ADVERTISEMENT.

THE nature, importance, and utility of fuch a publication as the present have been display'd to fo much advantage by a writeër of the highest eminence for his acquaintance with the subject, and for his ingenuity and taste, that it would be allmost an act of injustice to the undertakeing not to make ufe of fuch a powerful and elegant recommendation, to which no attempt of the prefent editour could posfiblely be equal.

"As many of these METRICAL HISTORIES and ROMANCES contain a confiderable portion of poetic merit, and throw great light on the manners and opinions of former times, it were to be wished that fome of the best of them were rescued from oblivion. A judicious collection of them, accurately published, with proper illustrations, would be an important accesfion to our stock of ancient English literature. Many of them exhibit no mean attempts at epic poetry, and though full of the

exploded fictions of chivalry, frequently display great and inventive powers in the bards who compofed them. They are at least generally equal to any other poetry of the fame age. They cannot indeed be put in competition with the nervous productions of fo univerfal and commanding a genius as Chaucer; but they have a fimplicity that makes them be read with less interruption, and be more easily understood: and they are far more spirited and entertaining than the tedious allegories of Gower, or the dull and prolix legends of Lydgate: yet, while fo much ftrefs is laid upon the writings of thefe laft, by fuch as treat of English poetry, the old metrical romances, though far more popular in their time, are hardly known to exift....Should the public encourage the revival of fome of those ancient epic fongs of chivalry, they would frequently fee the rich ore of an Ariosto or Tasfo, though buried, it may be, among the rubbish and drofs of barbarous times.

"Such a publication would answer many important ufes it would throw new light on the rife and progrefs of English poetry, the history of which can be but imperfectly understood, if these are neglected; it would also serve to illustrate innumerable