origin of lying in romances." Nor were the monstrous embellishments of enchantments, c. the invention of the romancers, but formed upon eaftern tales, brought thence by travellers from their crufades and pilgrimages; which indeed bave a caft peculiar to the wild imaginations of the eastern people. We have a proof of this in the Travels of Sir J. Maundevile."-He then gives us a ftory of an enchanted dragon in the ifle of Cos, from Sir J. Maundevile, who wrote his Travels in 1356; by way of proof, that the tales of enchantments, &c. which had been current here in romances of chivalry for above two hundred years before, were brought by travellers from the Eaft! The proof is certainly not conclufive. On the other hand, I believe it would be eafy to fhow, that, at the time when romances of chivalry began, our Europe had a very fufficient ftock of lies of her own growth, to furnish materials for every variety of monftrous embellishment. At most times, I conceive, and in most countries, imported lies are rather for luxury than neceffity. Dr. W. comes now to that other ground-work of the old romances, our Geoffry of Monmouth. And him he dispatches very shortly, because, as has been obferved before, it is impoffible to find any thing in him to the purpofe of crufades, or Saracens. Indeed, in treating of Spanish romances, it must be quite unneceffary to fay much of Geoffry, as, whatever they have of the British Arthur and bis conjurer Merlin," is of fo late a fabrick, that, in all probability, they took it from the more modern Italian romances, and not from Geoffry's own book. As to the doubt, "Whether it was by blunder or defign that they changed the Saxons to Saracens," I should wish to postpone the confideration of it, till we have fome Spanish romance before us, in which king Arthur is introduced carrying on a war against Saracens. And thus, I think, I have gone through the feveral facts and arguments, which Dr. W. has advanced in fupport of his third pofition. In fupport of his two firft pofitions, as I have obferved already, he has faid nothing; and indeed nothing can be faid. The remainder of his note contains another hypothefis concerning the strange jumble of nonsense and religion in the old romances, which I fhall not examine. The reader, I prefume, by this time is well aware, that Dr. W.'s information upon this fubject is to be received with caution. I fhall only take a little notice of one or two facts, with which he fets out." In these old romances there zuas much religious fuperftition mixed with their other extravagancies; as appears even from their very names and titles. The first romance of Launcelot of the Lake and King Arthur and his Knights, is called the Hiftory of Saint Graal. So another is called Kyrie eleifon of Montauban. For in thofe days Deuteronomy and Paralipomenon were supposed to be the names of boly men.-I believe no one, who has ever looked into the common romance of king Arthur, will be of opinion, that the part relating to the Saint Graal was the first romance of Lancelot of the Lake and King Arthur and his Knights. And as to the other fuppofed to be called Kyrie eleifon of Montauban, there is no reason to believe that any romance with that title ever exifted. This is the mistake, which, as was hinted above, Dr. W. appears to have borrowed from Haet. The reader will judge. Huet is giving an account of the the romances in Don Quixote's library, which the curate and barber saved from the flames. "Ceux qu'ils jugent dignes d'etre gardez font_les quatre livres d'Amadis de Gaule,-Palmerin d'Angleterre,-Don Belianis; le miroir de chevalerie; Tirante le Blanc, et Kyrie éleifon de Montauban (car au bon vieux temps on croyoit que Kyrie éleifon et Paralipomenon etoient les noms de quelques faints) où les fubtilitez de la Damoifelle Plaifirde-ma-vie, et les tromperies de la Veuve repofée, font fort louées."-It is plain, I think, that Dr. W. copied what he lays of Kyrie eleifon of Montauban, as well as the witticism in his laft fentence, from this paffage of Huet, though he has improved upon his original by introducing a faint Deuteronomy, upon what authority I know not. It is ftill more evident (from the paffage of Cervantes, which is quoted below*) that Huet was mistaken in fuppofing Kyrie eleifon de Montauban to be the name of a separate romance. He might as well have made La Damoiselle Plaifir-de-ma-vie and La Veuve repofée the names of feparate romances. All three are merely characters in the romance of Tirante le Blanc.- And fo much for Dr. W.'s account of the origin and nature,of romances of chivalry. TYRWHITT. No future editor of Shakspeare will, I believe, readily confent to omit the differtation here examined, though it certainly has no more relation to the play before us, than to any other of our author's dramas. Mr. Tyrwhitt's judicious obfervations upon it have given it a value which it cer tainly had not before; and, I think, I may venture to foretell, that Dr. Warburton's futile performance, like the pifmire which Martial tells us was accidentally incrafted with amber, will be ever preferved, for the fake of the admirable comment in which it is now enshrined. quæ fuerat vitâ contempta manente, Funeribus facta eft nunc pretiofa fuis. MALONE. Don Quix. lib. 1. c. 6. "Valame Dios, dixo el Cura, dando una gran voz, que acqui effé Tirante el Blanco! Dadinele acà, compadre, que hago cuenta que he hallado en el un teforo de contento, y un mina de paffatiempos. Aqui está Don Quri-eleyfon de Montalvan, valerofo Cavallero, y su hermano Tomas de Montalvan, y el Cavallero Fonfeca, con la batalla que el valiente Detriante [r. de Tirante] hizo con el atano, y las agudezas de la Donzella Plazer de mi vida, con los amores y embufies. de la viudu Repofada, y la Senora Emperatriz, enamorado de Hippolito fu ef udero." Aqui està Don Quirilleyjon, &c. HERE, i. e, in the romance of Tirante el Blanco, 13 Don Quirietayfon, &c. The reader will find a diftinct epitome of the novels from which the ftory of this play is fuppofed to be taken, at the conclufion of the notes. It fhould however be remembered, that if our poet was at all indebted to the Italian novelists, it must have been through the medium of fome old tranflation, which has hitherto escaped the researches of his mft induftrious editors. It appears from a paffage in Stephen Goffon's School of Abufe, &c. 1579, that a play, comprehending the distinct plots of Shakspeare's Merchant of Venice, had been exhibited long before he commenced a writer, viz. It is The Jew fhown at the Bull, reprefenting the greedineffe of worldly choofers, and the bloody minds of ufurers." "Thefe plays, says Gosson, (for he mentions others with it) are goode and fweete plays," &c. therefore not improbable that Shakspeare new-wrote his piece, on the model already mentioned, and that the elder performance, being inferior, was permitted to drop filently into oblivion. This play of Skakspeare had been exhibited before the year 1598, as appears from Meres's Wits Treasury, where it is mentioned with eleven more of our author's pieces. It was enter'd on the books of the Stationers' Company, July 22, in the fame year. It could not have been printed earlier, because it was not yet licenfed. The old fong of Gernutus the Jew of Venice, is published by Dr. Percy in the first volume of his Reliques of anient English Poetry: and the ballad intituled, The Murtherous lyfe and terrible death of the rich Jewe of Malta; and the tragedy on the fame subject, were both entered on the Stationers' books, May 1594. STEEVENS. The ftory was taken from an old translation of The Gefta Romanorum, first printed by Wynkyn de Worde. The book was very popular, and Shakspeare has clofely copied fome of the language: an additional argument, if we wanted it, of his track of reading. Three veffels are exhibited to a lady for her choice-The first was made of pure gold, well befet with precious ftones without, and within full of dead men's bones; and therepon was engraven this pofie : Whofo chufeth me, fhali find that be deferveth. The fecond veffel was made of fine filver, filled with earth and worms; the fuperfcription was thus: Whof chufeth me, fhall find that his nature defireth. The third veffel was made of lead, full within of precious ftones, and thereupon was infculpt this pofie: Whoso chufetb me, shall find that God bath difpofed for him. -The lady after a comment upon each, chufes the leaden veffel. In a MS. of Lidgate, belonging to my very learned friend, Dr. Askew, I find a Tale of two Marchants of Egipt and of Baldad, ex Geftis RomanoLeland therefore could not be the original author, as Bishop Tanner fufpected. He lived a century after Lidgate. FARMER. rum. The two principal incidents of this play are to be found feparately in a collection of odd ftories, which were very popular, at least five hundred years ago, under the title of Gefta Romanorum. The firft, Of the bond, is in ch. xlviii. of the copy which I chufe to refer to, as the completest of any which I have yet feen. MS. Harl. n. 2270. A knight there borrows money of a merchant, upon condition of forfeiting all bis flesh for non-payment. When the penalty is exacted before the judge; the knight's mistress, disguised, in forma viri & vestimentis pretiofis induta, comes into |