SOME HORSES OF ROMANCE 277 



these stories from being repeated so frequently 

 came at last to be believed by a mass of the 

 people. 



Thus the tales of Sir Launcelot Graves' adven- 

 tures, and of the acts that were attributed to 

 Sir Launcelot's grotesque " mettlesome sorrel," 

 Bronzomarte, were believed by some actually to 

 be true. 



In point of fact this Sir Launcelot must have 

 been a sort of Don Quixote who in the reign of 

 George II. deemed it his mission to roam about 

 England "redressing wrongs, discouraging moral 

 evils not recognisable by law, degrading im- 

 modesty, punishing ingratitude and reforming 

 society generally." 



Fables were related too of Robert Burns' 

 mare, Jenny Geddes, while the poets also took 

 possession of the palfrey which belonged to 

 Madame Chatelet of Circy the lady with whom 

 Voltaire lived for ten or more years and wove 

 around it, also round its mistress, many romantic 

 but wholly fictitious narratives. 



Its name was Rossignol, and, according to one 

 poet at least, Madame Chatelet fed the creature 

 "on newly picked apricots, gave it milk to drink, 

 and rode with a silken rein." Rossignol is men- 

 tioned also in the history of Voltaire's life. 



The story of Dr Dove's steed that was called 

 Nobbs has the seal of Southey upon it, which may 

 account for the animal's having been dragged into 



