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

xii ANCIENT SONGS
He exprefsly mentions feveral of them by name in a
ftanza, which I mall have oecafion to quote more than
©nee in this volume.
Men fpeken of Roman n«s of Price,
Of Home-Child, and Ipotis,
Of Bevis, and Sir Guy,
Of Sir Libeaux and Blandamoure,
But Sir Thopas bereth the floure,
Of riail chevallrie.
Moft, if net all of thefe are ftill extant; in MS. in
fome or other of our libraries, as I fhall fhew in the
conclufion of this flight EiTay, where I fhall give a lift
of fuch metrical Hiftories and Romances as have fallen
under my obfervation.
As many of thefe contain a confiderable portion of
poetic merit, and throw great light on the manners and
opinions of former times, it were to be wilhed that
fome of the belt of them were refcued from oblivion. A
judicious collection of them accurately published with
proper iiluftrations, would be an important acceflion to
our flock of ancient Englifli Literature. Many of them
exhibit no mean attempts at Epic Poetry, and tho' full
of the exploded ficliops of Chivalry, frequently difplay
great deicriptive and inventive powers in the Bards,
who compofed them. They are at leaft generally equal
to any other poetry of the fame age. They cannot indeed
be put in competition with the nervous productions
of fo univerfal and commanding a genius as Chaucer,
but they have a rimplicity that makes them be
read with lefs interruption, and be more eafily underwood
: and they are far more fpirited and entertaining
than the tedious allegories of Gower, or the dull and
prolix legends of Lydgate. Yet, while fo much frrefs
is laid upon the writings of thefe laft, by fuch as treat
of Englifh poetry, the old metrical Romances, tho' far
more popular in their time, are hardly known to exift. But
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