R O M 



R O M 



of Hamptoun occupy tliis ll.ition entirely. Thefe two, 

 notwithstanding their demerits, equalled, or excelled in po- 

 pularity, almolt all the romances of the middle ages. The 

 next is entitled an Anglo-Norman romance, and recites 

 the adventures of no lefs a perfon than Richard Cceu 

 L.ion. The next clafs of romances comprehend fucii a re- 

 late to Charlemagne and his Paladins. Under this head 

 Mr. Ellis has enumerated three, i'ir,. Roland and Ferragus, 

 SirOtuel, and Sir Ferumbras. The next romance is a; 

 ental origin, being the carlielt tradition of the Seven - 

 Matters, long known among the fchool-boys of this country. 

 To this he has added ten mifcellaneous romances, which 

 muft content ourfel I over without mentioning their 



names. The importance of the ancient metrical romances in 

 an hiltorical point of view mult be acknowledged. '! 

 hold out to us, like Shakfpe; s, the abltratt and 



brief chronicles of the time, and demand the conlideration 

 of every hiltorian. Even in a literary point of view, their 

 merit is not contemptible. It is true, the (lory is generally 

 rambling and defultory, utterly incapable conlequently of 

 exciting the pleafure arifing from a well-conducted plan, all 

 the parts of which depend upon each other, and tend, each 

 in due degree, to bring on the cataftrophe. So far is this 

 from being the cafe, that in a long romance, the adventures 

 ufually are all feparated and infulated ; only connected with 

 each other, by their having happened to the fame hero ; 

 jult as a necklace of beads is combined by the thread on 

 which they are itrung. This arrangement, in fadl, belt 

 fuited the reciters, whofe narration was to be proportioned 

 to the time and patience of their audience ; and whom this 

 loofe flructure of ftbry permitted to life freedom of com- 

 prefiion or dilatation as belt fuited their purpofe, fince any 

 iinglc adventure might be inferted without impropriety, or 

 left out without being milled. The fame caufe accounts for 

 the loofe and often tedious ftyle in which the minltrels in- 

 dulged. It was of confequenee that their ltanza mould be 

 fo fimple, as to be eafily recolle&ed, and their diftion fo co- 

 pious, as not to fuffer by any occafional deficiency of memory. 

 For thefe reafons, Robert dc Brunne tells us, that the 

 common minltrels were unable to repeat tales written in a 

 concife ftyle and complicated ltanza, and that fuch became 

 naught in their imperfect recitation. To thefe faults, we have 

 often to add thofe of extreme awkwardnefs of contrivance and 

 improbability of incident ; but which neither offended the 

 tafte, nor (hocked the faith of our plain and hardy anceftors. 

 On the-other hand, there is a fort of keeping in thefe ancient 

 tales, which did not depend upon the minitrel's inclination, 

 and from whicl lid nol have departed, if he hail a 



mind to do lo. This antes, from his painting the manners of 

 his own time, as they palled b and thus giving 



a truth and unit Irou lie relates, which 



the modem th ind of romance are" utterly 



unable to in With all the pains thefe laft can ule to 



deck their champions in the antique talte, they are perpe- 

 tually confounding the palt tune with the prefent, and arc 

 guilty of anachronifms almoft as grofs as hi luced a 



tea-table fcene into the hiftory of John of Gaunt. Neither 

 is th i i nils arc told altogether 



unworthy of our applaufe. Thi occur paifages, 



which, from the fpirit of the | \ with the Utuaf 



may juftly claim nl ndn iafi ulii e 



orders of poetry. And all we hive aln 



noticed, tli i defultory and 



(lightly put together, yet many of the individual ad. 



tares, of wh • ' ■ om ce i ompofed, are haj 



conceived and artfully cutcd ' ■■ I om of fuperfril 

 likewife added a wil to 'he wonders of 



the minftrel ; and occafionaily his description of fuperna- 

 tural events amounts nearly to fublimity. See Warton, 

 Ritfon, Ellis, ubi fupra, and Edinb. Review, N°XIV. 



ROMANCHE, La, in Geography, a river of France, 

 which runs into the Drac, a little above Grenoble. 



ROM ANENGO, a town of Italy, in the department of 

 the Upper Po ; 4 miles E. of Crema. 



ROMANIA, a province of European Turkey, con- 

 taining the territory anciently denominated " Thrace," and 

 deriving its prefent name from New Rome, by which Con- 

 ftantinople was diltinguifhed. The Turks call it " Rume- 

 lia" or " Rumili," and " Icella ;" anditisalfo denominated 

 " Romelia." This province is bounded on the N. by Bul- 

 garia, on the E. by the Black fea, on the S. by the fea of 

 Marmora and the Archipelago, and on the W. by Mace- 

 donia. It is upon the whole a level country, though 

 famous for fome of its mountains : fuch are mount Haemus, 

 which feparates it on the N. from Bulgaria ; Rhodope, cele- 

 brated among the ancients for the cataftrophe of Orpheus; 

 and mount Pangxiis, which divides this country from Mace- 

 donia. The two former are long ridges of mountains, that 

 extend from the frontiers of Macedonia to the Black fea. 

 The territories that lie among the mountains are cold and 

 barren ; but thofe near the fea are pleafant and fertile, pro- 

 ducing all kinds of grain, and particularly rice of good 

 quality. This country was anciently divided into feveral in- 

 dependent kingdoms : and the Thracian Cherfonefus was 

 alio governed by its own kings. The prefent inhabitants 

 are Greeks, defcended from the ancient Thracians, inter- 

 (perfed with Turks. Thrace (which fee) was formerly dif- 

 tinguiflicd by the cultivation of the fciences and line arts ; 

 but the prefent (late of Romania is very different, being 

 wholly deftitute of perfons of literature. It is governed 

 by three Sangiaks, and divided into as many diflricts under 

 the denomination Sangiacatcs. The capital is C'mjhinlinople, 

 which fee. 



Romania, Cape, a cape on the S.E. point of Malacca. 

 N. lat. i° 18'. E. long. 104 15'. 



ROMANO, GlULIO, in Biography, the cognomen of 



Giulio Pippi, the molt renowned among the immediate tcho- 



lars of Raphael d'Urbino, his heir, and the oontinuator 



ot his works. He was born at Rome in the year 1492. 



While a pupil, he followed lels his matter's delicacy than 



energy ot character, and chiefly fignalized himlelf in fub- 



of war and battles, which he reprefented with equal 



Ipirit and erudition. As a deiigner, he commands the whoh 



mechanifm 1 i the human body ; and, without fear of error, 



turns and winds it about to lerve his purpofes, but fome- 



overfteps the modeltyof nature. Vafari, who vifited 



him at Ma una, prefers his drawings to his pictures, as 



more full ot that original fire which diftinguifb.es his 



ption, and was apt to evaporate in the longer procefl 



ot finifh : th better evidence, objefted to the 



character ot his phyfiognomi I i us than 



enamoured, lefs fimple than vulgar, and often dilmal and 



horrid, without being terrible. In colour, whether freleo 



or oil, his hand w:is as expeditious, and his touch, elpecially 



in the former, as decided, as hi were con- 



genial. Bricky lights, violet demi-teints, aiidld.uk fhades, 

 com pole in genei al th raw, opaque tone of his oil pictures; 

 tar different from thai charafteriilii tone which li| 

 the Battle of Conftantine, painted by him from the d 

 and alter the death of Raphael, and which was by l'oullin 

 1 da being moft happily adapted to the fubject. The 

 ftyle of his draperies is claific, but the arrangement of 

 folds generally arbitrary and mannered ; the hair and head- 

 drefles of his women are always fanciful and luxurious, I 



11 ot 



