Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1849 edition. Excerpt: ... CHIVALRY OF THE MIDDLE AGES. PREFACE. Chivalry, enchantments, and love, were the favourite themes of the beautiful old romances which have been handed down to us from the olden time; and it is to this spirit that the greatest German poets of the Suabian and a somewhat later period, as well as the Italians, owe their noble songs and romances of chivalry. The most imaginative and interesting of these knightlytales are unquestionably those which relate to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table; and of these the most singular and remarkable is perhaps that of the Magician Merlin. The German version of this romance was taken from the best French sources that the Bibliotheque at Paris afforded, in the years 1803 and 1804 The story of Lother and Maller is a narrative by Margaret, Countess of Piedmont and Duchess of Lothringia; and was written in the Italian language, in the year of our Lord 1405. It was thence translated into German, by Frau Elizabeth, Countess of Nassau-Saarbriick, a daughter of the above-mentioned Countess Margaretha and the Duke Friedrich of Lothringia. The above translation was made about the year 1437, and the story here given has been adapted from that German manuscript. We gather from the introductory sentences that the translator was aware of a Latin version of even earlier date. * So many versions of this tale are already before the English public, that the publisher of this work has deemed it unnecessary to attempt a translation of Schlegel's: it has been ably rendered by George Ellis in particular, and will be found in his "Early English Metrical Romances;" this tale has therefore been omitted in this volume. I am indebted for my knowledge of this MS., which is but little later than the original, to my...