for throwing stones; but this is objectionable, inasmuch as both machines were in use at the same period. The French are said to have derived their word canon, which has been since adopted by ourselves and the Italians, from canna, on account of the resemblance of this warlike in strument to a reed; and some have thought that gun may be deduced from the same original: but there is likewise an objection to this etymology, because we find in our present instance, that the word was used, according to probability, before gunpowder was invented. It is, however, possible to reverse the argument, and, by adopting the preceding dates on cannons, to affix to this composition an antiquity which it wanted before; the general opinion ascribing its invention to the German monk Schwartz, about the year 1354. Indeed, on the correct sense of the word in question, depends not only the origin of gunpowder, but also the age of our poem itself. The reader will therefore weigh the evidence which is before him, and decide as he thinks proper.-D. 3435, They thenkith to warde wel that tyde, With cartes and waynes strong.] This simple mode of fortification has always been in use among the Tartars and other pastoral nations. E. 3447-8.] Cecile, probably Cilicia; Ermonye, Armenia. 3512, Now this gest tellith here Of this leche Felipoun.] The poet here alludes to the story related by Quintus Curtius, of Alexander's noble conduct to his physician Philip, falsely calumniated by Parmenio, who, in a letter to the king, had accused Philip of a design to poison him.-D. 3632, Casedoyse.] Probably Capedoyse, i. e. Capadocie. 3649, With his sweord of Coloyne.] The city of Cologne, in Germany, was not only celebrated for the swords manufactured there, but also for its artists, in very ancient times. So, in the German poem of Percival, written in the beginning of the 13th century, the poet Wolfram Von Eschenbach, v. 4705, speaking of the beauty of a knight, says: "Von Choelne noch von Mastricht i. e. "No painter of Cologne or Mastricht could have designed him better." It will, perhaps, not be considered as out of place to subjoin the following lines from the same romance, as they seem to prove, that, besides the Percival of Chrestien de Troyes, there existed another French poem on the subject by Kyot, a Provencial poet. It occurs at the close of the poem, (v. 24,718.) Ob von Troys meister Christian, Der uns die rehten mære entbot. Wie Harceloyden kind den Graal The following is a literal version of these verses: "Because master Christian of Troys has done wrong to this tale, Kyot may wel be angry for it, who has told us the true story. In the end, the Provençal (poet) tells us how the child of Herceloyd (Percival) obtained the Graal," &c. See also Ritson's Romances, III. 245. 3690, &c.] Daries are probably subjects of Darius (a singular word, perhaps fabricated by the author); Perseniens, Persians; Turkeis, Turks; Escleiris, perhaps, as Mr Douce conjectures, people of Esthaol in Palestine; Mediens, Medes; Capadoces, Capadocians; Suliens, Syrians (Surry was a very usual apellation for Syria); Caldians, Chaldeans; Ebriens, Hebrews; Cretiens, Cretans ; Partiens, Parthians; Emaniens, (people about Emaus ?) 3795, Other tole nane I payd.] Alluding to the tribute demanded of Alexander by Darius. 3830, Egregies.] For Gregeis, Greeks. 3862, He blew his horn, saun doute.] The fabulous horn of Alexander, which is here only slightly hinted at, is described, in the words of Warton, as being of such magnitude that he "gave the signal to the whole army" with it, and that it "might be heard at the distance of sixty miles, being blown or sounded by sixty men at once.' The same horn is mentioned in the Secretum Secretorum, and is nigh akin to the miraculous horns of the Orlando Innamorato, and the Orlando Furioso. 4088, Estrage.] The Italian prose life of Alexander says, that the Persian name for this river was Stragma, from which this word may possibly be corrupted.-E. The Latin copy calls the river Grancus, i. e. Granicus, and says it was named Stagnia by the Persians.-D. 4160, And saide, "Of tale beo smart, Alisaundre thyseolf thou hit art."] In the Italian life of Alexander, Darius suspects Alexander's disguise from the haughtiness of his language.-E. 4178, Pyment.] Pyment and claret, which are often mentioned in these volumes, are spiced or artificial wines; indeed the latter seems only to have been a species of the former, as will appear from the following passage from Mamotrect. ad 3. Reg. c. 20. : "Pigmenta, i. e. confectiones ex vino et melle et diversis speciebus suaves et odoriferos. Hoc pigmentum, vulgariter claretum." And in Bartholinus de Proprietate Rerum, lib. xix. c. 56., we have the following account of claret: "Claretum ex vino et melle et speciebus aromaticis confectum : nam species aromaticæ in subtilissimum pulverem conteruntur, et in sacco lineo vel mundo cum melle vel Zucara reponuntur. Vino autem optimo species perfunduntur, et reperfunduntur quemadmodum fit lixivia, et tamdiu renovatur perfusio, donec virtus specierum vino incorporetur, et optime clarificetur, unde a vino contrahit fortitudinem et acumen, a speciebus autem retinet aromaticitatem et odorem, sed a melle dulccdinem mutuatur et sapo rem." 4300, The king dude sette out his dragoun, According to Leigh's Accidence of Armory, "Alexander did bear gules, a lion, or," and so his arms are represented in a cut to the French romance of the Nine Worthies, 1487.-E. D. 3421, Hit fareth by a mon so by the floure: So glyt away so doth the fure.] "As a flower of the field so he flourisheth, for the wind passeth over it and it is gone." Psalm ciii. 15, 16. 4781, &c. Ysidre, &c.] Ysidre, as Mr War. ton observes, is probably Isidorus His paliensis, a Latin author of the seventh century. Eustroge is certainly Eutropius, who is quoted also as an authority in the Latin MS. penes Mr Douce. The mention of Saint Jerome seems to militate against the supposition of Mr Douce, (see p. 300 of this volume) that the Jerome noticed in the Latin MS. is not the Saint, but Jeronimus Cardanus. It is, however, more probable that the English poet committed a blunder, as St Jerome was undoubtedly most familiar to him. Denys (v. 4790.) is certain. ly Dionysius Halicarnassus; Magestene, Megasthenes, mentioned in the same MS.; and by Pompey, as Mr Warton says, the poet means Justin's Trogus Pompeius, whom he confounds with Pompey the Great. 4805, Facen.] That is, the city of Phasis. 4862, Gangarides.] The inhabitants of this island are the Pigmies of antiquity, though not of equal minuteness. Those of Mandeville are described in the following manner: "This reuere goth thourgh the lond of Pigmeis, and tho men be of litill statur, for they be but of thre palme long; and they be right fayre folke though thei be litill. And they be weddyd wan they be halfe a yere old, and they leue but vii. yere; and he that leuith viii. yere is holdon right old. Thes smale men trauayle right nowght, but they haue amonge hem right gret men to travel for them. And they haue gret mervaile of thes men as we wold haue of geante amonge vs." In the German romance of Duke Ernestus, they are represented as reaching only to the knee of an ordinary man; they lived in continual dread of a large kind of birds, upon whose eggs, which they privately stole, they subsisted. See the abstract of this curious romance at the end of these notes on King Alisaunder. 4932, Flesshe hy eten raw and hoot.] This description suits well enough for the Calmucks and other Tartars. 4973, Another folk, &c.] These people are the Himantipodes of Pomponius Mela, and the Loripedes of Pliny and Solinus. In the romance of Ernestus, quoted above, they also occur, and are |