exquisite clear blue, now of a dirty sand colour. He was wide and rapid, and hurrying to mingle his waters with those of the Mediterranean, where, from their muddy tint, they may be easily recognized for a very considerable distance at sea. I remained two days at Nismes, formerly a Roman colony (Nemausus) of some importance, for the purpose of examining its antiquities. No place in France possesses such noble remains of ancient architecture. The amphitheatre, composed of the Tuscan and Doric orders, is an astonishing and magnificent edifice. The inhabitants still in some degree keep up the old games, for every Sunday during the summer bull-fights resembling the Spanish are exhibited in it. Its form is like that at Rome, elliptical. Here is also a most beautiful and perfect temple of the Corinthian order, with six columns in each front, and nine on the sides; it is now called la Maison Carrée, and is said to have been dedicated to Caius and Lucius, the two grandsons and adopted sons of Augustus; at all events this is certain, that it has been erected in the best period of Roman architecture, for the building is exquisitely proportioned and light. It is at present in good repair, and was some time used as a church, having been re-dedicated to St. Stephen. Amongst other antiquities of considerable note are a temple of Diana, the colossal Tour Magne, or Turris Magna, and, in the vicinity, the famous aqueduct called Pont du Gard. The city itself is large, and the plain in which it stands is fertile, and extends as far as the sea off the mouths of the Rhone. Again I crossed the river over the very long bridge of the Holy Ghost, (Saint Esprit,) a remarkable name, methinks, for a bridge! and continued my journey through a country of varied and picturesque scenery through Valence and Vienne. This latter town, the Vienna of former days, still interests the classical antiquary with the remains of a temple, and other Roman edifices. It now occupies the left bank of the Rhone for some distance in length, and is chiefly remarkable for its church. The district around is most pleasing, and produces choice wines, among which is the famed Côte Rotie. The first appearance of Lyons I thought very striking, and exhibiting even the importance and air of a capital. It is beautifully placed below hills on the banks of the Rhone and Saone, (the former Arar,) near the confluence of those rivers. The ancient city Lugdunum was built upon a hill, chiefly on that now called Fourvières, as was usually the case, for the sake of safety. Indeed that name is evidently derived from Luci and Dunum, (a Celtic word,) meaning the Hill of Lucius. This Lucius was Munatius Plancus, the friend of Horace and Cicero, who planted a colony there, and founded the city, which circumstance is recorded in an incription on his mausoleum, and is preserved in Gruter's Corpus Inscriptionûm, p. 439, No. 8. remains of Roman buildings are still existing on the hill Fourvières, and likewise the ruins of an aqueduct near the church of St. Irenæus. But by far the most interesting of the antiquities are the celebrated bronze tablets now in the Hôtel de Ville; these were discovered in 1528, and have inscribed upon them the well known oration of the emperor Claudius Cæsar; for a copy of which I will refer you to Gruter's Corp. Inscrip., p. 502; and another copy you may see in Some vol. ii. pp. 349-351 of Brotier's Tacitus (4to. Paris, 1771). This speech of Claudius, himself a native of Lyons, was in favour of the Gauls, who were asserting their right to the civil honours at Rome, and to be admitted into the senate. Tacitus, you will remember, has given his own amended version of the same speech, in chap. xxiv. Annals 11. Lyons is now principally important for its silk manufactures, and it presents all the activity and bustle of a large commercial place; it, however, suffered severely by the blood that was shed, and by the dreadful scenes which took place within it, during the revolution. The quays are fine, and continued in extent; they put me in mind of Paris. The view from the hills above Lyons is truly splendid; the spacious city spreads out immediately below, the courses of the rivers are traced through a most fertile plain, a vast champaign extends for miles to the very foot of the Alps, and the entire chain of those stupendous mountains, with Mont Blanc conspicuously rearing his white and venerable head in the midst of them, terminates the whole. There I last saw Mont Blanc, and there I bade him farewell. From Lyons I returned to Paris, by way of Moulins, Nevers, Montargis, and Fontainebleau, and I will only say the greatest part of that route was through an uninteresting country. A blessed thing the bird, that basks In bowers, with songs to heaven that soar; A blessed thing the sea, that asks And has obedience, mid the roar A blessed thing the mountain steep, By fresh mysterious sources fed; A blessed thing the meanest flower That sends forth blossoms for the bee; There-like a virgin, sweet and pure, Where wood birds build their mossy nests. The emerald hath no deeper green Than glistens on its beauteous leaves; No whiter snow is ever seen Than that which in its blossom weaves Nor breathe the spicy gums of Ind A sweeter fragrance on the wind! I love it well!-I loved it aye, But now I love it more and more; It brings the image of a day Whose shadow, flitting memory o'er, THE DAMOSEL'S TALE.1 CHAPTER V. A Court Lady.—My Lord Prior departs out of England. THESE few days seemed as so many years to the damosel of Malthorpe. One might have thought that her wish being thus quickly compassed, and all things in train for the coming of her kinswoman, she had now only to rejoice and divert herself. But so far from this, she had never less will to do either-and in effect, for the first three days, thought less concerning the damosel Bradeston, than the deceit she had practised on her lord to gain her company, and the peril wherein she stood of his discovering the truth; for, despite her small knowledge of the world, May Avis had wit enough to tell her, that a gay court-haunting damosel was little likely to pass, in the eyes of the Lord Gilbert, for a simple convent-bred maiden. Nor did John Ashtoft in anywise amend matters, when, in hope to please her, he would discourse by the hour of the sage, well-ordered maiden that should shortly be with them, and the delight she would have in ranging holt and heath with them at her liberty, doubtless for the first time in her life. But on the third even the sky grew thick, and the snow began to fall so heavily, that by the next morning, roofs were heaped, and trees bending under the weight. The household at Malthorpe blessed themselves, and avowed to the peacock the weather would hold for a month to come. John Ashtoft had a hard labour to make his way over from the priory, knee deep in snow-meek Gillian prayed that madam might be safe in such perilous weather-and dame Muriel wished privily, in the ear of Gauchet, that "the old she-fox and her taffeta minion might find soft and lasting lodging in some well-filled pit by the road side." Damosel Avis, on her part, began to doubt if so great a lady as her cousin, might not be over tender to ride in such weather, over thirty miles of rough roads; and her company waxing more precious in her eyes with the fear of losing it, she ceased to grieve for aught else, during ten days that the ways were shut up by the snow, and no tidings were heard of Madam Joyce. Then came a hasty thaw, that made the country as dangerous with the floods; whereupon May Avis fell into utter despair, would neither work nor play, eat nor sleep-but spent all her time at a high turret window, watching for the drying up of the waters. At length there was an end to this last evil; and, as oft befals in the changeful climate of England, there followed on all this bitter cold, a morning of such calm, sunny brightness, that it seemed as if merry May, breaking through the natural course of things, had peeped in with her laughing face to take one short glance at the world before her turn. And truly, sweet May herself wore not a blither mien 1 Continued from vol. xxxiv. p. 441. than did the damosel of Malthorpe, in the hope of seeing her new guest before night. If former days had gone slowly with her, this at least was all too short for her work. First, she ran up and down for hours, bidding the household maidens strew, and shake, and sweep, that all about the house might be in exact order. Next, she wearied the cooks with praying them to devise all manner of dainty dishes for supper; whereat the old wife Muriel grew at last so irate, that her fingers had well-nigh found their road to the damosel's ears. And after she had thus ordered both chambers and feast, like a notable housewife, she lastly set about arraying herself likewise for the meeting-no less to do honour to the guest, than to show her that they of the country parts knew also how to bedeck themselves both richly and gaily. So she made Gillian and her bower-maiden apparel her that time in her newest gown, of cherry-coloured taffeta, cut after the fashion of good Queen Philippa's young days, and fastened down the front, as well as the sleeves, by a row of fair silver studs. She had, moreover, a girdle of blue tissue, enwrought with silver thread, with a silken purse, tasselled and perled with silver, hanging there. by; and on the collar of her gown the brooch that John Ashtoft had given her. For head gear-she made her two handmaidens curl and set her hair, until it stood well nigh on end from her head—and in place of a common black fillet, she would have it gathered into a broidered blue and silver ribband. Then she laced on her high shoes of cordewane leather, called for her last new hood of cherry-coloured satin, lined with pale blue, and bordered with marten's skin-and thus adorned, she went down to the hall, and bade them hasten all matters so as to serve supper that moment the voyagers should arrive. But neither waiting nor watching availed that night. The sun went down-the dainty cheer was spoiled-and when curfew time came, damosel Avis went to her bed supperless and sorrowful, and arose at cockcrowing, hungry and ill at ease, though somewhat comforted to see the sun rise as brightly as it had done the yestermorn. So she quickly set to work to prepare her house and board as on the overnight; after which virtuous and notable fashion she had haply gone on until sun-set again—but that, to the great ease of her household, when it wanted yet an hour to dinner, Gauchet, who had been set to look out, hurried in with tidings that a fair company was even then crossing the common, and turning in at the far end of the road that led between two rows of linden trees to the court-gate. And May Avis, throwing on her hood in a trice, hastened to the porch, which fronted the great gate of the courtyard—all her people following in fair array-to welcome the stranger as beseemed the lady of Malthorpe Manor. Now the first of the whole company that was to be discerned waiting, was old Hodge, the serving man, on his heavy-trotting nag, Scot --both looking sore spent and weary-the man thwacking and shouting, and the beast panting and toiling, as if they were flying for dear life from the face of the pair that followed. Of these last, the foremost was a young damosel, who was so finely and gaily apparelled,-only that her gear was somewhat faded and mismatched in hue-and switched on her small-sized ambler with so |