f letters as the
Franco-German, Celto-Briton, and Scandinavian tales.

The stories of Amadis of Gaul and of the Palmerins are, moreover, very
evident imitations of the principal romances of chivalry which we have
already considered. They are formed of an intricate series of adventures
and enchantments, are, if anything, more extravagant than the other
mediaeval romances, and are further distinguished by a tinge of Oriental
mysticism and imagery, the result of the Crusades.

The Italian cycle, which we have not treated separately because it relates
principally to Charlemagne and Roland, is particularly noted for its
felicity of expression and richness of description. Like the Spanish
writers, the Italians love to revel in magic, as is best seen in the
greatest gems of that age, the poems of "Orlando Innamorato" and "Orlando
Furioso," by Boiardo and Ariosto.

Mediaeval literature includes also a very large and so-called "unaffiliated
cycle" of romances. This is composed of many stories, the precursors of the
novel and "short story" of the present age. We are indebted to this cycle
for several well-known works of fiction, such as the tale of patient
Griseldis, the gentle and meek-spirited heroine who has become the
personification of long-suffering and charity. After the mediaeval writers
had made much use of this tale, it was taken up in turn by Boccaccio and
Chaucer, who have made it immortal.

The Norman tale of King Robert of Sicily, so beautifully rendered in verse
by Longfellow in his "Tales of a Wayside Inn," also belongs to this cycle,
and some authorities claim that it includes the famous animal epic "Reynard
the Fox," of which we have given an outline. The story of Reynard the Fox
is one of the most important mediaeval contributions to the literature of
the world, and is the source from which many subsequent writers have drawn
the themes for their fables.

[Sidenote: Classical cycle.] A very large class of romances, common to all
European nations during the middle ages, has also been purposely omitted
from the foregoing pages. This is the so-called "classical cycle," or the
romances based on the Greek and Latin epics, which were very popular during
the age of chivalry. They occupy so prominent a place in mediaeval
literature, however, that we must bespeak a few moments' attention to their
subjects.

In these classical romances the heroes of antiquity have lost many of their
native characteristics, and are g