The History of Chivalry Volume I Part 26

In the tale of the Mule without a Bridle, it is said,

"Fill'd with these views the attendant dwarf she sends: Before the knight the dwarf respectful bends; Kind greetings bears as to his lady's guest, And prays his presence to adorn her feast.

The knight delays not; on a bed design'd With gay magnificence the fair reclin'd High o'er her head, on silver columns rais'd, With broidering gems her proud pavilion blaz'd.

Herself, a paragon in every part, Seem'd sovereign beauty deck'd with comeliest art.

With a sweet smile of condescending pride She seats the courteous Gawaine by her side, Scans with a.s.siduous glance each rising wish, Feeds from her food the partner of her dis.h.!.+"

[198] M. le Grand, in his valuable Histoire de la Vie Privee des Francais, has given us some very curious information regarding the mode of dressing this distinguished bird. "It was generally," he says, "served up roasted.

Instead of plucking the bird (observes the Complete Housekeeper of former times) skin it carefully so as not to damage the feathers; then cut off the feet, stuff the body with spices and sweet herbs; roll a cloth round the head, and then spit your bird. Sprinkle the cloth, all the time it is roasting, to preserve its crest. When it is roasted enough, tie the feet on again; remove the cloth; set up the crest; replace the skin; spread out the tail, and so serve it up. Some people, instead of serving up the bird in the feathers, carry their magnificence so far as to cover their peac.o.c.k with leaf gold: others have a very pleasant way of regaling their guests.

Just before they serve up, they cram the beak of their peac.o.c.k with wool, rubbed with camphor: then, when the dish is placed upon the table, they set fire to the wool, and the bird instantly vomits out flames like a little volcano."

[199] Du Chesne, House of Montmorenci, liv. i. p. 29, &c. M. de Couci, (c.

7.) 664, &c. Olivier de la Marche, p. 412. Hist. de Boucicaut, ed. de G.o.defroi.

[200] Like Sir Guiscard Dangle, Earl of Huntingdon, who, according to Froissart, possessed all the n.o.ble virtues that a knight ought to have, for "he was merry, true, amourous, sage, sweet, liberal, preux, hardy, adventurous, and chivalrous," vol. i. c. 384.

[201] See the verses of Des Escas, a Troubadour at the court of the King of Arragon.

[202] Knight of the Tower, chap. "How goodly women ought to maintain themselves courteously."

[203] Sir Tristram, Fytte second, st. 13. and Scott's note.

[204] Squire of Low Degree.

[205] Sir Degore.

[206] Romance of Guy of Warwick.

[207] Knight of the Tower, chap. "How young maidens ought not lightly to turn their heads here and there."

[208] Knight of the Tower, chap. int.i.tled, "Of them that will not wear their good clothes on high feasts and holy-days," and, "How the daughter of a knight lost her marriage." Memoires de Louis de la Tremouille, cap.

xii. p. 169, &c. in the 14th vol. of the great collection of French Memoires.

[209] Fairy Queen, book ii. canto 11. st. 49.

[210] The manners of his times might, perhaps, have been the origin of this picture, for even so late as the reign of Elizabeth, it is mentioned among the accomplishments of the ladies of her court, that the eldest of them are skilful surgeons. Harrison's Description of England, prefixed to Holinshed.

[211] Fairy Queen, book iii. canto 5. st. 31. 33.

[212] Before the year 1680, when coaches were first used in England, as Percy observes, ladies rode chiefly on horseback, either single on their palfreys, or double behind some person on a pillion. Not but in case of sickness, or bad weather, they had horse-litters, and even vehicles called chairs, and carrs or charres. Note on the Northumberland Household Book.

[213] It is evident that the good King of Hungary was a boon companion, and we will fancy that it was from a very common and natural feeling, that he supposed his daughter's inclinations similar to his own. Of the formidable list of wines which he gives, some names declare their growths very clearly; of the rest, I believe, that Rumney wine means the wine from La Romanee, a vineyard of Burgundy. Dr. Henderson, however, suggests that it was an Andalusian growth. Malmesyne was a Greek wine, from Malvagia in the Morea, the original seat of the Malmsey grape. Vernage was perhaps a Tuscan wine. Osey was Alsatian wine. Respice, (vin rape) was the produce of unbruised grapes, and b.a.s.t.a.r.d was a sweet Spanish wine.

[214] Baked meats were the usual food of our ancestors. Thus Chaucer says of his Frankelein (the modern country squire),

"Withoutin bake-mete never was his house."

[215] Station.

[216] Two species of hawks.

[217] Sewed or quilted.

[218] Rennes in Brittany was highly famous for its manufacture of linen.

[219] Inlaid with jewels.

[220] A modern princess, as Mr. Ellis says (Specimens of the early English Poets, vol. i. p. 344), might possibly object to breathe the smoke of pepper, cloves, and frankincense during her sleep; but the fondness of our ancestors for those, and indeed for perfumes of all kinds was excessive.

Mr. Ellis adds, that in the foregoing description of diversions, the good King of Hungary has forgotten one, which seems to have been as great a favorite with the English and French as ever it was with the Turkish ladies; this is the bath. It was considered, and with great reason, as the best of all cosmetics; and Mr. Strutt has extracted from an old MS. of prognostications, written in the time of Richard II., a medical caution to the women, against "going to the bath _for beauty_" during the months of March and November. Women also often bathed together for purposes of conversation. The reader knows that the public baths were not always used for such healthful and innocent purposes.

[221]

"Vos, modo venando, modo rus geniale colendo Ponitis in varia tempora longa mora.

Aut fora vos retinent, aut unctae dona palaestrae; Flect.i.tis aut fraeno colla sequaris equi.

Nunc volucrem laqueo, nunc piscem ducitis hamo.

Diluitur posito serior hora mero.

His mihi submotae, vel si minus acriter utar, Quod faciam, superest, praeter amare, nihil.

Quod superest, facio; teque, o mi sola voluptas, Plus quoque, quam reddi quod mihi possit, amo."

Ovid. Ep. Hero Leandro.

[222] Don Quixote affirmed, that no history ever made mention of any knight errant that was not a lover; for were any knight free from the impulses of that generous pa.s.sion, he would not be allowed to be a lawful knight, but a misborn intruder, and one who was not admitted within the pale of knighthood at the door, but leaped the fence, and stole in like a thief and a robber. Vivaldo, who was talking with the Don, a.s.serted in opposition to this opinion and statement, that Don Galaor, the brother of Amadis de Gaul, never had any mistress in particular to recommend himself to, and yet for all that he was not the less esteemed. Don Quixote, after borrowing one of Sancho's proverbs, that one swallow never makes a summer, replied that he knew Don Galaor was privately very much in love; and as for his paying his addresses wherever he met with beauty, this was an effect of his natural inclination, which he could not easily restrain. It was an undeniable truth, concluded the Don, that Galaor had a favourite lady whom he had crowned empress of his will; and to her he frequently recommended himself in private, for he did not a little value himself upon his discretion and secrecy in love. This defence of Galaor is very amusing, and Vivaldo submitted to it. But he ought to have adduced the opinions of that mad knight and merry talker of the Round Table, Sir Dynadan, who marvelled what could ail Sir Tristram and many others of his companions, that they were always sighing after women. "Why," said la belle Isaud, "are you a knight and no lover? you cannot be called a good knight, except you make a quarrel for a lady." "G.o.d defend me!" replied Dynadan, "for the joy of love is so short, and the sorrow thereof and what cometh thereof endureth so long."

Morte d'Arthur, lib. i. c. 56.

[223] Fairy Queen, book iv. canto 9. st. 21.

[224] Gower's Confessio Amantis, book iv. p. 103, &c.

[225] Froissart, vol. ii. c. 117 and 118.

[226] Essais Histor. sur Paris, by St. Foix, vol. iii. p. 263, cited by Strutt. Sports and Pastimes, &c. "As it happened, Sir Palomydis looked up towards her (la belle Isaud) where she lay in the window, and he espied how she laughed, and therewith he took such a rejoicing that he smote down what with his spear and with his sword all that ever he met, for through the sight of her he was so enamoured of her love, that he seemed at that time, that had Sir Tristrem and Sir Launcelot been both against him, they would have won no wors.h.i.+p of him." Morte d'Arthur, book x. c. 70.

[227] Lovelier.

[228] Lived.

[229] Romance of Ywaine and Gawin.

[230] Froissart, c. 249. "Le duc de Lancastre avoit de son heritage en Champaigne: c'esta.s.savoir un chastel entre Troye et Chalons, qui s'appelait Beaufort, et duquel un escuyer Anglais (qui se nommoit le poursuivant d'amour) estait capitaine."

[231] Froissart, liv. i. c. 7.

[232] Barbour's Bruce, book vi. Hume's (of G.o.dscroft) History of the House of Douglas, p. 29, &c.

The description of the good Lord James of Douglas, in Barbour's Bruce, is not uninteresting.

"In visage was he some deal gray, And had black hair, as I heard say, But then he was of limbs well made, With bones great and shoulders braid.

His body well made and lenzie, As they that saw him said to me.

When he was blyth he was lovely And meek and sweet in company.