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the history to the imprisonment of John. The work is called Ormulum," because Ormin made it." Guest regards it as "the oldest, the purest, and by far the most valuable specimen of our old English dialect, that time has left us." Ormin is uniform in his orthography. He always doubles the final consonant after a short vowel, and consequently a single final consonant always denotes a long vowel. There are also several other peculiarities of interest, but which cannot be noticed in this place. Ormin was evidently a man of deep piety, but of great firmness, and his doctrines were remarkably free from those errors which had become so rife at that time.

ARRECK. This poet translated the Life of St. Catharine from Greek into Latin, and subsequently into English. There are also some reasons for suspecting that the Life of St. Margaret was written by the same author.

The Grave, an Anglo-Saxon poem, supposed to have been written about 1150, is the latest specimen of Anglo-Saxon poetry we are acquainted with. In this, as in all other English of this period, the Anglo-Saxon participial prefix ge, is written i-, or y-. It has been published both by Thorpe and Conybeare.

"A Leetel Sermun," contained in the Layamon MS., has a specimen of poetry of the species called the burthen, with final rhyme.

To these we must add the names of a few English poets who used the Norman romance as the medium through which to communicate their thoughts.

PHILLIPPE DE THAN was the first Anglo-Norman poet of which we have any knowledge. He wrote a poem in French called Liber de Creaturis, about 1107; another called Le Bestiare, about 1121. His verse has six accents, and rhymes the final syllables of the different sections.

SAMSON DE NANTEUIL Soon after made a metrical version of the Book of Proverbs in verse of four accents.

GEOFFROI GAIMAR wrote a metrical History of the AngloSaxon Kings, about A. D. 1146. This too was written in sections of four accents, and is said to possess uncommon facility and elegance.

Maistare WACE was a native of the isle of Jersey, but educated on the Continent. He wrote several pieces, but the Brut d'Angleterre, composed about A. D. 1155, is most celebrated. It is a history of Britain, from the time of the

imaginary Brutus to the reign of Cadwallader, A. D. 689. His other works were: (2) A History of the two Irruptions of the Normans into Neustria and England; (3) Roman du Rou, or Rollo; (4) Life of William Longsword, son of Rollo; (5) Romance of Richard, son of William; (6) History of the Dukes of Normandy; (7) Compendium of the same; (8) History of the Origin of the Feast of the Conception; (9) Life of St. Nicholas; (10) Roman du Chevalier au Lion. Wace seems to have exceeded all his cotemporaries in the extent and accuracy of his knowledge, and in the beauty and facility of his versification.

BENOIT was cotemporary with Wace, and wrote a History of the Wars of Troy, in a poem of about twenty thousand verses. He is also supposed to be the author of the song on the Advantages of the Crusades.

GUERNES Wrote a metrical Life of Thomas à Becket about 1177. His verse is a stanza of five Alexandrines, all having the same rhyme.

THIRTEENTH CENTURY.-JOHN OF GUILFORD was the author of a poem entitled, Le Passyun of Jesus Crist. He is also supposed to be the author of the Hule and Nightengale, (Owl and Nightingale.) In this alliteration is wanting, but final rhyme is universally regarded.

HENDING, Son of Marcolf, was the author of a song which employs the kind of versification called the wheel. The song is printed in GUEST's History of English Rhythms.

ROBERT OF GLOUCESTER was the author of some portion of the Chronicle, written in verse.

KENDALL seems to have been a native of Westmoreland. He left one poem, the story of Sir Tristrem, which has been preserved.

MICHAEL OF KILDARE, though a native of Ireland, was yet an English poet. He was a friar of Kildare, and wrote a song, or rather, hymn, which is printed in GUEST. He was also the author of a most satirical ballad, on monks, merchants, and butchers. He seems also to have been the author of a most biting piece of satire on the monks, called The Land of Cockaygne; or perhaps we ought to call it a glowing picture of their licentiousness. It is printed in ELLIS'S SPECIMENS and Hickes's Thesaurus. There are also extant many single pieces of poetry, which were evidently written in this century, but of which the names of the authors are unknown. A part of one, on the Assumption of

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the Virgin, is printed in GUEST; the romances of Ipomydon, Richard, and King Alisaunder, printed in Weber's Metrical Romances; Havelok, edited by Sir F. Madden; and the Harrowing of Hell, published in the Archæologia.

FOURTEENTH CENTURY.-ROBERT MANNING OF BRUNNE, and hence sometimes called Robert de Brunne. He was author of the Rhyming Chronicle of England, the first of which is a version of WACE'S Brut, and the second was a translation of LANGTOFT's Chronicle, a work written in French by Peter de Langtoft, of Yorkshire. He is also said to have made a metrical version of a work written by Robert Grostête, the ever memorable Bishop of Lincoln, entitled Manuele Pecche, or a treatise on the decalogue and the seven deadly sins. The work of Grostête was in French metre. ADAM DAVIE, marshal of Stratford-le-bow, was the author of certain Visions, preserved in MS. in the Bodleian Library; and, probably, of the Siege of Jerusalem, printed in GUEST; the Legend of St. Alexius, Scripture Histories, and Life of Alexander. Part of the last is in Ellis.

WILLIAM OF SHOREHAM is also said to have written considerable poetry in the early part of this century, but we are not aware that any of it has been published.

RANDAL HIGGENET was the author of the Chester Plays. They appear to have been written about 1327, but were not published until the author had visited Rome three times, to obtain permission.

RICHARD ROLLE of Hampole made a translation of the Stimulus Conscientiæ, or Prick of Conscience. A metrical paraphrase of the book of Job is also ascribed to him, as also of the Lord's Prayer and the seven penitential psalms. GILBERT PILKINGTON, Rector of Tottenham. He wrote the Tournament of Tottenham, and a poem on the Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

WILLIAM HERBERT make a collection of Hymns and Antiphones, which were preserved for a long time.

THOMAS VICARY of Wimburne, Dorsetshire, wrote the romance of Apollonius of Tyre.

WILLIAM, patronized by Humphrey Bohun, Earl of Hereford, translated the romance of William and the Werwolf.

This brings us to the days of LANGLAND, GOWER, and CHAUCER, who lived about the same time. And here we take leave of the subject for the present. It would have been a pleasant task to have gone more into detail on very many points, to have described more fully many of the An

glo-Saxon poems, their peculiarities and contents; but this would have extended our article far beyond our limits. We trust, however, that the brief account we have been able to present our readers will give them a bird's-eye view of the field, and the objects contained in it, and that it will spur some of them forward to explore the beauties which lie hidden therein.

ART. IV. Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers of the Colony of Plymouth, from 1602 to 1625. Now first collected from Original Records and Contemporaneous printed Documents, and illustrated with Notes. By ALEXANDER YOUNG. Boston: 1841. C. C. Little and J. Brown. 8vo. pp. 504.

Ir is the unlucky fate of men who involve themselves in religious controversies, that they draw a veil over their own virtues. Considering that the worst enemies of the English puritans have never charged upon them any immoralities, we might be at a loss to account for the opprobrious epithets which have been attached to their names, their opinions and practices, in English literature. In the sequel of our remarks we shall endeavor to explain this wonder. At present we may say, that the weaker party in a religious controversy, always, for the time, loses the credit of even its most meritorious qualities. It is put forward on the field of observation as engaged in a quarrel, as in a militant posture, as oppugning, destroying and insulting what others reverence; and thus while its own language is never as gentle as it might be, it provokes abuse from its opponents. Meanwhile, what-* ever of devotion, affection, or virtue, may properly belong to the party, is known only to its own members. They who are familiar with its secret counsels, with its private relations and communions, can rightly stimulate the honest and worthy motives which actuate it. If this statement be true, and it would admit of a various, not to say a tedious proof, then it is plain that justice can be done to a religious sect only after time has softened its harsh features, and exposed its private history, its individual memoirs. When in the tranquil retrospect of long years we can make the long past present before us by the pages of faithful history, we shall judge not only more charitably, but far more truly of the extravagances

and the excellences of the contending sect. This fair judgment is not to be expected from contemporaries. For not only do their own prejudices and opinions hinder it, but, as we have said, the antagonist attitude of the dissentients brings into use the weapon of fight, rather than the olive branch. It is on this account we are always pleased to receive as among the treasures of our library, all those memoirs and histories of modern publication which are compiled from the private records of ancient sects. We feel that we are enabled to divest ourselves of our prejudices, to do justice to those who may have been wronged, and, what is most desirable of all, to judge each vexed cause after full knowledge and impartial study. Good service is done to any sect, at any time, by affixing its name to one or more volumes of accurate narrative or biography, in which it may begin, pursue, and complete its defence, without interruption or clamor. This service Mr. Young has performed for the " pilgrim fathers," restricting the use of that term to those who have the sole title to it, the original settlers or planters at Plymouth Colony. It is but little to say of the book before us, that it has wiped off from the page of history some odious slanders which had become attached to the characters and proceedings of those devoted men. It has performed a higher service for them, and for us, in giving us, from their own pens, some minute and most ingenuous narratives of their private and social life. As we have read its pages, we have more than once felt ourselves as mingling in the company of that austere, but by no means cheerless band of exiles. We have read of their sour visages, their bigoted and fanatical zeal, their obstinacy and spiritual pride, but in the pages before us not a single ⚫ statement, opinion, action, or occurrence, has verified or confirmed the prejudice which dwelt in our minds concerning them. We do, indeed, observe, (p. 349,) that on a fast day which they kept on occasion of a drought in their plantation, their exercise continued "some eight or nine hours," and under present circumstances we cannot pretend that the length of the service would not be irksome to us, yet they had willing spirits, and thought that a special service on their part would ensure a special providence from God; their expectations being most remarkably fulfilled in this instance by a copious and fruitful rain. We do not hesitate to say, that there never was a body of men who more solemnly and cheerfully realized the near presence of God, and found more

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