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

ANCIENT SONGS
feen, that, in the preceding century, when the Normans
marched down to the battle of Haftings, they
animated themfelves, by finging (in fome popular romance
or ballad) the exploits of Roland and the other
heroes of Chivalry (h).
So early as this I cannot trace the Songs of Chivalry
in Engliih. The molt ancient I have feen, is that of
Hokne child defcribed below, which feems not older
than the twelfth century. However, as this rather refembles
the Saxon poetry, than the French, it is not
certain that the nrfl Engliih Romances were tranflated
from that language. We have feen above, that a propenfity
to this kind of ficlion prevailed among all the
Gothic nations (ij ; and, tho' after the Norman Conqueft,
both the French and Engliih tranflated each
others Romances, there is no room to doubt, but both
©f them compofed original pieces of their own.
The
(h)WA. fupra, Vol. I. IntroJ. p. xxvii, Sec. Et vide Rapin, Carte,
, -S?