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THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN.

"Chevalier au Lion."[1] Breceliande is in Brittany, and is the fabled scene of Merlin's imprisonment, by the enchantments of his Mistress Viviane, the Lady of the Lake. Within the precincts of this Forest also lay the Yal sans Eetour, or the Yallon des Faux A mans.

The English poem tells us of a Chapel that was hard by the Fountain, and says,

" An amerawd was the stane.
Richer saw i never nane.
On fowr rubyes on heght standand,
Their light lasted over al the land."—line 364.

An adventure so much to his own discredit.Page 10.

By the laws of Chivalry, the knights were under a solemn obligation, when relating their adventures, to give a faithful account of what befell them, without concealing anything, however disadvantageous to themselves.

Uncourteous Speech.Page 10.

Sir Kai's uncourteous speech was proverbial. In Twain and Gawin, we are told,

"And than ab smertly sayd Sir Kay;
He karpet to tham wordes grete."

And so rude was his manner, that at length

"The queue answered, with milde mode,
And said, Sir Kay, ertow wode?
What the devyl es the withyn.
At thi tong may never blyn
Thi felows so fowly to shende?
Sertes, sir Kay, thou ert unhende."—line 488.

Horn for Washing.Page 10.

It was customaiy to prepare for dinner by washing the hands, and the summons for this preparation was given by sounding a horn, which, by the French, was termed corner l'eau or corner l'eue, Amongst the Monks, the same notice was given by ringing a bell.
  1. A long note on the story of the Fountain of Barenton is printed separately on p. 67, CO which the reader is referred.

    A fountain possessed of the like properties occurs in the Fablian of "The Paradise of Love" and a similar one is mentioned in " The noble Hystory of Kyng Ponthns of Galyce."