love's MEIJSriE. S3 



our and endearment connected with him, and with the 

 general idea of redness, — from the bishop called " Ih-ight 

 Hed Fame," who founded the first great Cln-istian church 

 on the Ivhine, (I am afraid of your thinking I mean a 

 pun, in connection with robins, if I tell you the locality 

 of it,) down through the Hoods, and Roys, and Grays, to 

 Robin Goodfellow, and Spenser's " Ilobbinol," and our 

 modern '' Hob," — joining on to the " goblin," which comes 

 from the old Greek K6/3a\o<i. But I cannot let you go 

 witliout asking you to compare the English and French 

 feeling about small birds, in Chaucer's time, with our owu 

 on the same subject. I say English and French, because 

 the original French of the Romance of the Rose shows 

 more affection for birds than even Chaucer's translation, 

 passionate as he is, always, in love for any one of his little 

 winged brotliers or sisters. Look, however, either in the 

 French or English, at the description of the coming of 

 the God of Love, leading his carol-dance, in the garden of 

 the Rose. 



His dress is embroidered with figures of flowers and of 

 beasts ; but about him fly the living bii'ds. The French 

 is : 



II etoit tout convert d'oisiaulx 

 De rossignols et de papegaux 

 De calendre. et de mesangel. 

 11 semblait que ce fut une angle 

 Qui f uz tout droit venuz du ciel 



36. There are several points of philology in this transi- 

 tional French, and in Chaucer's translation, which it is 



