ance of Richard Coeur de
Lion. The King travelling as "a palmer in Almaye," from the Holy Land,
was seized as a spy and imprisoned. Being challenged to a trial of
pugilism by the King's son, he slew him. The King to avenge his son's
death let in a hungry lion upon the royal prisoner. The King's daughter,
who loved the captive, sent him forty ells of white silk "kerchers" to
bind about him as a defence against the lion's teeth and claws. The
romance thus proceeds:

The kever-chefes he toke on hand,
And aboute his arme he wonde;
And thought in that ylke while
To slee the lyon with some gyle
And syngle in a kyrtyle he strode
And abode the lyon fyers and wode,
With that came the jaylere,
And other men that with him were
And the lyon them amonge;
His pawes were stiffe and stronge.
His chamber dore they undone
And the lyon to them is gone
Rycharde aayd Helpe Lord Jesu!
The lyon made to him venu,
And wolde him have alle to rente:
Kynge Rycharde beside hym glente
The lyon on the breste hym spurned
That about he turned,
The lyon was hongry and megre,
And bette his tail to be egre;
He loked about as he were madde,
He cryd lowde and yaned wyde.
Kynge Richarde bethought him that tyde
What hym was beste, and to him sterte
In at the thide his hand he gerte,
And rente out the beste with his hond
Lounge and all that he there fonde.
The lyon fell deed on the grounde
Rycharde felt no wem ne wounde.

On such fictitious incidents in the romances of past ages, Shakespeare
undoubtedly built many of his dramas. The story of Shylock in the
Merchant of Venice is found in an old English ballad. I will quote a few
stanzas to indicate the identity of Shylock and "Germutus, the Jew of
Venice."

The bloudie Jew now ready is
With whetted blade in hand
To spoyle the bloud of innocent,
By forfeit of his bond,
And as he was about to strike
In him the deadly blow;
Stay, quoth the judge, thy crueltie
I charge thee to do so.
Sith needs thou wilt thy forfeit have
Which is of flesh a pound;
See that thou shed no drop of bloud
Nor yet the man confound
For if thou do, like murderer
Thou here shall hanged be;
Likewise of flesh see that thou cut
No more than longs to thee;
For if thou take either more or lesse
To the value of a mite
Thou shall be hanged presently
As is both law and right.

It is reasonable to