CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

THE END OF COURT-POETRY.

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Causes of decline — Enhances — Revolutionary spirit — Cyclical

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

d'Aventure—Cento Novelle Aniiche—The Avventuroso Cicili-

ano—The Reali di Francia—German epics—Icelandic rimur

—FornsSgur and ItfgisBgur—English romances—Alliterative

poetry—Scottish romances—The Bruce—Laurence Minot . 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 Lime des Cent Ballades .... 98

CHAPTER IV.

DANTE.

Early biographers—Life—The Conviino—The De Monorchia—The

De Vulgari Eloquentia— Epistles, eclogues, &c. — The Cam-

media ........ 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 ..... 236

CHAPTER VI.

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 Ooode Women

—The Canterbury Tales—John Gower .... 285
CHAPTER VII.
THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY.

TIME AND SPACE.

Dino Compagni—The Villain—Froissart—Lopez Ayala—Ramon

Muntaner—Marco Polo—Sir John Maundeville . . 325

CHAPTER VIII.

ALLEGORY, MYSTICISM, AND REFORM,

Italian allegories—Spanish and Judseo-Spanish moralists—Arabian

culture—Piers Plowman—Religious poetry—The Fioreiti of

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

mystics—Jean Gerson—John Wiclif .... 363

CHAPTER I.

THE END OF OOtiRT-POETiiY.

CAUSES OP DECLINE—' ENrAVCES ' - -jtE^CLLTlONARY S?I21T—CYCLICAL POEMS—FRANCO-ITALIAN 1*1(58—FRENCH PATRIOTIC V3RSE—ROMANS

D'AVENTCRE 1 CEMTO NOV3LLE ANTICHE' — THE ""A-VVENTUROSO

CICILIANO'—THE 'REALI DI FRANCIA'—GERMAN EPICS—ICELANDIC
RIMUR— FORNSOGUR AND LYGISOGUR— ENGLISH ROMANCES—AL-
LITERATIVE POETRY—SCOTTISH ROMANCES—THE 'BRUCE'—LAURENCE
MINOT. •••'*'» , • . '-' °

How came the old. poetry—epic, romance, wianesong —to die out as it didin.the^ourteentfr.cenjAiry'? Was who wied 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

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