Reliques of ancient English poetry: consisting of old heroic ballads ...

100 ANCIENT SONGS
" hermit, and dyed in a cave
" diftantfrom Warwick."
of craggy rocke, a mile
9"be hijiory ofjir Guy, tbo >
now very properly rejigned to
children, was once admired by all readers of wit and tajle :
for tajle and wit bad once their childhood. Thd* ofEngliJh
growth, it was early afavourite with other nations : it appeared
in French in 1525 : and is alluded to the old Spanijh
romance Tirante el bianco, which it is believed was writ-
fen not long after the year 1430. See advertifement to the
French tranflation, 2 vols. \2mo.
The originalwhence all thefe ftories are extrailed is a very
ancient romance in old Englijh verfe, which is quoted by
Chaucer as a celebrated piece even in. his time, (viz.
" Men jpeken of romances of price,
" Of Home chzlde and Ippotis,
" OfBevis, and fir Guy, cjc. R. ofThop.J
and was ujually Jung to the harp at Cbrijfmas dinners and
brideales, as we learn from Puttenham's art of poetry,
^io. 1589.
This ancient romance is not wholly loft. An imperfeU
copy in black letter, " Imprynted at London for Wylliam
" Copland" in ^\Jheets ^to. without date, isfillpreserved
among Mr. Garrick's collection of old plays. As afpecimen
of the poetry of this antique rhymer, take his defcription of
the dragon mentioned in ver. 105 of thefollowing ballad,
--- '
' A mefjenger ca?ne to the king,
" Syr king, he fayd, lyften me now,
ei For bad tydinges I bring you,
" In Northumberlande there is no man,
*' But that they be Jlayne everychone :