EPIC FRAGMENTS

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time of Hus the Bohemian cities were mainly inhabited by Germans) — these and other circumstances tend to prove that this supposition is correct. Portions of other epic poems belonging to chivalrous literature have also been preserved ; among them are some belonging to the circle of legends of which Theodoric was the centre ; such are The Garden of Roses, Laurin, and others. They are evidently adaptations from the German, and possess little originality and less interest. Other fragments deal with the tale of the Round Table. Among these Tristram and Tandarius and Floribella may be mentioned. The former poem, as the late Mr. Wratislaw has remarked, is strikingly similar to This specially applies to parts of the Morte d' Arthur. one of the fragments which contains a description of the combat between Tristram and the " noble from Ireland whose name was Morolt." Tandarius and Floribella also differs little from many other poems of chivalry. The heroine is imprisoned and eventually rescued by TanNumerous descriptions of tournaments and darius. single combats fill up the greatest part of the book. Closely connected with the chivalrous poetry of an epic character are some eariy_JyTis_4iseEns that have been preserved. They, however, all belong to a period considerably later than the Alexandreis, and Bohemian critics have no doubt correctly attributed them to the reign of King John. Here, too, the songs that have been preserved are not numerous. A favourite form of these early Bohemian lyrics were the so-called Songs_at I Daybreak (in Bohemian Svitanickd), which have a great i affinity to the French aubades and to the albes of The motive of these songs, ; the Provencal minstrels. several of which have been preserved, varies but slightly. the