75 IV. NORMAN POETRY. Another of these historical versifiers was Geffrai CHAP. Gaimar, whose "Estorie des Engles" follows the Brut of Wace in the MS. in the British Museum. ANGLOHe ascribes the existence of this work entirely to an VERNAAnglo-Norman lady. He says Dame Custance le CULAR gentil caused him to translate it; that he was a year Gaimar's about it; that he had procured many English books, Estorie des and others in Romanz and in Latin, to complete it; Engles. that without her aid he could not have finished it; that she often had the work, often read it in her chamber, and gave him a mark of silver for transcribing it." Some of his expressions imply, that he had written, or intended to write, on the Trojan story;78 but the present copy begins where the Brut leaves off, and ends with William Rufus. He says Ki tant me diunst e mette en main Ne ki nul autre bien me face Fors tant mult dit bien Maistre Wace. Wace MS. Bib. Reg. 4. c. 11. 76 M. Plaquet has published several pages of extracts from the Roman de Rou, in his Notice sur la Vie de Robert Wace, Rouen, 1824. 75 Ici voil del rei finer; Ceste estoire fist translater Ainz kil oust translate des reis. A jur ken prist triaire a la fin Ja a nul jór nel achevast. Gaimar MS. Bib. Reg. 13. A 21.. BOOK that if he had chosen to have written of king Henry, ENGLAND. David was another of these historical poets; but his 82 A third great versifier of this school was Beneoit de Sainte More. He chose the Trojan story for his subject, as a rich and great theme, and also as new. He professes to take it from Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis. But tho he may have borrowed his facts from his originals, he trusts to his own powers for his descriptions and general style. Some parts he dilates and dramatizes, not unhappily; as in his narrative of the intercourse between Jason and Medea. This is concisely told by Dictys Cretensis; but Beneoit gives interesting pictures of manners in Ore mand Davit ke si li pleist Car sil en volt avant trover Son livere en pot mult amender.-MS. Ib. 81 The copy in the British Museum, Harl. MS. No 4482, is very neatly written, and much ornamented. 83 IV. NORMAN POETRY. his account of their dresses, her father's city, the CHAP amusements in his palace, and her splendid bed. He rises even sometimes to poetry, as in his description ANGLOof the spring, when he is about to introduce Her- VERNAcules and Laomedon; but his prevailing character is CULAR easy narrative, a pleasing metre, and fluent rhyme.84 This work of Beneoit, deserves our more attentive notice, because Guido de Columna, the judge of Messena, whose Historia Trojana' became so celebrated in the middle ages, has either taken Beneoit's poem for his theme, or has tracked his paths. Guido's work is a prose narration of the wars of Troy. After mentioning that Homer, Virgil, and Ovid had composed on the subject, he refers to the more complete descriptions of Dictys Cretensis and Dares Phrygius as his authorities, and ends with saying, that he has followed Dictys the Cretan in all. To have built his work on the same foundation as our Beneoit, is not indeed a proof of authorial plagiarism, but it leads us to a suspicion of it, or at least entitles Beneoit to be remembered as the first who thus made a riche e grans estoire' of the whole Trojan story. Wace has mentioned that the subject of his Roman de Normandie had been anticipated by Maistre 83 Quant vint el tems que vers devise E doucement chantent oisel E estournel e rossignol. La blanche flors part en l'espine E reverdoie la gaudine Quant le tems e dou e souez Lor partirent del port les nez. Beneoit MS. Bib. Reg. 13. A 21. 84 M. de la Rue's dissertation on these poets will reward the perusal. Archaeol. vol. 12.—We owe their discovery to him. 85 Guido dates his own work thus: I, Guido de Columna, judex de Messana, wrote it in the year 1287. It was printed at Strasburg, 1486. VOL. IV. and Roman mandie. de Nor VI. HISTORYOF ENGLAND. 87 BOOK Beneoit, who had written on it by his sovereign's de- 88 All these rhymed histories, altho in truth so wearisome that we are astonished at the patience which could read, as well as at the perseverance that could write them, were important accessions to the intellect 86 Oie eu avant qi dire en deit Wace Norm. Bib. Reg. 4. c. 11. 67 He thus twice mentions his name~ Ici comence l'estoire del rei Guillaume MS. Harl. N° 1717. pp. 85 & 192. 88 Puis prist femme li reis Henris Qui fu fille au duc Godefrei De Louan; si out non Aeliz E si me retrait li escriz.-Beneoit MS, Ib. I think this Alice is the queen of Louvain mentioned by Gaimar. So Qual plaisir seit de mun seignor Del bon rei Henri fiz Maheut, Que si benigne cum il seut Seit al oir e al entendre Nest pas de mes pours l'amendre. Si soffert jai gref labor Qual plaisir seit de mun seignor. Beneoit MS. Ib. I have sometimes doubted if this author was Beneoit de la More, because the style of the Trojan story seems more flowing and cultivated. Perhaps being more at liberty to use his fancy in that poem, his pen was improved by his invention. B IV. ANGLO NORMAN POETRY. of the day. They made reading popular among the CHAP. great and fair; they kindled the wish of these rulers of human society to be themselves "inurned in song; and by their description and praise of better actions, they contributed to extinguish such fierce characters CULAR as prevailed at that period. Being easy of comprehension, they provided an agreeable occupation for the leisure of the affluent; and thus made literature one of the needful luxuries of life. That they opened a pathway to natural poetry and original composition, was a merit that gives them high rank in our literary history. They excited such a taste for works in rhymed verse, that in the thirteenth century the rules of monasteries were put into it, as were also the Institutes of Justinian, and the customs of Normandy.90 But altho the historic poetry of the Anglo-Normans Fictitious was the first species of Parnassian composition,. and romances. indeed of vernacular literature, which appeared in England after the Saxon dynasty had been overthrown, it was not the only kind which was known and cultivated among our ancestors or in the west of Europe during the twelfth century. Two other branches of versified compositions, originating from other parental stocks, also obtained great attention and circulation, as well in our own island as on the Continent, before our native Muse abandoned all foreign speech, and made its vernacular English the preferred and permanent diction of all its future compositions. But this great revolution did not assume a decided shape till about the year 1300, and was gradually completed during the next hundred years. Before this arose, from the year 1100 to 1300, the favorite poems, besides the rhymed histories already noticed in the preceding Chapter, may be 90 Roquefort de la Poes. Franc. p. 252,-La Rue. |