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

AND BALLADS. VVH
lhall felect the Romance of Libius Disconius ftj, as
being one of thofe mentioned by Chaucer, and either
fhorter or more intelligible than the others he has
quoted.
If an Epic Poem may be defined, " (u) A fable re~
" lated by a poet, to excite admiration and infpire
*' virtue, by reprefenting the a£t:cn of fome one hero,
" favoured by heaven, who executes a great deiign, in
*•< fpite of all the obftacles that oppofe him : " I knownot
why we mould withhold the name of Epic Poem
from the piece which I am about to analyfe.
My copy is divided into IX Parts or Cantos, the
feveral arguments of which are as follows.
Part I.
Opens with a fhort exordium to befpeak attention
the Hero is defcribed, a natural fon of Sir Gawain, a
celebrated knight of K. Arthur's court, who being
brought up in a foreft by his mother, is kept ignorant
of his name and defcent. He early exhibits marks of
his courage, by killing a knight in fingle combat, who
encountered him as he was hunting. This infpires him
with a defire of feeking adventures ; therefore cloathing
himfelf in his enemy's armour, he goes to K.
Arthur's Court, to requeit the order of knighthood.
His requerl granted, he obtains a promife of having
the firft adventure afligned him that mail offer. A
darnfel named Ellen, attended by a dwarf, comes to
implore K. Arthur's afiiflance, to refcue a young Prin-
cefs, " the Lady of Sinadone" their miftrefs, who is
detained from her rights, and confined in prifon. The
adventure is claimed by the young knight Sir Lybius :
the king afTents : the meffengers are difTatisfied, and
object to his youth ; but are forced to acquiefce. And
here the firil book clofes with a defcription of the ceremony
of equipping him forth.
Vol. III.- c Part
ftJ So it is intitled in the Editor's MS.
(u) Vid. " Difcours fur la Poefie Epique/' prefixed t© Tsj-S*-