Snz 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 PAGE 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 Early biographers-Life-The Convivio-The De Monarchia-The Eccerinis-Latin histories-Richard Aungerville-Petrarch--His popularity and aims-Rienzi-Petrarch's epistles and eclogues -His epic-Historical writings-Philosophy-Petrarch and THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. CHAPTER I. THE END OF COURT-POETRY. CAUSES OF DECLINE-'ENFANCES REVOLUTIONARY, SPIRIT-CYCLICAL POEMS FRANCO-ITALIAN ETICS--FRENCH PATRIOTIC VERSE-ROMANS D'AVENTURE CENTO NOVELLE ANTICHE' THE AVVENTUROSO CICILIANO'-THE 'REALI DI FRANCIA'-GERMAN EPICS-ICELANDIC RÍMUR - FORNSÖGUR AND LYGISÖGUR - ENGLISH ROMANCES - ALLITERATIVE POETRY-SCOTTISH ROMANCES-THE 'BRUCE'- -LAURENCE MINOT. Who killed How came the old poetry--epic, romance, minnesong -to die out as it did in the fourteenth century? Was 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 |