THE PEDIGREE OF THE FANCY. 33 



accord on the children's fingers or heads of the 

 young girls. 



We learn from " The History of Hainaut," 

 by Jacques de Guyse, who lived in the fourteenth 

 century, that on the coronation of King Arthur 

 of England four kings walked before him, each 

 holding a sword of gold ; whilst before the Queen 

 walked four more kings, each carrying a white 

 Pigeon, "according to custom." A similar custom 

 prevailed in France. During the coronation of 

 the French kings in the cathedral of Rheims a 

 number of white Pigeons were liberated within 

 the sacred fane. This custom continued down 

 to the coronation of Charles X. White birds 

 were esteemed a happy omen. 



The semi-savage Hungarians of the tenth cen- 

 tury dreaded Pigeons, as the following interesting 

 story shows : A band of these barbarous war- 

 riors, intent on plunder, approached the Abbey of 

 Lobbes. The monks shut themselves up with 

 the villagers in the Church of St. Mary, which 

 they fortified, resolving to defend themselves 

 valiantly. Vain efforts ! The besieged were 

 overwhelmed by numbers, and had already began 

 to embrace, having no other hope before them 

 than death or captivity, when all at once by 

 some special grace of the Divine goodness two 



c 



