rest. See Tho. Hearnii præfat. ad Gul. Neubrig. Hist. pag. xlix, i. It is also printed in Selden, De Duello. T. WARTON. |