CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

THE END OF COURT-POETRY.

Causes of decline - Enfances - Revolutionary spirit - Cyclical

poems-Franco-Italian epics-French patriotic verse-Romans

d'Aventure--Cento Novelle Antiche-The Avventuroso Cicili-

ano-The Reali di Francia-German epics-Icelandic rímur

-Fornsögur and lýgisögur--English romances--Alliterative

poetry-Scottish romances-The Bruce-Laurence Minot

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1

CHAPTER II.

TOWN-VERSE AND FOLK-SONG.

Decline of the Troubadour art-The Leys d'Amors-Legend of

Clemence Isaure-Old Portuguese poetry-Catalonian verse-

German love of song. The Meistersingers — Volkslieder —

Minnesingers in legend-Reimsprecher-The Low Countries

--English minstrels-Welsh bards--Robin Hood-Scottish

ballads-North French puis-Italy

60

CHAPTER III.

RISE OF A NEW LYRIC.

Italy and Provence - Italian verse-forms-Childhood of Italian

poetry-Party spirit-Guittone of Arezzo-Early Florentine

poets-Brunetto Latini-The sweet new style-Guido Caval-

canti-Cino da Pistoia-Modish and realistic poetry-The

Vita Nuova-Problems-Dante's dream-Petrarch-Character

of his passion-His style and influence-Welsh verse-New

French school-Machault-Deschamps-Froissart-Christine

de Pisan-The Livre des Cent Ballades.

CHAPTER IV.

DANTE.

Early biographers-Life-The Convivio-The De Monarchia-The

De Vulgari Eloquentia - Epistles, eclogues, &c. -- The Com-

media

98

172

CHAPTER V.

DAWN OF THE RENAISSANCE.

Eccerinis-Latin histories-Richard Aungerville-Petrarch--His

popularity and aims-Rienzi-Petrarch's epistles and eclogues

-His epic-Historical writings-Philosophy-Petrarch and

Boccaccio Boccaccio's verse-The Decameron-Sources-

Style-Francesco Sacchetti

CHAPTER VI.

236

THE WELL OF ENGLISH.

Metre-Chaucer's youth-The Boke of the Duchesse-Chaucer and

the great Italians- - Prose translations

-

The influence of

Boethius-The House of Fame-The Legende of Goode Women

-The Canterbury Tales-John Gower.

285

CHAPTER VII.

3

TIME AND SPACE.

Dino Compagni-The Villani-Froissart-Lopez Ayala-Ramon

Muntaner-Marco Polo-Sir John Maundeville

CHAPTER VIII.

ALLEGORY, MYSTICISM, AND REFORM.

Italian allegories-Spanish and Judæo-Spanish moralists-Arabian

culture-Piers Plowman-Religious poetry-The Fioretti of

St Francis-Italian preachers-St Catherine of Siena-German

mystics-Jean Gerson-John Wiclif

CONCLUSION

INDEX.

CHAPTER IX.

325

363

414

425

THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY.

CHAPTER I.

THE END OF COURT-POETRY.

CAUSES OF DECLINE-ENFANCES

POEMS

-REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT-CYCLICAL

FRANCO-ITALIAN EPICS-FRENCH PATRIOTIC VERSE-ROMANS
D'AVENTURE CENTO NOVELLE ANTICHE'
THE AVVENTUROSO
CICILIANO'- -THE 'REALI DI FRANCIA'-GERMAN EPICS-ICELANDIC
RÍMUR FORNSÖGUR AND LÝGISÖGUR - -ENGLISH ROMANCES - AL-
LITERATIVE POETRY-SCOTTISH ROMANCES--THE 'BRUCE'-LAURENCE
MINOT.

How came the old poetry-epic, romance, minnesong -to die out as it did in the fourteenth century? Was Who killed it suffocated by adverse outward conditions, court-poetry? or had it completed its natural term of life? Perhaps it is not necessary to choose between these solutions. It seems probable that more than one cause was at work. That there were hostile agencies abroad cannot be doubted. In this task of

A