ON ANCIENT CASKKTS OF IVORY AND WOOD. 233 



dress. Next is a joust, the combatants in which have those 

 hirge fanciful sleeves, of Lombard fashion, which pervaded 

 the period. The immense spurs, with rowels so dispropor- 

 tionate, are characteristics of the time, as are the jousting 

 helmets. The long bow is introduced in the next compart- 

 ment, as used in the chase. Hunting with staff and horn is 

 the subject of the last compartment. Thus, these caskets 

 were to contain money, jewels, and valuable trinkets. In 

 the second cut to Godfrey de Boulogne, or, rather, the Che- 

 valier au Cygne, Edit. 1511, the waiting-maid of the queen 

 follows her to her wedding with one probably containing 

 marriage presents. 



The great interest, however, which they possess, is derived 

 from the sculptures with which they are covered. Those 

 which ornamented the toilette caskets were taken from the 

 fabliaux and romances that formed the literature of genteel 

 society at that period, or from the tournaments and other 

 sports which produced amusement. The marriage-present 

 boxes had the general circumstances attendant on courtship 

 and matrimony, and on boxes for religious purposes were 

 incidents in the life of Christ, or the legends of saints. Of 

 the first and second only will it be requisite to give particular 

 descriptions. 



I. A lady's casket of ivory, the top wanting. Subject, the 

 Romance of Sir Tristrem, of the time of Edward I. On one 

 side the adventure with the two palmers. See stanzas xxxix 

 and Liv of Sir Walter Scott's edition. On the front Sir 

 Tristrem conveying the princess Iseult, attended by her maid 

 Brengwain and an old woman, in a boat from Ireland to 

 Cornwall, where the love-potion intended to be given to king 

 Marc and Iseult on their marriage is fatally administered 

 to Sir Tristrem and the lady, occasioning their mutual affec- 

 tion. Then the incident of this knight letting the lady fall. 

 After that the arrival of the partjr, and the introduction of 

 Iseult to the king. On the other side, the queen placing her 

 maid in bed with the king, and going off with Tristrem. On 

 the back, Sir Tristrem and the que^n in bed together. Next, 

 a palmer carrying Iseult on his back through the water, 

 accompanied by Sir Tristrem, and, lastly, the queen on her 

 knees in the presence of king Marc, taking the deceptive 

 oath. This romance, like those of Arthur and Gwenever, Sir 

 Lancelot, &c., was fabricated in Bretagne, from the ancient 

 Druidic Mabinogion, or tales for noviciates in the mysteries 

 of the Bardic religion. The names in it are pure ancient 

 Welsh I Tristrem signifies herald or proclaimer, Iseult specta- 



