ning into murmuring rivulets, bordered with the softest
enamelled with various flowers.

In placis sawe I wellis there w
In whichè ther no froggis were,
And faire in shadow was eche wel;
But I ne can the nombre tel

Of stremis smale, that by devise

Mirth had don com thorough condisex,
Of which the watir in renning,
Gan makin a noise ful liking.
About the brinkis of these wellis,
And by the stremes ovir al ellis
Sprange up the grasse as thick isett
And soft eke as any velvett.
On which man might his leman ley
As softe as fetherbed to pley.-
There sprange the violet all newe,
And freshe perwinke riche of hewe;
And flouris yalowe white and rede,
Such plenti grew ther ner in mede:
Full gaie was al the grounde and queint
And poudrid, as men had it peint,
With many a fresh and sondry floure
That castin up ful gode savoùre. z

grass

But I hasten to display the peculiar powers of William de

Lorris in delineating allegorical personages; none of which have suffered in Chaucer's translation. The poet supposes that the garden of Mirth, or rather Love, in which grew the Rose, the object of the lover's wishes and labours, was enclosed with embattled walls, richly painted with various figures, such as Hatred, Avarice, Envy, Sorrow, Old Age, and Hypocrisy. Sorrow is thus represented.

SORROWE was paintid next ENVIE
Upon that wal of masonrie.
But wel was seen in her colour,
That she had livid in languour;
Her seemid to have the jaundice,
Not half so pale was AVARICE,
Ne nothing alike of lenenesse

a

For sorowe, thought, and grete distresse.
A s'rowful thing wel semid she;
Nor she had nothing slow ybe
For to bescrachin of hir face,
And for to rent in many place

Hir clothes, and for to tere her swire,

As she that was fulfilled of ire:

And al to torn lay eke hir here

About hir shoulders, here and there;
As she that had it all to rent
For angre and for male talent".

Nor are the images of HATRED and AVARICE inferior.

Amiddis sawe I HATE Ystonde.d
And she was nothing wel araide
But like a wode woman afraide:
Yfrowncid foule was hir visage,
And grinning for dispiteous rage,
Her nose ysnortid up for tene
Full hideous was she forti sene,
Full foul and rustey was she this,
Her hed iwrithin was iwis,

Full grimly with a grete towaile, &c.f

The design of this work will not permit me to give the portrait of Idleness, the portress of the garden of Mirth, and of others, which form the groupe of dancers in the garden: but I cannot resist the pleasure of transcribing those of Beauty, Franchise, and Richesse, three capital figures in this genial assembly.

The God of love, jolife and light,
Ladde on his honde a ladie bright,
Of high prise, and of gret degre,
This ladie called was BEAUTIE.
And an arowe, of which I told,
Full well ythewid was she holde:

Ne was she darke ne browne, but bright,
And clere as is the monè light.—

Au milieu de mur je vy HAYNE.
Si n'estoit pas bien atournée,
Ains sembloit estre forcence
Rechignée estoit et froncé
Avoit le nez et reboursé.
Moult hydeuse estoit et souilleè
Et fut sa teste entortilleè
Tres ordement d'un touaille,

Qui moult estoit d'horrible taille. 143.

Ainsi comme une des cinque flesches
En ille aut toutes bonnes taiches:
Point ne fut obscur, ne brun,
Mais fut clere comme la lune.-
Tendre eut la chair comme rousée,
Simple fut comme une espousée.
Et blanch comme fleur de lis,
Visage eut bel doulx et alis,
Elle estoit gresle et alignée
N'estoit fardié ne pignée,
Car elle n'avoit pas mestier
De soy farder et affaictier.
Les cheveulx ent blons et si longs
Qu'ils batoient aux talons. v. 1004.
Having good qualities. See supr.
v. 939. seq.

Her fleshe was tendre as dewe of floure,
Her chere was simple as birde in boure:
As white as lilie, or rose in rise',
Her face was gentil and tretise*;
Fetis she was, and smal to se,
No wintridm browis heddè she;
No popped here, for❜t neded nought
To windir her or to peint ought.

Her tresses yalowe and long straughten P
Unto her helis down the 'raughten.

Nothing can be more sumptuous and superb than the robe, and other ornaments, of RICHESSE, or Wealth. They are imagined with great strength of fancy. But it should be remembered, that this was the age of magnificence and shew; when a profusion of the most splendid and costly materials were lavished on dress, generally with little taste and propriety, but often with much art and invention.

RICHESSE a robe of purpre on had, s

Ne trow not that I lie or mad',

Qui gettoient moult grant clarté,
Tout y estoit bien assortè.
Puis eut une riche sainture
Sainte par dessus sa vesture:
Le boucle d'une pierre fu,
Grosse et de moult grant vertu
Celluy qui sur soy le protoit
De tous venins garde estoit.-
D'autre pierre fut le mordans
Qui guerissoit du mal des dens.
Cest pierre portoit bon cur,
Qui l'avoit pouvoit estre asscur
De sa santé et de sa vei,
Quant à jeun il l'avoit vei:
Les cloux furent d'or epurè,
Par dessus le tissu doré,

Qui estoient grans et pesans,
En chascun avoit deux besans.

Si eut avecques a Richesse

Uns cadre d'or mis sur la tresse,
Si riche, si plaisant, et si bel,
Qu'onques on ne veit le pareil :
De pierres estoit fort garny,
Precieuses et aplany,

For in this world is none it liche",

W

Ne by a thousand dele so riche,
Ne none so faire: For it full wele
With orfraies laid was everie dele,
And purtraied in the ribaninges
Of dukis stories and of kinges;
And with a bend of gold tassiled,
And knoppis fine of gold amiled".

Qui bien en vouldroit deviser,
On ne les pouvroit pas priser
Rubis, y eut saphirs, jagonces,
Esmerandes plus de cent onces:
Mais devant eut par grant maistrise,
Un escarboucle bien assise
Et le pierre si clere estoit
Que cil qui devant la mettoit
Si en povoit veoir au besoing
A soy conduire une lieue loing,
Telle clartè si en yssoit
Que Richesse en resplandissoit
Par tout le corps et par sa face
Aussi d'autour d'elle la place. v.1066.
"that I lie, or am mad." "like.

W

parts [a thousandth part]. embroidery in gold.

Y laces laid on robes; embroideries. 2 band; knott. a knobbs; buttons. enameled ;-enameling, and perhaps pictures in enamel, were common in the middle ages. From the Testament of Joh. de Foxle, knight, Dat. apud Bramshill Co. Southampt. Nov. 5. 1378. "Item lego domino abbati de Waltham unum annulum auri grossi, cum una saphiro infixa, et nominibus trium regum [of Cologne] sculptis in eodem annulo. Item lego Margarite sorori mee unam tabulam argenti deaurati et amelitam, minorem de duabus quas habeo, cum diversis ymaginibus sculptis in eadem. Item lego Margerie uxori Johannis de Wilton unum monile auri, cum S. litera sculpta et amelita in eodem." Registr. Wykeham, Episc. Winton. P. ii. fol. 24. See also Dugd. Bar. i. 234. a.

[AMILED is from the French EMAIL, or ENAMEL. This art flourished most at Limoges in France. So early as the year 1197, we have " Duas tabulas æneas superauratas de labore Limogiæ." Chart. ann. 1197. apud Ughelin. tom. vii. ITAL. SACR. p. 1274. It is called Opus

Lemnoviticum, in Dugdale's MoN. iii. 310. 313. 331. And in Wilkins's CoNCIL. i. 666. where two cabinets for the host are ordered, one of silver or of ivory, and the other de opere Lemovicino. SYNOD. WIGORN. A. D. 1240. And in many other places. I find it called Limaise, in a metrical romance, the name of which I have forgot, where a tomb is described,

And yt was, the Romans sayes, All with golde and limaise. Carpentier [V. LIMOGIA.] observes, that it was antiently a common ornament of sumptuous tombs. He cites a Testament of the year 1327, "Je lais huit cent livres pour faire deux tombes hautes et levées de l'EUVRE de LIMOGES." The original tomb of Walter de Merton, bishop of Rochester, erected in his cathedral about the year 1276, was made at Limoges. This appears from the accompts of his executors, viz. "Et computant x11. vs. vid. liberat. Magistro Johanni Linnomcensi, pro tumba dicti Episcopi Roffensis, scil. pro Constructione et carriagio de Lymoges ad Roffam. Et xls. viii d. cuidam Executori apud Lymoges ad ordinandum et providendum Con. structionem dictæ Tumbæ. viii d. cuidam garcioni eunti apud Lymoges quærenti dictam tumbam constructam, et ducenti eam cum dicto Mag. Johanne usque Roffam. Et xxiil. in materialibus circa dictam tumbam defricandam. Et vii marcas, in ferramento ejusdem, et carriagio a Londin. usque ad Roff, et aliis parandis ad dictam tumbam. Et xis. cuidam vitriario pro vitris fenestrarum emptarum juxta tumbam dicti Episcopi apud Roffam." Ant. Wood's MS. MERTON PAPERS, Bibl. Bodl. Cop, BALLARD. 46.-ADDITIONS. ]

Et x s.

"