I.

The Boy and the Wantle,

Is printed verbatim from the old MS. described in the Preface. The Editor believes it more ancient than it will appear to be at first sight; the transcriber of that manuscript having reduced the orthography and style in many instances to the standard of his own times.

The incidents of the mantle and the knife have not, that I can recollect, been borrowed from any other writer. The former of these evidently suggested to Spenser his conceit of Florimel's girdle, b. iv. c. 5, st. 3.

That girdle gave the virtue of chaste love
And wivehood true to all that did it beare;
But whosoever contrarie doth prove,

Might not the same about her middle weare,
But it would loose or else asunder teare.

So it happened to the false Florimel, st. 16, when
being brought, about her middle small
They thought to gird, as best it her became,
But by no means they could it thereto frame,
For ever as they fastned it, it loos'd
And fell away, as feeling secret blame, &c.
That all men wondred at the uncouth sight

And each one thought as to their fancies came.
But she herself did think it done for spight,
And touched was with secret wrath and shame
Therewith, as thing deviz'd her to defame:
Then many other ladies likewise tride
About their tender loynes to knit the same,
But it would not on none of them abide,

But when they thought it fast, eftsoones it was untide.
Thereat all knights gan laugh and ladies lowre,

Till that at last the gentle Amoret

Likewise assayed to prove that girdle's powre.
And having it about her middle set
Did find it fit withouten breach or let,
Whereat the rest gan greatly to envie.
But Florimel exceedingly did fret,
And snatching from her hand, &c.

Percy. III.

3

As for the trial of the horne, it is not peculiar to our poet; it occurs in the old romance, entitled Morte Arthur, which was translated out of French in the time of King Edward IV., and first printed anno 1484. From that romance Ariosto is thought to have borrowed his tale of the Enchanted Cup, c. 42, &c. See Mr. Warton's Observations on the Faerie Queen, &c.

The story of the horn in Morte Arthur varies a good deal from this of our poet, as the reader will judge from the following extract: "By the way they met with a knight that was sent from Morgan la Faye to king Arthur, and this knight had a fair horne all garnished with gold, and the horne had such a virtue, that there might no ladye or gentlewoman drinke of that horne, but if she were true to her husband: and if shee were false she should spill all the drinke, and if shee were true unto her lorde, shee might drink peaceably: and because of queene Guenever and in despite of Sir Launcelot du Lake, this horne was sent unto King Arthur." This horn is intercepted and brought unto another king named Marke, who is not a whit more fortunate than the British hero; for he makes "his qeene drinke thereof, and an hundred ladies moe, and there were but foure ladies of all those that drank cleane," of which number the said queen proves not to be one. [Book ii. chap. 22, ed. 1632.]

In other respects the two stories are so different, that we have just reason to suppose this ballad was written before that romance was translated into English.

As for Queen Guenever, she is here represented no otherwise than in the old histories and romances. Holinshed observes, that "she was evil reported of, as noted of incontinence and breach of faith to hir husband." Vol. i. p. 93.

** Such readers as have no relish for pure antiquity, will find a more modern copy of this ballad at the end of the volume.

V. 7, branches. MS. V. 18, heate. MS. V. 21, poterver. MS.

20

25

25

30

Then every knight in the kings court
Began to care for ‘his.'

Forth came dame Guénever;
To the mantle shee her 'hied;'
The ladye shee was newfangle,
But yett shee was affrayd.

35

V. 32, his wiffe. MS. V. 34, bided. MS. V. 41, gaule. MS.

60