Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 8.djvu/187

 Early English Poetry.

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��had intrusted his beautiful daughter to the care of one of his nobles who cruelly detained her in his castle under pretence of making her his wife. The King made proclamation that whoever would rescue her should have her in marriage. Regner alone achieved her rescue. The name of the traitorous man was Orme, which in the Islandic tongue means a serpent, hence the story that the maiden was guarded by a dragon, which her bold deliverer slew. The his- tory of Richard I. is full of such roman- tic adventures. Shakespeare, in his play of King John, alludes to an exploit of Richard in slaying a uon, whence the epithet "Coeur de Lion," which is given in no histor}'. He says :

" Needs must you lay your heart at his dispose Against whose furie and unmatched force. The aweless lion could not wage the fight Nor keep his princely heart from Richard's hand: He that perforce robs lions 01 their hearts May easily winne a woman's."

This allusion is fully explained in the old romance of Richard Coeur de Lion. The King travelling as " a palmer in Al- maye," from the Holy Land, was seized as a spy and imprisoned. Being chal- lenged to a trial of pugilism by the King's son, he slew him. The King to avenge his son's death let in a hungry lion upon the royal prisoner. The King's daughter, who loved the captive, sent him forty ells of white silk " ker- chers " to bind about him as a defence against the lion's teeth and claws. The romance thus proceeds :

The kever-chefes he toke on hand. And aboute his arme he wondc. And thought in that ylke while To slee the lyon with some gyle And syngle in a kyrtyle he strode And abode the lyon fycrs and wodc. With that came the jaylcre. And other men that with him were And the lyon them amonge ; His pawes were stiffe and stronge. His chamber dorc they undone And the lyon to them is gone Rycharde sayd Helpe Lord Jesu! The lyon made to him venu,

��And woldehim have alleto rente; Kynge Rycharde beside hym glente The lyon on the breste hym spumed That about he turned, The lyon was hongry and megre. And bette his tail to be egre; He loked about as he were madde, Abrode he all his pawes spradde. He cryd lowde and yaned wyde. Kynge Richarde bethought him that tyde What hym was beste, and to him sterte In at the thide his hand he gerte, And rente out the beste with his bond Lounge and all that he there fonde. The lyon fell deed on the grounde Rycharde felt no wem ne wounde.

On such fictitious incidents m the romances of past ages, Shakespeare un- doubtedly built many of his dramas. The story of Shylock in the Merchant of Venice is found in an old English ballad. I will quote a few stanzas to indicate the identity of Shylock and " Germutus, the Jew of Venice."

The blondie Jew now ready is

With whetted blade in hand To spoyle the bloud of innocent.

By forfeit of his bond, And as he was about to strike

In him the deadly blow; Stay, quoth the judge, thy crueltie

I charge thee to do so. Sith needs thou wilt thy forfeit have

Which is of flesh a pound; See that thou shed no drop of bloud

Nor yet the man confound For if thou do, like murderer

Thou here shah hanged be; Likewise of flesh see that thou cut

No more than longs to thee; For if thou take either more or lesse

To the value of a mite Thou shalt be hanged presently As is both law and right.

It is reasonable to suppose the miser thereupon departed cursing the law and leaving the merchant alive.

There is, also, a famous ballad called " King Leir and His Daughters," which embodies the story of Shakespeare's tragedy of Lear. It commences thus :

So on a time it pleased the king

A question thus to move. Which of his daughters to his grace

Could show the dearest love; For to my age you bring content.

Quoth he, then let me hear. Which of you three in plighted troth

The kindest will apcear.

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