which I am doubtful if the Daw was content with stealing a single feather; though it might require a long research to restore all that awakens suspicion. The name of the author's real mistress was probably White, and I think was an attendant on Elizabeth: at portion five, he says,

"Fvll faire and white she is; and White by name,
Whose white doth striue the Lillies white to staine
Who may contemine the blast of blacke defame,
Who in darke night can bring day bright againe.
Day is not day, vnles her shine giue light,

And when she frownes, day turnes to gloomy night.
The ruddie Rose impresseth with clere hewe,
In lippes and cheekes right orient to behould,
Her sparkling eies dart foorth to worldly view:
Such glimering splendant rayes, more bright the gold:
Her lookes the still behoulders eyes amazes,
Dimming their sights, that on her Bewtie gazes."

The hero having defeated and killed four knights, through jealousy, that attended Elanira, he is banished and complains.

"Some men will thinke as due they ought to haue,
For their true seruice, guerdon and reward,
But I intreate, and loue for loue I craue:
Yet others though vnworthy are prefar'd.

I beat the bush, and others catch the bird,
Reason exclaimes and sweares my hap is hard.
They eate the honny, I must hold the hiue
I sowe the seed and they must reape the corne,
I wast, they win; I drawe, and they must driue,
Theirs is the thanke, and mine the bitter scorne:

I seeke, they speede: in vaine my winde is spent,
I gape, they get; I pray and yet am shent.
I fast, they feede: they drinke, and I still thurst;
They laugh, I weepe: they ioy, I euer mourne:
They gaine, I loose; I onely haue the worst:
They are whole, I am sicke: they cold, I burne.
I would they may: I craue, they haue at will,
That helpeth them, but hate my hart doth kill."
The narrative is ill conducted, and the incidents im-
probable. The hero, when at length beloved by the
heroine is directed to destroy "a proude Brittaine Dame,

Silla,"

Silla," who resides in a neighbouring castle. This san-
guinary request is converted to a general friendship.
"Philochasander, where is such another,

That can indure the sorrow he hath borne ?
What man is he to ayde his dearest brother,
Will were loues weary yoke, as he hath worne?
Doe good to all, though you be tyranniz'd

That 'boue the spheare, your soules be cannoniz'd.
Omne simile non est Idem."

Some other pieces by Petowe, of subsequent date, are noticed in the Bibliographia Poetica. This was dis

covered in a volume of miscellaneous tracts in the second part of Dalrymple's collection: it is now in the possession of Mr. Heber, who will assign it a niche more in character with such a rarity.

J. H.

ART. VI. An Account of the Saint Graal.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH BIBLIOGRAPHER.

SIR,

As the Romance of Arthur has been so largely noticed in a former number of your valuable and entertaining work, and as from Mr. Dibdin's accurate analysis of Caxton's edition of it,t the 17th book appears to contain 23 chapters, devoted to the Sangreal, I conceive the following particular account of this singular subject, translated from Le Glossaire de la Langue Romane (Art. GRAAL) by Mons. Roquefort, lately published at Paris, may be acceptable to your readers.

A few copies only of this latter work have reached this country; but it is a work which cannot fail to prove highly interesting and valuable to the admirers of ancient French Literature.

“GRAAL, greal; in the plural graaur, grías, gréaux a drinking cup; a large dish, a large hollow bason, fit for serving up meat, and not an earthen vessel, or ter

• Wear.

Ames's Typogr. Antiq. Vol. I. p. 252, Ed. 1810.

rine as Borel says; when made of clay it was called an earthen graal, when of silver it was called a silver graal, and when made of any other substance, the name of that substance was added to the word graal; from crater, cratera; and not as Borel imagines from grais, because these vessels," adds he," are made of baked freestone. This word grais has never been so written, but grés, grez; Monet, under this head, "says grés, grez a kind of mountain stone; hard, gravelly, coarse grained and rugged, fit among other uses for paving streets, and formerly used by the Romans for paving and edging the great military roads. The grés is of two kinds, hard and soft; the latter serves as rubbish for masonry, and the hard for flagging footways; but because pots, pitchers, and other vases are made of gres, it does not follow that the graaux, greaux, were all made of this material. A passage in Les Assises de Jérusalem, in which mention is made of the offices and officers of the kingdom, and particularly of the Seneschal, will leave no doubt concerning the word graal, and will decide that it is a vase, in general, of whatever substance it may be formed.

Le jor dou coronement, le Seneschau peut et doit ordener le mangier dou jour, et coment on servira celui jour en la maniere que meaus li semblera et quant le Roy aura mangié

doit le Seneschau mangier, et toutes les escueles et les greaus en que il aura servi le cors dou Roy dou premier més (service) doivent estre soues (siennes) plaine de tel viande com le cors dou Roy aura esté servi celui jour.

Assizes de Jérusalem, Chap. 289.

We cannot suppose that Kings were served on the day of their coronation (which was that on which they displayed the greatest magnificence) with dishes and cups of freestone; neither can we imagine that they would make a present to their Seneschals of the cups and dishes of their first course if they had been of such common materials, and of so little value.

ST. GRAAL: The vessel in which our Saviour ate the Paschal Lamb, at his last supper with his Apostles; a vase in the shape of a chalice which served to collect the blood and water that flowed from his wounds, and

which afterwards was called holy, on account of its primitive use, and the miracles wrought by it. Our ancient romance writers have made frequent mention of it, and have differed from each other as much in discussing its shape and use, as the divines of the 13th and 14th centuries have done respecting the wood of the true cross: if we extend this article to any length, it is not only that it may form a continuation to the learned dissertation of M. Millin, member of the Institute and conservator of the antiques of the Imperial Cabinet, on the Santo Catino, (which is nothing else but the Saint Graal;) but also, because it will prove that for a length of time several cities were allowed the honour of possessing this vase which must have been an unique.

Borel says, that he wished to clear up the confusion that prevailed about the meaning of this word, and to explain whether it actually was a vessel in which the blood of Jesus Christ was received (which he sometimes calls sang real, royal, and sometimes sang agreable), but far from dispelling our doubts, he encreases them, and is not himself very clear in his opinion of the signification of this word: for my part, who imagine I have pretty clearly demonstrated in the foregoing article what was understood by graal, I shall here give the history of the holy vase from our ancient romance writers, and afterwards prove by an extract from the Chronicle of Louis XII. and by Jehan d'Autun, that it is no other than the Santo Catino.

Joseph of Arimathea, who was secretly a disciple of our Lord (St. Matt. c. 27. v. 57.) possessed himself of this vase, preserved it carefully, and made use of it to collect the blood and water which flowed from the wounds of Christ; according to our romance writers, he carried this vase, called the Saint Graal, into Great Britain, and made use of it to convert the people to the faith.

Robert de Bouron, Burons or Boiron, composed, in the 13th century, a romance called the Saint Graal, in which he gives this information respecting Joseph.

The day on which the Saviour of the world suffered, death was destroyed, and our life restored: on that day there were few who believed on him; but there was a

Knight,

Knight, named Joseph of Arimathea (a fine city in the land of Aromat). In this city Joseph was born, but had come to Jerusalem seven years before our Lord was crucified, and had embraced the Christian faith; but did not dare to profess it for fear of the wicked Jews. He was full of wisdom, free from envy and pride, and charitable to the poor. All this goodness was in him, and of him, the first book of Psalms speaks. Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, Ps. i. v. 1. This Joseph was at Jerusalem with his wife and his son, who was also named Joseph. His father's family crossed the sea to that place which is now called England, but was then called Great Britain; and crossed it without oars, in a manner of which, that he reader may comprehend and enjoy the full effect, we shall give the words of the original narrative, au pan de sa chemise. Joseph greatly lamented the death of Jesus Christ, and determined to do him honour.

Joseph had been in the house where Jesus Christ took his last supper with his apostles; he there found the plate off which the Son of God had eaten; he possessed himself of it, carried it home, and made use of it to collect the blood which flowed from his side, and his other wounds, and this plate is called the Saint Graal.

Roman du S. Graal fol. 4 Vo. col. 2.

MSS. de l'Eglise de Paris, No. 7.

This Lucan was son of Joseph of Arimathea, from whom was descended the great lineage by which Great Britain was first enlightened, for they brought with them the Sainct Graal, and converted the unbelievers to the faith of our Lord.

Roman de Lancelot du Lac. Tom. 1. Fo. 36. Ro. col, 1.

The Sainct Graal is the same as the holy vessel in the form of a chalice, which was neither of metal, nor wood, nor horn, nor bone, and in which the blood of our Lord was put.

Meme Roman. Tom. 2. fol. 120. V. col. 2.

The Sainct Graal is the same as the holy vessel of which we here read the history; the twelve apostles had

eaten