40 Lionel's Journey to Italy 



tions to ascertain and report to Amedeo the arrival of Lionel at 

 his various stopping-places,^^ and no^ doubt also to invite the 

 nobility of Savoy to the festivities at Court. There must have 

 been brilliant receptions of Lionel at various towns through which 

 he passed,^^ but of these we know nothing in detail. It is cer- 

 tain, however, that all these were surpassed by the gayety and 

 splendor at Ghambery, which, according to Froissart, lasted two 

 days.^^ He it was who, as a spectator and participant, not only 

 characterized these 'revelries of dance, roundelay, and all man- 

 ner of game' in his prose,^'* but has left us a detailed account 

 of them in his Prison Amour cnsc:'"'' There were present a hun- 



'' Cordey. p. i86. 



^"Froissart, above, p. 31. 



'"Above, p. 31. If Lionel arrived at Chambery on Friday, May 12, 

 then the feasting must have occupied Saturday and Sunday, the 13th 

 and 14th, leaving him free to depart on Monday, the iSth. But as 

 Froissart elsewhere says {Prison Amoiireuse 384) three days, this is 

 perhaps quite as likely, in which case we may assume that the days so 

 spent were Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 12-14. Holinshed 

 {Chronicles, London, 1807-8, 2. 685-6), following, or mistranslating, a text 

 of Froissart, even says, 'there he remained f oure dales' ; but this may be 

 meant to include the day of arrival or departure, or both. 



^* See above, p. 31. 



"I subjoin lines 354-423 {Poesies, ed. Scheler i. 221-4), though only 

 lines 364*^-41 1 (?) refer to the festivities at Chambery: 



La estoient li menestrel. 

 Qui s'aquitoient bien et bel 

 A piper, et tout de nouvel, 

 Bones danses teles qu'il sceurent. 

 Et si trestost que cesse eurent 

 Les estampies qu'il batoient, 

 Chil et chelles qui s'esbatoient 

 Au danser, sans gaires atendre, 

 Commenchierent leurs mains a tendre 

 Pour caroler. La me souvint 

 D'un tamps passe: ja il avint 

 En Savoie, en le court dou conte, 

 De qui on doit bien faire compte, 

 Car il est nobles et vaillans, 

 D'onneur faire aigres et taillans, 

 Celle grasce li portent tuit. 

 L'an mil CCC sissante et uit 

 Fu que passa parmi sa terre 



