differs widely in the setting of his story. He gives an introduction, in which the adventures of the father, here a prince of Anjou, are related, a conclusion, in which the Swan-Knight, Lohengrin, is made Parzival’s son, he represents the inhabitants of the Grail castle as Templars (Templeisen), and makes the Grail itself a stone. Finally, he reproaches Chrétien with having told the story amiss, whereas Kiot, the Provengal, whose version Wolfram was following, had told it aright from beginning to end. It is certain that Gerbert knew, and used, a Perceval which, if not Kiot’s poem, must have been closely akin to it; as he too makes the Swan-Knight a descendant of the Grail hero. The probability seems to be that the earliest Perceval-Grail romance was composed at Fescamp, and was coincident with the transformation, under the influence of the Saint-Sang legend, of the originally Pagan talisman known as the Grail into a Christian relic, and that this romance was more or less at the root of all subsequent versions.
Besides the poems, we have also two prose Perceval romances, the relative position of which has not yet been satisfactorily determined. The first is found in two manuscripts only, the so-called “Didot” (from its original possessor M. Firmin-Didot), now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; the other, and much superior text, in the Biblioteca Estense, Modena. In both cases the romance follows the prose rendering of Borron’s Joseph of Aramathea and Merlin, and precedes a Mort Artus, thus forming part of a complete cycle. The text shows a curious mingling of sources; the real primitive Perceval story, the Enfances, is omitted, he grows up in his father’s house and goes to court at his wish. Later, however, stories which certainly derive from an early non-Grail tradition are introduced, and there are references which imply a knowledge of the prose Lancelot and of Chrétien’s poem. The romance is probably a somewhat late, and not very skilful, compilation. The other prose romance, the Perlesvaus, is decidedly superior in literary form, but here too we have a mingling of old and new elements. The Enfances story is omitted, and there are parallels with the German Parzival, with Wauchier de Denain and with Gerbert, while much is peculiar to the Perlesvaus itself. It is not improbable that it represents a free and individual working over of the original Fescamp version, and that in its later shape it was intended to form, and did at one time form, the Quest section of the cyclic redaction of the Arthurian prose romances, being dislodged from this position by the Galahad Quête. It is a curious fact that the printed editions always give it in conjunction with this latter and that the two have also been preserved together in a Welsh manuscript translation. We also possess in one of the so-called Mabinogi a Welsh version of the tale, Peredur, son of Evrawc. This appears to be a free rendering of the adventures found in Chrétien combined with incidents drawn from Welsh tradition. This was a one time claimed as the original source of all the Perceval romances, but this theory cannot be maintained in face of the fact that the writer gives in one place what is practically a literal translation of Chrétien’s text in a passage which there is strong reason to believe was borrowed by Chrétien from an earlier poem. In order of time the Peredur probably ranks latest in the series of Perceval romances, which, however, does not detract from its interest as a possible representative of genuine Welsh traditions, unknown to other writers.
The value and interest of the Perceval romances stand very high, not alone for their intrinsic merit, though that is considerable—Chrétien’s Perceval, though not his best poem, is a favourable specimen of his work, and von Eschenbach’s Parzival, though less elegant in style, is by far the most humanly interesting, and at the same time, most deeply spiritual, of the Grail romances—but also for the interest of the subject matter. The Perceval story is an admirable folk-tale, the Grail problem is the most fascinating problem of medieval literature; the two combined form a romance of quite unique charm and interest. This has been practically proved by the extraordinary success which has attended Richard Wagner’s dramatic re-telling of the legend in his Parsifal. The immediate source of this version is the poem of Wolfram von Eschenbach, though the Grail, of course, is represented in the form of the Christian relic, not as the jewel talisman of the Parzival, but the psychological reading of the hero’s character, the distinctive note of von Eschenbach’s version, has been adapted by Wagner with marvellous skill, and his picture of the hero’s mental and spiritual development, from extreme simplicity to the wisdom born of perfect charity, is most striking and impressive.
Bibliography.—These are early printed editions of the Perceval (1530) and of the Perlesvaus (1516 and 1523). The Perceval was edited from the Mons text by Potvin (6 vols., 1866–1871); Syr Percyvelle of Galles, in The Thornton Romances, by Halliwell (1844) for the Camden Society. Parzival exists in numerous editions; critical texts have been edited by Lachmann (1891), Martin (1903) and Leitzmann (1902–1903). For the general reader the most useful text is that of Bartsch in Deutsche Classiker des Mittelalters, as it includes notes and a glossary. Modern German versions are by Simrock (very close to the original) and Hertz (freer, but with excellent notes and appendices); Eng. trans. by J. L. Weston (1894). The “Didot” Perceval was published by Hucher in vol. 1. of Le Saint Graal (1875–1878); an edition of the Modena text has also been prepared. Perlesvaus was published by Potvin in vol 1. of his edition of Chrétien’s poem. The Welsh text, with translation, has been edited by Canon Williams. A fine translation by Dr Sebastian Evans is published in “The Temple Classics,” under the title of The High History of the Holy Grail. Peredur will be found in Alfred Nutt’s edition of the Mabinogion (1902). For the critical treatment of the subject see The Legend of Sir Perceval (Grimm Library, vol. xvii); Perlesvaus by Nitze (1902); Legends of the Wagner Drama by J. L. Weston. (J. L. W.)
PERCEVAL, SPENCER (1762–1812), prime minister of England from 1809 to 1812, second son of John, 2nd earl of Egmont, was born in Audley Square, London, on the 1st of November 1762. He was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1786. A very able speech in connexion with a famous forgery case having drawn attention to his talents, his success was from that time rapid, he was soon regarded as the leading counsel on the Midland circuit, and in 1796 became a K.C. Entering parliament
for Northampton in April of that year, he distinguished
himself by his speeches in support of the administration of Pitt. In 1801, on the formation of the Addington administration, he
was appointed solicitor-general, and in 1802 he became attorney general.
An ardent opponent of Catholic Emancipation, he
delivered in 1807 a speech on the subject which helped to give
the deathblow to the Grenville administration, upon which he
became chancellor of the exchequer under the duke of Portland,
whom in 1809 he succeeded in the premiership. Notwithstanding
that he had the assistance in the cabinet of no statesman
of the first rank, he succeeded in retaining office till he was shot
by a man named Bellingham, a bankrupt with a grievance, who
had vainly applied to him for redress, in the lobby of the House
of Commons on the 11th of May 1812. Bellingham was certainly
insane, but the plea was set aside and he was hanged. Perceval
was a vigorous debater, specially excelling in replies, in which
his thorough mastery of all the details of his subject gave him
a great advantage. He married in 1790 and had six sons and
six daughters; one of the latter married Spencer Horatio Walpole
(d. 1898), home secretary, and their son Sir Spencer Walpole,
the well-known historian, published an excellent biography of
Perceval in 1874.
See also P. Treherne, Spencer Perceval (1909).
PERCH (through Fr. from Lat. perca, Gr. πέρκη; the last word is connected with περκνός, dark-coloured, spotted), a fresh-water fish (Perca fluviatilis), generally distributed over Europe, northern Asia and North America, and so well known as to have been selected for the type of an entire family of spiny-rayed fishes, the Percidae, which is represented in European fresh-waters by several other fishes such as the pope (Acerina cernua) and the pike-perch (Lucioperca). It inhabits rivers as well as lakes, but thrives best in waters with a depth of not less than 3 ft.; in large deep lakes it frequently descends to depths of 50 fathoms and more. It occurs in Scandinavia as far north as the 69th parallel, but does not extend to Iceland or any of the islands north of Europe. In the Alps it ascends to an altitude of 4000 ft.
