LiffiE ^ROMANCE OF THE ROSE.
WE ha\ e jafceady given. <ajÆà^^nïplt of,'_this 'cUrious“ literary
. prwutri^nï^and ïa^sief' Un'alysis of/tffe^dm inencement.
ffijgjïe'pIcMof the romance,’or *all!^o$K( is \eiy uninteresting. After
iffâvingtadmirecjyfche .'TictureS^onythe waîÇjsuroffiy mentioned, the
|di?eamer finds' thei gate,' v hioh is ■qnéneR^^fiftit<by Idléness, thé
gate-keeper, an^^ëp-tcr- a' beautify!’gàrd*eml^;:j!05tirtesy introduces
visitoWftö Pleasure,.'the,prop rietor'e^hlygàr denwbó -was in-the
knidst of his gouRlÿS^hilb the'strangeiii&cSM'etnplatjng'fTKg^heauty
of Hie Judies gn thf||burt ‘o ^ llaÉMW^HHHBBued by Ifcove, who
is ^rpfêd^with Vfiye arro^vs.^M’^ fugitive arrivés-^ at a fountain,
j^htiilds ^Iffigurifui rosVriç.è^ûMyis- seiiecL with the dt^ire^bf' ga-
|thering -à rose; |aE the^samet$h,dment .he heoonac s an^ëaayrobnquest
to his>pursiier. ' The «rest-of the poemiô’AÆmpioyei L in relating the
troubles kndy disappointments which the- Lbyerf for such it ’appears
ri» the n a m e t h e dreamer, .exp^rienceg'i in his attempt^ to ^obtain
Efefrose,'on which, heghas set’ hR.d(rire->! ’ In the course of these
attempts;,' one of his yriidèst/ögpS^tófe^is Danger,.-and1 his most
fpowerfu'1 opponent is Reason. A wiry Jar ge portion ! of the 'poem
is taken up with the ^discourses of the lattice.*Bel'A&zMl, the ally
sapd friend caShe adventtif dus Lover, is seized and “imprisoned in a
towerjby Jealopsy g, butÂboth'’ are befriended by^Love - and “his
Smother Venus, the tower .is stormed, and|^'j®bver finally 'Urieedp.
in his object, .
' Three of the' figures here represented tueitaken from the magni-
ficent manuscript of the Romance - of ' the, Rose already described.
The figure in .“a riding dress was furnished ^panother manuscript
Of the same age (MS. Reg. 19, OfVIII.)- ,
Three of these figures afford' singularly curious examples''.^ the
costume ôf the - dandies q£™^latter half of 'the fifteenth century.
# n e of them is in his riding dress : -t|e;;othhr":^® are decked out
,in thegpurt dress of the period. The robe, -With its
“ Sleeves blazing like Ûntô à.cranes
(as they are characterized by a 'Contemporary satirist), reminds us
of the form preserved in : the gowns which are still worn in the
universities. „The different articles of a man’s apparel- as indicated
in IfSbks of this time, are a shirt (often1 bordered with rich lace),
“ breech,” a petticoat, a doublet, a long coat, a stomacher, hose,