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same voice, for Berinus thought he knew him. "Come and save the honour of your father and of yourself." "You, my father?" The son of Berinus could say no more; he remained quite powerless and leaned against the tower wall. "My son," cried the unhappy man, summon up your courage-lose no time, for we need it all." Then Aigres made an attempt to enter through the opening, but his father informed him of the trap into which he had himself fallen, and of the impossibility of his being extricated. Aigres exhausted his strength in fruitless efforts to draw his father out, and more than once he thought of giving himself to death. 66 It is my duty to die," said Berinus to him. "Listen: I exact of you the most solemn oath that you obey my last behest." "But, father!" "I exact it; hesitate no longer." Aigres, completely bewildered, repeated the oath, feeling a secret horror in so doing. Then Berinus recounted to him the whole particulars of this dire mishap; what Silvain had long done for him, and what he had now unfortunately attempted to do for the first time. Each word of the recital caused the generous young Aigres to tremble. "Now, my son," continued Berinus, "by the oath you have taken, I order you to cut off my head." "Who? I, your executioner!" cried the wretched youth-"I, the executioner of my father!" "Do you not see that a real executioner is seeking my life?" said Berinus. "I shall be the talk and horror of the whole city, and Cleopatra, Romaine, and yourself must share in my disgrace. All is saved by this act of courage; all is lost without it." "No, no!” cried Aigres, "I will never consent to the atrocious murder of my father." "You have become so in not obeying me," replied Berinus in an angry tone, "and moreover you murder your mother and sister. Remember, perhaps in a moment it may be too late-hush! do you not hear a noise? Some one is coming to the tower—the door is openingah, my son, will you kill us all?" Aigres, roused to madness, fancied that he also heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He was no longer himself-hesitated no longer-but drawing his sword Pleure Sang, with one blow struck off the head of his father, wrapped it in his cloak, and hastening from the fatal spot, went and buried it in a neighbouring wood.

Day had scarcely dawned when the emperor and the treasurer entered the tower. Seeing a body in the vat, they eagerly drew near, but what was their astonishment and chagrin when they found it headless. The emperor was furious. He caused the mutilated body to be borne into a room in the palace. The barons and the sages were called to examine the affair, but it seemed mysterious to one and all. The corpse was then carried to the gibbet outside the city, where it was guarded by forty mounted knights and a large number of men on foot. This great assembly, however, did not terrify Aigres de l'Aimant, who resolved to bear off his father's body from the midst of all the armed guard. In order to effect this, it was essential that he should be unknown; he therefore put on strange armour, a shield without any device, lowered the

visor of his helmet, and at dawn attacked the guard with irresistible courage, put them to flight, and carried away the corpse committed to their care.

Philip caused strict search to be made to discover the author of such an outrage. The sages were again consulted, but without success. At last one of the guards whom Aigres had forced to flee before him declared to Philip that he had heard the strange knight pronounce, whilst furiously thrusting at them, the name of the Princess Nullie. As the knights of that time always called upon the lady of their love, in order to inspire them to doughty deeds, the emperor merely learned from this that the crime had been committed by one of the lovers of his daughter. And no advantage was derived by one of the sages, when he suggested the following device, which pleased Philip, though it seemed rather strange. He said: "Since the robber of the headless body is in love with the Princess Nullie, I advise that all the barons and lords of high degree be assembled to supper; afterwards order them to lie down in the great hall, each on a bed of his own, and place in the centre that of Princess Nullie. Now he who is not in love will fall asleep, but he who is in love will keep awake, and will not fail to visit the princess, who must take care to mark his forehead with her thumb, previously steeped in a black liquid, which all efforts of the gallant cannot obliterate. Forget not," added the sage counsellor, "that the room must be perfectly dark.”

The emperor adopted this advice from anger; Nullie yielded to the plan from filial obedience. The barons were astounded that the princess was to sleep in the same room with themselves, and no one approach her under pain of death. All, save Aigres, fell asleep. He drew near the bed of the princess and mutely kissed her hand. Nullie, not knowing that it was Aigres, pressed her thumb upon his brow. The young knight took this imposition of her hand for a favour; he flattered himself that he had been recognized, and showed by the most loving words all his gratitude to the princess. She knew him by his voice and fell in despair. "Alas!" said she, "give me no thanks: I have killed you unawares! I have given you over to death! I will never survive it!” How flattering to the amorous knight was Nullie's grief. He thought his life no penalty for this proof of her affection, and he dared to ask for yet another. She could not refuse a lover who was doomed to die, and he obtained.Love's gift. Afterwards, profiting by the sleep of the barons, Aigres drew near in succession to each bed, and put on every brow a mark like his own.2 He then returned to his own bed and fell asleep.

1

1 "Le don d'amoureuse merci" are the words of the writer of the Extrait, who slyly remarks: "We do not know whether the wary sage, if he had foreseen this incident, would have thought it his duty to forewarn the emperor."

2 This device occurs in many tales besides most of the numerous versions of the Robbery of the King's Treasury, and we find something similar in "La Mort de Tong-chao," one of the Nouvelles Chinoises translated by M. Stanislas Julien, 1860.

Great was the astonishment of the emperor when he saw, on entering the hall in the morning, all his barons and knights marked alike on the forehead. He asked his daughter in an angry tone whether they were all guilty, but she stubbornly kept silent and was shut up in her chamber. Cursing the sage who had given him such an absurd advice, he had recourse to the other sages, but they seemed as perplexed as himself. At this juncture, Geoffrey arrived at court from Constantinople, where some special affair had required his presence. He knew nothing of the robbery of the treasury and its results. The emperor told him all,1 as well as of the trial made by the Princess Nullie. Geoffrey caused all who wore the black mark to assemble, examined them, and said to the emperor that he would point out the guilty one if he would grant him a boon. This Philip solemnly promised, and Geoffrey, pleased to mortify the sages once more, looked at them with a sarcastic smile as he said to the emperor: "The knight who has the smallest mark is the guilty one;-all the marks of his companions have been made by the thumb of a man." It was then found that Aigres alone bore the impress of the thumb of Princess Nullie. The latter was in despair; Aigres expected nothing but death. Geoffrey, however, reminded Philip of his oath, and asked the life of the guilty one. His fault did not appear so great to the barons as to the emperor, and they joined with Geoffrey to obtain his pardon. Philip granted it on condition that Aigres de l'Aimant should leave Rome. He only did so after secretly obtaining the troth of the princess;-the emperor little thought that in exiling the young knight he was banishing his own son-in-law! And when Philip died, Nullie, recalling her own husband, raised him to the throne. His banishment had been nothing but a succession of glories and triumphs; his return to Rome prepared him for new laurels. He re-established his mother on the throne of Blandie; went and conquered Constantinople for Prince Orlas, who was the friend of the good Geoffrey, and who married his sister Romaine. After so many adventures there remained for the son of Berinus only to live in happiness and peace; this double advantage he enjoyed, and it was a source of great felicity to his subjects.3

1 That is to say, all he knew.

2 After conquering Constantinople for Geoffrey's friend, Aigres sails, with more than 20,000 men, for the Holy Land. They remain at Acre 26 weeks, during which period they make divers raids on the Saracens, and by their prowess so beset them that they dare not go out of their fortress. When the gallant Aigres has done his duty against the paynims, he goes to the Holy Sepulchre, where he offers up prayers and orisons, and makes rich presents-all for the purpose of doing penance for having caused his father's death (ch. cliv.).

3 In the last chapter but one of the original, Geoffrey dies in the odour of sanctity, is buried near Berinus, and the emperor Aigres erects a magnificent church over their remains.

Mr. Vipan, in concluding the interesting extracts and notes with which he has favoured me, makes the following observations: "There is one great difference between the French and English versions. The latter, though very amusing, is

Thus ends the Romance of Berinus, in the second part of which, we have seen, his gallant son is the most conspicuous figure. In the account of the robbery of the treasury there are several important differences between Dixmerie's extrait and the romance in the British Museum: (1) According to the extrait, after the death of Silvain, Berinus went but once to the treasury and lost his life; while in the romance (ch. lxxiii.) he goes often and takes as much treasure as he requires, and leads that kind of life for a long time. (2) In the extrait Berinus goes to the tower without the knowledge of his son, and it is only by chance that Aigres comes across him. In the romance, when Berinus hears that the robbery of the treasury is discovered, he determines to go once more, and take his son with him, in order to remove a greater quantity of the treasure than usual, as he fears that precautions will be taken before long to prevent his entrance into the tower. Aigres steadily refuses to go, and tries to dissuade his father from his purpose. However, that night, finding he is gone, he follows and discovers him in the tub of glue. (3) In the extrait, Aigres attempts to enter through the opening; while in the romance he does enter, his father having first given him directions so that he may avoid falling into the tub. (4) In the extrait, Berinus exacts from his son a solemn oath that he will obey his behest. In the romance Berinus says: "Sweetest son, now cease your sorrow, for you can gain nothing thereby. But bethink you of your own safety, and of putting me out of this grief; for if you will do as I counsel, soon will you have relieved me of my trouble. For God's sake, fair son, hasten you, for the night is quickly gone." "Dear father, God-a-mercy, tell me," said Aigres, "and I will do it hardly edifying. Beryn is at first utterly worthless; mends a little, but shows no kind of merit; at last, however, he is dismissed to high station and happiness. In the French version, on the contrary, I think the author intended to be highly edifying: Berinus, badly brought up, after a short period of decent behaviour, falls again into error, turns robber, and comes to a wretched end. Aigres, on the other hand, who on many occasions shows a spirit of most generous self-abnegation, after many trials is dismissed to happiness. His two faults, the cutting off the head of Berinus and the affair with Nullie, the author probably thought excused, or partly so, considering the most extraordinary circumstances under which they were committed; besides, he suffers from long persecution on account of them. I think in every case vice is severely punished in the French romance."

It seems to me that the author's design in causing Berinus to fall into such a depth of unworthiness was to exhibit the evils that result from ignorance, which Shakspeare terms "the curse of God." The English versifier of the first part of the romance does not appear to have had any particular moral in view, although the Merchant in the prologue (p. 24, 1. 725) says to his fellow-pilgrims that he will tell a tale" in ensaumpill" to them. Beryn, even in his early boyhood, is lewd and dissipated, mischievous and cruel, in consequence of the over-indulgence of his doting parents; and in manhood, when he falls into the toils of the knaves of Falsetown, he shows no force of character-in fact, he is throughout (in the English tale) an arrant poltroon; yet, by no merit or action of his own, he not only comes out of his law troubles a considerable gainer, but is amply compensated for the loss of his heritage by becoming the son-in-law of the good duke Isope. If there be any "moral" in this tale, it must be that the unworthy and profligate are the favourites of Fortune! We see, however, in the sequel, according to the complete story, that Beryn's prosperity was only temporary, and that at last he perished miserably.

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most willingly." Berinus then tells him to take enough treasure to keep himself from want all his life. Aigres says he will first set him at liberty. Berinus declares that he will never leave the place until his son has complied with his request. Aigres accordingly takes a large quantity of treasure home and returns. (The author is careful to inform us that Aigres did not do this from covetousness of wealth, but solely to obey his father's command.) On his return to the tower Berinus orders him to cut off his head. Aigres expostulates through a whole chapter (cxix.). At last his father proves to him that much will be gained by his doing it, and nothing will be lost; while if he (Berinus) does not die at once he will perish under frightful tortures. On this Aigres falls on his knees before his father, and begs him to pardon him for causing his death. The father answers that he pardons him, and gives him his blessing. Then Aigres rises and goes to kiss his father, weeping very copiously." Then Berinus confesses all his sins to God, and prays for God's mercy, recommending to God his soul, his wife, and his daughter. After this he says to Aigres: "Now quickly, my son, despatch thee-promptly end my sorrow; let me languish no longer." On this Aigres draws his sword and cuts off his head.1 (5) In the extrait, Aigres recovers his father's body by boldly attacking the guards single-handed and causing them to fly for their lives; while in the romance he paints his horse on one side yellow, on the other blue, he covers his armour with a white robe, one side of which he stains with a vermilion dye, leaving the other of its proper colour, and round his horse's neck he hangs a number of bells-the guards take him for a goblin and make off at full speed. (6) In the extrait the device, to discover the person who stole the body, of causing the knights to sleep in the same chamber with the Princess Nullie, is suggested by one of the seven sages; but in the romance the emperor consults an enchanter, who raises a demon, and it is the demon who devises the stratagem. The demon tells him to order the knights not to approach the bed of Nullie under penalty of "the rope": the one who stole the body is of "such wondrous boldness" that he will disobey the order, and being marked on the forehead will be detected next morning.

M. de la Dixmerie, at the end of his extrait, remarks that "this unique, foolish, and ridiculous story of the treasury of the emperor Philip,” with almost all the details, is found in the novels of Ser Giovanni Fiorentina, П Pecorone, Day ix., nov. 1, whence it was taken. He omits to state that the original is given in Herodotus (Euterpe, 121), where it is the treasury of Rhampsinitus, king of Egypt, that is robbed by the two sons of the architect who erected the buildings, and purposely left a stone uncemented. The same story had been current in Europe long before the time of the Italian novelist, being found in the earliest written version

1 M. de la Dixmerie has worked up this incident into a quite "thrilling" scene, albeit in the original it is told very effectively.