Abbotsford Club > Penni worth of witte

vi PEEFACE.
Purtrayed they were with trewe-love flour,
Wyth stoues bryght and sliene.'
Boccaccio, who makes the adventures of Florlo and Biancoflore the principal
subject of his Philocopo, says that the subject was popular long before his
time. Some of the Provencal poets refer to such a story ; and it is extant
in an early version in Greek iambics.
Of metrical versions in other languages, it is somewhat doubtful which
should be considered the earliest. Eltson speaks of the French ver-
sion as one of the most ancient and popular in that language. See also
the remarks of M. Paulin Paris, in his " Le Romancero Francois," p. 55.
Paris, 1833 ; where he gives a long extract from the Romance of Flore
at Blanchefleur, preserved in the Imperial Library at Paris. This MS. of
the 13th century, consisting of 3342 lines, forms part of a large volume,
in folio, Xo. 6987, described by M. Paris, in his subsequent work " Les
Manuscrits Fran(;;ois," tome iii., p. 215. It has since been printed entire,
with this German title, " Flore und Blanceflor, Altfranzosischer Roman,
nach der Uhlandischen Abschrift der Pariser Handschrift N. 6987. heraus-
gegeben von Immanuel Bekker." Berlin, 1844, post 8vo.^
Conrad Fleck, one of the early Minnesingers, and supposed, from the dia-
lect of his verses, to have been a native of Switzerland or Suabia, was born in
the early part of the 13th century, and composed a long poem on the same
subject. It extends to 8006 lines, and the German critics declare it to be
superior, in graceful simplicity, to the above poem of the French Trouvere.
Of this poem there exist two manuscripts of the 15th century; one at
Berlin, the other at Heidelberg. It has been carefully edited, under
this title : " Flore und Blanscheflur, eine Erzahlung von Konrad Fleck :
herausgegeben von Emil Sommer;" which forms the 12th volume of the
" Bibliothek der gesammten Deutschen National-Literatur," printed at
Quedlinburg und Leipzig, 1846, 8vo.
' Warton's History of English Poetry, vol. i., p. cxcvi.
- Otlier two early manuscripts are quoted, in Bibl. Colb. 3128, and Bibl. Coisl. 733.