Among the tales imported into France from Britain, and which obtained an early and extensive popularity, the history of Tristrem is early distinguished. Chrestien de Troyes, who wrote many romances, is said to have composed one upon this subject, which he inscribed to Philip, count of Flanders, who died in 1191. As this poet also composed the history of Le Chevalier d'Epée (probably the story of The Knight and the Sword, occurring in Way's Fabliaux), Le Chevalier de la Charrette (the history of Sir Lancelot), and Le Chevalier a Lion (Ywain and Gawain), it is perhaps to him that we may ascribe the association of Tristrem into the chivalry of the Round Table; if so, he was not followed, in this respect, by later authors. It is difficult to ascertain whence Chrestien de Troyes procured his subjects. The tales may have passed to him from Armorica: but, as the union between Britain and Normandy was, in his days, most intimate, it seems fully as probable, that he himself collected in England, or from English authority, the ancient British traditions which he framed into Romances. There is some uncertainty as to his actually writing the history of Tristrem; but at any rate, in one of his songs, he alludes to the story, as generally known. Ainques dou buvraige ne bui I need not, I, the drink of force, The free-will offering of my soul, Nor does the celebrity of the tale rest solely upon the evidence of Chrestien de Troyes. It La Combe observes, "Le roman de Tristan Leonis, l'un de plus beaux et des mieux faits qui aient jamais été publies, parut en 1190. C'est le plus ancien de nos romans en prose. L'auteur etoit encore de la cour des duc de Normandie, roi d'Angleterre." Preface, p. xxvi. In this passage the learned gentleman makes a mistake, in which he is followed by Mons. l'Eveque de la Ravillere. If Chrestien de Troyes actually wrote a history of Tristrem, it certainly was in verse, like all his other compositions; and it is morally impossible to point out a prose romance, upon that or any other subject, previous to 1190. † La Ravillere, Revolutions de la Langue Francoise, Poesies du Roi de Navarre, tom. i. p. 168. is twice alluded to by the king of Navarre, who wrote in 1226, or very near that period. Douce dame, s'il vos plaisoit, un soir, C'onques Tristanz, qui en fit son pooir, &c. De mon penser, aim miex la compaignie, The ingenious Mons'. de la Rue informs us, that the 11th Lay of the celebrated Mademoiselle Marie, called Chevrefeuille, is founded on an incident taken from the amours of Tristrem with the wife of King Marc. Marie flourished about the middle of the 12th century. Archæologia, vol. 13. p. 43. This lay, which I have not had an opportunity of examining, begins thus : Asez me plest, e bien le voil, Du lai ge hum nume chevrefoil; Pur quoi il fu fet e dunt: Plusurs me le unt cunte e dit, E jeo l'ai trové en escrit, De Tristrem e de la reine, De lur amur, qui tant fu fine, Poesies du Roi de Navarre, pp. 7. 145. с Dunt ilz eurent meinte dolur, This celebrated lady avowedly drew her materials from Armorica, the scene of several of Tristrem's exploits, and finally of his death. Thus, the story of Tristrem appears to have been popular in France, at least thirty years before the probable date of Thomas of Erceldoune's work. A singular subject of Did Thomas enquiry is thus introduced. translate his poem from some of those which were current in the Romance language? Or did he refer to the original British authorities, from which his story had been versified by the French minstrels? The state of Scotland, at the period when he flourished, may probably throw some light on this curious point. Although the Saxons, immediately on their landing on the eastern coast of England, obtained settlements, from which they were never finally dislodged, yet the want of union among the invaders, the comparative smallness of their numbers, and a variety of other circumstances, rendered the progress of their conquest long and uncertain. For ages after the arrival of Hengist and Horsa, the whole western coast of Britain was possessed by the aboriginal inhabitants, engaged in constant wars with the Saxons; the slow, but still increasing tide of whose victories still pressed onward from the east. These western Britons were, unfortunately for themselves, split into innumerable petty sovereignties; but we can distinguish four grand and general divisions. 1st, The county of Cornwal, and part of Devonshire, retained its independence, in the south-west extremity of the island. 2dly, Modern Wales was often united under one king. 3dly, Lancashire and Cumberland formed the kingdom of the Cumraig Britons, which extended northward, to Solway firth, which is now the borders of Scotland. 4thly, Beyond the Scottish border lay the kingdom of Strathclwyd, including, probably, all the western part of Scotland, betwixt the Solway Firth and Firth of Clyde. With the inhabitants of the Highlands, we have, at present, no concern. This western division of the island being peopled by tribes of a kindred origin and language, it is natural to conceive, |