Iouis, was, as Shakspeare favs, fole heir to the ufurper Capet;' and the Foet does not deviate from hiftorical truth when he says that the King The following genealogy will prove what I have afferted: LOUIS THE TRANSMARINE had five fons and two daughters; of the laft I fay nothing. Of the fons, three died in their infancy, two furvived. Godfrey, who married the Countess of Luxemburgh, and had by her one fon and two daughters. Henry the Blind. Elis, A fecond daughter. who was married to Baldwin, 3d Count Baldwin the Fourth, who married Margaret of Flanders, and had iffue one fon and one daughter. Baldwin the Fifth. The Lady Ifabel, (whom Shakspeare mentions) he was married to Philip II. King of France, furnamed the Auguft, and left iffue by him one fou. Louis the Eighth, furnamed the Lion. He married the Lady Blanch of Caftile, and by her had iffue nine fons and two daughters. He was fucceeded by his eldeft fon. Louis the Ninth, better known by the name of St. Louis. This is the Louis whom Shakfpeare mentions. He was fole heir of the ufurper Caper, and was grandfon of Queen Ifabel, who was lineal of the Lady Ermengare, daughter to Charles Duke of Lorain. I fhall now proceed in the genealogy, and in the course of it you will perhaps fee the caufe of your mistake." St. Louis had eleven children, and was fucceeded by his eldest fon Philip the Third, furnamed · the Hardy. He married two wives: the first was Isabel of Arragon, who was indeed grandmother to Louis X. But I fhould be glad to know in what hiftory of France you find that Philip II. was father of Louis IX, and grandfa ther of Louis X? Surely this is a miftake of no imali magnitude. Nor is it a lefs, concerning Queen Ifabel, for, in afferting 588 Illuftration of an hiftorical Fat in Shakspeare. afferting her whom Shakspeare mentions But to return to Philip III.; he had two fons, and was fuccceded by the eideft, Philip the Fourth, furnamed the Fair: he left three fons and three daughters, and was fuc ceeded by his eldest fon Louis the Tenth, furnamed Hutin... This defcent is, I apprehend, plain Hugh Capet alfo, who ufurp'd the crown Daughter to Charlemain, who was the fort concerning the Lady Lingare, of whom, name You fay that Shakspeare gives this information as he found it in Halinfhed: I do not know where to turn to the paffage. In p. 107, fpeaking of Prince Henry's striking the Jodge, you fay, that it is more than probable it is recorded in Holinthed: it may be found there, vol. II. p. 1165, 1ft edit. + Here is a mistake: for Velley (II. 124) gives Charles the Bald by Ermentrude, Lewis who fucceeded him, Charles of Aquitain, Carloman, Lothaire, Diogo, and Pepin 'who died young; Judith, who married Ethelbald and Ethelwolf, father and fon, fucceffively Kings of England, and afterwards Baldwin Earl of Flanders, Roth idis, and Ermentrude, both abbelles. He had by Richildis, fifter of Bofon, only Lewis and Charles, who died foon after their baptifm, Mr. Anderion, in his Royal Genealogies, Tab. ccclxiv. gives this genealogy differently 2 Ermentrude. Charles the Bald. Richildis, or Judith. Judith, m. Ethelbald K. of Engl. and Baldwin.. Rothilda, 1ft wife of Hugh Magnus Earl of Paris. Henault makes Judith his daughter by his firft wife; and gives Pepin, Drogo, Lewis, and Charles, to his fecond. The Saxon Annals (p. 76) call the wife of Ethelwolf i eodere Leotheta), but Florence of Worcester Futbita, and other writers Juditha. If we bel eve Velley (ib. 242), the family of Charlemain ended with Louis V. confequently Hugh Capet had no claim from defcent. The fpeech put into the mouth of the Archbishop of Canterbury by Shakspeare, is from Hollinghed, vol II, p. 546, where fo much as concerns this pedigree is thus worded: "Moreover it appeareth by their own writers, that King Pepine, which depofed Childerite, claimed the crowne of France as heire generall, for that he was defcended of Blitheld daughter to K. Clothair I. Hugh Capet alfo, who uturped the crowne upon Charles Duke of Lorain the fole heire male of the line and stocke of Charles the Great, to make his title feeme true and appeare good, though indeed it was farke nought, conveied himself as heire to the Lady Lingarde, daughter to King Charlemaine, fonne to Lewes the Emperor, that was fon to Charles the Great. King Lewes alfo the tomb, otherwife called St. Lewes, being verie heire to the ufurper Capet, could never be fatisfied in his confcience how he might juftly keep and pof feffe the crowne of France, till he was perfuaded, and fully inftructed, that Queen Ifabelhis grand Name Judith, but in our Saxon annals fhe is called Leotheta. She was married in 854 to Ethelwolf King of England, who died two years after the nup tial ceremony. In 868 the married a fecond husband, Baldwin Count of Flanders. Now what I conjecture is, that a daughter of this marriage might be the maternal ancestor of Hugh Capet: I am not, however, poffeffed of fufficient authority to authenticate this fuppotion, either know I that fuch exifts. The accurate Mezeray (Hift. Abr. vol. IV. p. 263) expreffly fays, that Hugh Capet was defcended, both by his father and mother, of royal race. His grandfather Robert ufurped the fovereignty of France during the feeble reign of Charles the Simple: that fuccefsful crime might afford matter for ancient writers to affert that Hugh Capet his grandfon was defcended by his father of royal race. It will not detain us long to trace the genealogy of the Houfe of Capet: the founder of it was Robert the Bold, Duke of Normandy, who in 886 married Adelays, and had iffue, Robert, who ufurped and fhared the fovereignty of France with Charles the Simple. He reigned one year; and left iffue by Beatrice, daughter of Hebert fecond Count of Vermandor's, one fon and one daughter. Eudes, who a'fo ufurped the fovereignty, and reigned a thort time. Hugh, named the White, the Great, and the Abbé. He married Hadoide, or Avoye, fifter of the Emperor Otho 1. and had iffue one fon. Hugh Capet, who eftablished his family on the throne of France, which is ftill filled with his lineal defcendants. Father Daniel, in his Hiftory of France, vol. II. p. 401, fpeaking of Hugh Capet, tells us, that he ufurped the throne to which his birth did not give him any right: not but that his defcent was if luftrious. He then mentions his anceftors King Robert and Robert the Bold, and adds, that fome have pretended to derive their family from Count Childebrand, brother of Charles Martel; and others have even deduced their defcent from a daughter of Clothaire I. the grandion of Clovis, founder of the French monarchy. This fplendid and fanciful genealogy was moft probably that tribute which adulation pays to greatness. But, if the Houfe of Capet has been adorned by flattery with ficti MR. URBAN, tious fplendor and with a luftre not its own, it has alfo experienced a contrary extreme. The poet Dante, who, with his faction, was expelled from Florence by Charles of Valois, brother to Philip the Fair, fays, in revenge for the wrong, that his anceftor Hugh Capet was the fon of a butcher of Paris. Chiamato fui di la Ugo Ciapetta Having thus difcuffed "King Lewis' title and Hugh Capet's claim," I fhall conclude for the prefent, and refume this fubject in a future letter. Yours, &c. W. J. Faf Barnet, July 8. A CORRESPONDENT in your laft Magazine wishes to be informed whether he is to read Jah, or Yea, in Pf. lxviii. 4, as he has feen both readings in different copies of the Bible. Be pleafed therefore to inform him that the former is the true one; Jab being one of the names of the Moft High God, denoting his abfolute, independent, eternal existence. B. U. grandmother was lineallie defcended of the Lady Ermengard, daughter and here to the above named Charles Duke of Loraine." Hence it appears, that Shakspeare was mifled by his authorities, the profe hiftorians, his contemporaries; and that, as far as Shakspeare followed Hollinfhed, reb is the right reading, though, in refpect of hilloric truth, we thould read ninth. EDIT. MR. I Remarks on the Poems of Offian; (Continued from p. 494.) Shall conclude thefe Erfe Songs with a Poem called The Ode of Ofcar; whofe authenticity perhaps admits the leaft difpute of any which I have fent you. I did not obtain it, like most of the reft, from Mac Nab: but wrote it down immediately from the mouth of a man, who was a wright or carpenter, at Mr. Macleane's of Drumman in Morven ; and who knew a number of thefe Songs. Mrs. Macleane and her fon's wife, a daughter of Sir Alexander Macleane, were fo .ind as to fit by and tranflate for me, while he repeated and I wrote. In order to have fome kind of check against deception, I attempted to write down the Erfe together with the tranflation; but, as a language written by one who is a ftranger to it muft neceffarily be unintelligible, I fhall only trouble you with the latter. The Poem relates the death of Ofcar, which is the fubje&t of the firft book of Macpherfon's Temora. It opens with a lamentation for the death of Chaoilte, which is foreign to the reft of the Song: a practice not uncommon among the Poems attributed to Offian, and similar to that of Pindar. I do not remember to have met with the name of Chaoilte in Macpherfon or Smith, but it has already been twice mentioned in the foregoing Songs: in Cubha Fhinn, line 27. and Urnigh Offian, verie 23. *The intimate connections of fofterage, here fo ftrongly expreffed, are in a great degree peculiar to Ireland, and feem ftrongly to point out the origin of this Song. +. This verse exactly agrees with the narrative of Macpherion. Thefe verfes are by no means confonant to the Poems of Macpherfon, Riding is a practice unknown in them; his heroes are all charioteers. The Comhal of Macpherton alfo is the father of Fingal; whereas here he is united with Cairbar, Fingal's greatcft foe. § The quarrel in Macpherson begins after a treacherous teaft; though not of fo long a duration as that here referred to Cairbar, in Macpherson, does not defire Ofcar to exbange, but to furrender his fpear. "Ofcar, faid the dark red Cairbar, I behold the fpear of Erin. The fpear of Temora glitters in thy hand, fon of woody Morven -Yield it, fon of Offian ! Yield it to car-borne Cairbar."-Temora, book 1. Shall 1 yield, Ofcar replied, the gift of Erin; injured King," &c. The reply of Olcar, in the Poem above, by no means agrees with Macpherion: it even feems to reprefent Ofcar as a vaffal of Cairbar. **Were he who fought with little men (Fingal) near' Atha's haughty Chief (Cairbar); Athas Chief would yield green Erin to avoid his rage." Temora, as above, b. I. + What night is this? What have women to do with the difpute? There is no appearance of these circumstances in Macpherson. I fulpect there is fome omiffion in this art of the Poem. by The original, I believe, reprefents Ofcar as a giant, and as killing these multitudes at one ftroke: the title of Great Hero given to Caibar, v. 10, and to Artht, v. 19. Ibelieve is allo Giant, in the Erfe. I do not understand why Irishmen are reprefented in v. 12, as bounding over the Highland feas to Ireland." Behold, fays Macpherfon, they fall before Ofcar, like groves in the defart, when an angry ghoft rushes through night and takes their green heads in his hand., Morlath falls, Maronnan dies, Conachar trembles in his bloed." + " Dark red Cairbar," (fee note 8, on verfe 6.) Macpherson does not mention poison. "Cairbar fhrinks before Ofcar's fword. He creeps in dark nefs behind a stone, he lifts the fpear in fecret, and pierces Oscar's fide." "Ofcar falls forward on his thield, his knee fuftains the Chief. But ftill his fpear is in his hand. See gloomy Cairbar talls!" & How came Fingal to his grandion? there seems to have been an omiffion in this place all. Fingal is the Machaon of his army here, as in the fong of the death of Dermid. Mag. for Feb. p.143. The wound is defcribed here, with all the particularity of Homer. Arfht is not mentioned by Macpherfon. See alfo note, on v. 12, 13, 14. ++ Fingal is evidently represented there as living in Ireland, in spite of v. 6. and v. 12, 13. 14. Macpherson tranfper s the corpfe, by fea, to Morven. ++ "When Ofcar," fays Macpherion, "faw his friends around, his heaving breaft arofe! The groans, he faid, of aged chiefs, the howling of my dogs, the fudden bursts of the fong of grief, have melted Ofcar's foul; my foul that never melted before." 88" And the heroes did weeep, O Fingal! dear was the hero to their fouls!-No father mourned his fon gain in youth, no brother his brother of love. They fell without tears, for the chief of the people is low." Fingal in Macpherfon fays, "Art thou fallen, O Ofcar! in the midst of thy course, the heart of the aged beats over thee!-Weep ye heroes of Morven! never more fhall Ofcar rife" &c. *** Ofcar in Macpherson thus fpeaks of himself, "My foul that never melted before: it was I ke the feel of my fword." See the note on v. 21. ttt Mrs. Macleane, jun. to whofe elegant abilities and hofpitable friendship, I was principally |