New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-18


with 10 Illustrations and ? Maps. PIP xxi 32i.
Macmillan g. CO. Social England Series, Edited
BY Kenelm d. Cotes. NJ. A. OXon)
1t seems strange at first thought that the In
troductory volume OF series to be devoted. as
its title shows. to the social aspects Of English
life should treat Of the troubadours-for these
arstocratc amateurs and practitioners Of the
poetic art usually reckoned among the prod
ucts of Southern France. But in the times
when the verse-makers OF Languedoc were at
their best. the power Of the English Kings, who
were more than half French. extended from the
Tweed to the Pyrenees taking in the whole At
lantic seaboard Of France and the rhyming
knights and barons Of the far South were IA
miliar figures at the English Court. They
counted in their literary guild Richard himself
and Eleanor. the wife Of Henry II. The story of
the song by which Richard identified In
prison by his faithful Bondel is always one OF
the first episodes to attract youthful attention to
English history. English scholars were educated
in France, and the Anglo Norman nobility re-
linquished very slowly its heritage on the Con-
tinent. 1t was through Southern France that
England felt as early as she did the cvzing in
nuences that were centred in Constantinople
and in the capitals of the Saracen power. All
this furnishes a complete justification for the
choice made by Mr.. Cotes and Mr.. Rowbotham.
Mr.. Rowbotham not only begins new series
but he opens or two ancient literary quar-
rels which he would have done well to treat
more judicialy than he has. One of these is the
endless dispute as 10 the source of Dante's poem
There has been much speculation this mat
ter. 1t was maintained about the beginning of
the nineteenth century that Dante owed most of
his ideas to a monk of Monte Casino and 1t
has been said over and again that had it
not been for the fall of a certain bridge in Flor
and the destruction Of a multitude Of peo-
pie who gazing at diabolcal pageant on
bargcs in the Arno. the Divine Comedy might
never have been written. Now comes Mr.. Row
botham with the highly original idea that Dante
wholly indebted to the troubadour Adam
de Ros This idea is all the more enhancing be-
cause Adam can be called an Englishman Mr.
Rowbotham compares the two poets somewhat
to Dantes disadvantage. Adam instead Of 60
ing to hell himself had the modesty and the
prudence to send st. Paul. and. instead Of choos-
ing as guide a pagan like Virgil selected the
archange Michael. After a brief analysis Of
Adams narrative the author declares that upon
a perusal Of the manuscript reader Is apt
with an air of profound self-conviction,' to say:
Dante must have read this poem lie has read
IL; he has plagiarized It, and he wears aurels
which by rights should belong to an ill-used and
unjustly treated genius" And he adds What
ground there may be for this unavoida bic suspi-
cion we leave critics Of the Italian. too numerous
alas, and too bgoted already. 10 discover"
This outburst is remarkable for more reasons
than In the first place. II Adam de Ros was
the inventor Of the story about st. Paurs visit TO
the other world. then Dante has Acknowledged
his obligation by citing Paul one OF his two
predecessors In the journey to heaven and hell
For he must have seen Adams poem. II he could
md authority for his alluson TO Paul nowhere
else. But Adam did not lay claim to any original
ity On the contrary. he called his poem a trans
iaton. He had better reason for doing this than
many other authors who adopted the same device
in his times. for the Apocalypse OF Paul" first
in its Greek form and then in various Latin alb
breviatons had been we'll known in Europe for
hundreds OF years. SO far one can from
Mr.. Rowbothams own words he is totally igno-
rant Of this book. though he knows something OF
an Apocalypse OF st. Peter He could hardly
miss the latter. because the newspapers had much
TO say about II after II was found In parchment
recovered a few years ago from grave at Akh-
min. in Upper Egypt. Even II Dante never saw
Adams poem. nor any Of the earlier versions Of
Paups vision. the apostles own narrative sent to
the Corinthians was accessible TO him. and he had
besides Augustne's plain statement that there
periences in the other world Altogether. II Is to