The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-09

batable questions of the Arthurian re-
mances, advancing his views simply as
his individual opinions, seeming to him
probable and reasonable. He discounts
the Celtic elements claimed for the ro-
mances, maintaining that they neither
embalm Cymric traditions nor mirror
Cvnlic character. For the romance
as it has come down to modern times,
neither history nor tradition is pri-
marily responsible; from first to last
these tales are literary products, the
reader is in the realm of fiction, pro-
ceeding according to the methods Of
the novelist. However provincial recol-
lection may appear to confer authority
on the incidents, such afterglow is the
reflection of letters, not the live light
OF unwritten memory. Not only
in style and decoration, but also in
idea and outline, Arthurian romance is
q French construction. 1t is the
sFrenchnlan whom the stories represent;
to Britain is due little more than a
scene and opportunity" However eX-
IRENE these views may seem to the
-Celt lover. he will not be slow to admit
tie immense Importance Of the French
DEVELOPMENT of the cycle, a develop
mert which, as far as can be judged
from eXtant fragments, attained
HIGHER literary form at an earlier
date in France than it did IN
Britain. whether it was born of Celtic
folk or French, on the continent or on
the island He will revel, too, in the
delightful simplicity and grace and the
direct force of the literary form the
foatirg stories took in the mastertul
hands Of the minstrel Crestien, VINO
lived and wrote in the twelfth century
and be grateful not alone to the schol-
arship that now makes 1t accessible,
hut to the times and circumstances
that gave it original form. ThlS nc
ton is the earliest expression OF new
civilization; it stands for the begin
nings of modern literature; it is entl-
fled to esteem as introducer and first
owner of sentiments which we nave
learned to name romantic.
s'For intellectual benefits it is agree
able to express gratitude, and to epoch
making minds such tribute has usually
been accorded. This author is an eX-
ceDtion: the poems of Crestien remain
the pronerty of scholars, nor is the
critical edition of his works yet com
pIete. In spite of this slow recognition
no medieval writer better deserves at
tention; for some part of its delicate
world is indebted to this minstrel
Crestien's epic tales have come down
m rs Indirectly through Welsh adapta-
tons and Sir Thomas Mallory's 'Morte
dArthur," and many of the Legends
are essentially the same. But where
MalloTy's quaint old book gives eXter-
nal evidence of its composite origin,
Crestien's tales have a unity Of con-
ception about them and a simple GER
tainty CT treatment that stamp them
as the work of one mind and that a
great one With Mr.. Newell, one can
but regret that the poems of this old
French minstrel were unknown to Ten
nyson, especially as one thinks of the
higher purity that attends the older
poets Ende, a grace that would surely
have appealed to the spirit of Tenny-
son.
Besides the adaptations of the epic
compositions of Crestien of Troyes Mr..
Newell adds five stories regarding
Merlin, LancelOt, the Quest of the
Holy Grail, the Maid of Ascolat and
the Death of Arthur; these depend on
the French prose romances, or
on the English poem known as "Morte
Arthur" and are intended to give
only an outline of the narratives. AS a
whole the work is one of the most
valuable additions to the library of
Arthurian romance that has been given
Tor many years to the general public.
The publishers have done their part
as we'll toward making King Arthur
and the Table Round" in all ways de-
sirable; the two large and handsomely
printed volumes in their charming gray
and white bindings are in their out
ward form suggestive of the charm of
their literary contents.
(''King Arthur and the Table Round" Tales
chiefly after the old French of Crestien OF
IrOyeS account Pc
nance, and notes by William Wells Newell.
In two volumes. 81 set. Houghton, Miff!:n
Co.. Boston)
Mr. Clement K Shortar's 'Victorian
y il era tlIre,, Is q ar.lhcn,z Of 5000