38 D'tffertation on the Life and Writings of

names of thofe illuftrious perfons whofe patronage her talents de- ferved. In the courfe, however, of my remarks upon her works, I mall endeavour to find out who were her Meccenafes. The firft poems of Mary are a collection of Lays in French verfe, forming various hiftories and gallant adventures of our valiant knights, and, according to the ufage of thofe times, they are ge- nerally remarkable for fome -fingular, and often marvellous cataf- trophe. Thefe Lays are in the Britilh Mufeum amongft the Har- leian MSS. No. 978. They conftitute the largeft, and at the fame time moft ancient fpecimen of Anglo-Norman poetry of this kind that has been handed down to us. The romances of chivalry amongft the old Welfh and Armoric Britons appear to have fumifhed Mary with the fubje&s of thefe va- rious lays; not that the manufcripts of thofe people were con- tinually before her when me compofed them ; but, as me herfelf has told us, depending upon an excellent memory, fhe fometimes committed them to verfe after hearing them recited only, and at others me compofed them from what fhe had read in the Welfh and Armoric MSS. Plufurs en ai oi conter, Nes voil lahTer ne oblier, &c. _d Plufurs le me unt conte et dit Et jeo 1'ai trove en efcrit, &c. [b] Our authorefs has informed us that ihe hefitated a long time be- fore fhe devoted herfelf to this fpecies of literature ; that oftentimes ihe began to tranflate fome Latin ftory into the Romance language, but perceived it neceiTary to defift, from the circumftance, that the fame ground had already been trodden by fo many writers. She therefore abandoned her defign, and confined herfelf to the fub- [a] Prologue des Lais de Marie. [] Lai du chevre-feuille. 8 jeds