AN IDYL OF PROVENCE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1580, 19 August 1882, Page 5

AN IDYL OF PROVENCE.

PfiltHAl'.s you do not remember the details of the charming story of " Pierre ' de Provence ot.de la Belle MaguolonneF" 1 It was a favorite history^ in the Twelfth' century. This romance was turned into verse in 1178 by Barnard do Ti'ivies, r canon of Maguelonne, and it is slid that' it was one' of the first books that Pe't'rar6h read when he came to Avignon, and that* he attempted to perfect it. The story is, 'in brief, this : Pierro was the son of Jean de" Provence and hii lovely wife, the daughter of Don Alyares, Count of Barcelona. He had considerable fortnno, and tho right to reign sovereign of the CotnUl, but he preferred peace to glory, and did not dispute the title with his usurping brother, but lived with more content at t Cavailbu, with his beautiful and virtuous wife, than if ho had possessed the empire of the world. There was their only child. He was Jmost carefully educated, trained to all exercises in arms as well as letters ; modest, virtuou.«, handsome. None could ,excel him in the pastimes of chivalry ; he could turn a neater verse than the professional troubadours, and he unhorsed and conquered all the knights that came from all Europe to his father's tournamGufcs. Before he was of ago ho had the renown of an unconquerable knight. Attractive as he was in person, he was a stranger to the passion of love, and loved then, and all his life, virtue more than gallantry. • One' day, at his father's table, some gallant knights whom ho had overthrown in the lists, spoke much of the court of the King of Naples, and of the exquisite beauty of Maguelonne, the daughter of the King, fierre was suddenly inflamed with tho desire of seeing her, and playing a knight's part in tho tourneys of such a court. With difficulty he obtained permission of his parents to go in search of adventures. When he departed, his inconsolable mother pr< A Ben • ted him with three precious rings. With a small following of seivants, he reached Naple«, where he took retired lodgings and remained unknown. At the fi^t proclamation of the tournament he entered the lists as a nameless knight. Needless to say, that he overturned everybody who opposed himl He saw la belle Maguelonne, and was ravished with her beauty ard her sweetness. She, on her part, was equally enamored of him. He was .signally honored by the Kin«r, and invited to a banquet at the palace. There he exchanged vroids with the idol of his eyes, who was most gracious to the young knight. But he refused all solicitations to disclose his name and rank. Tournament followed tournament. He was always victorious, and was advanced more and more in the favor of the King and Queen. But the new-;felt passion of love tormented him. It tormented also the fair Maguelonne, who had never felt it'before. And with a fre«h and sweet sincerity, which cannot be too much commended, bhe sent him word by her maid of hpr sta^of mind. The maid arranged an interview in her apartment in the palace^ -The two lovers, whose love was as jsrp* < a&,ei?o\r, vowed never to love or marry '"'other' man or woman. On her ontfea{y, Jil ,he di«closed his name. But there" were political reasons why he could riot F a'Sk her Hand of her father. It is .^tfrious to note, in a story of that age, th'Sl'she did not care for, rank ; birth, she ii^d, was only an accident, and she wished she 'had been a simple peasant girl, only then she would have liked him', to have 'liv%d'on the next farm,' so that' they tiofild have married without leave of anyja'qdy. CjOVstacles to their union were many ; she Reared that some .day ■ , Jier^father would Compel her to accept' for f fier husband a /disagreeable knight whom she hated. The lovers;took 4 the*,bold ,resplve;of escaping together. Taking/ her.; personal jewels they sallied forth at night on horseback, Jw.itLa-feiw^aithfu^attendants,, -At d<jwn. they ,'stqppedjn a lonely wpodby she sea-,' shore.tp ropbse.j.'lThe tired, .girl, trusting always 4 to the. JHqn^rj of , her., pure ,-jfove^, slept reclining mjhHar^s^^As ,she slept^ a litjl^, jvooden, J ftox, { whibb,^conteiiied; the f gj| t e^her/^pp'cd y fsoin, / ,hißr^.ppp^et.i.f|Ai sga,birjb f seeing,.;^ sw,o?;ped t dp^n .aiyi, |^ pn^^ieire, .j,f blding^his gloak f f or ftMil)urd^w^ip^qronp.eo^tfie|^9x^n.^tne,j

MLM ft, «%% ftfr^tegf ifIPT, beoamea.greatfifaTontiiri^i nd give .him his daughter, jjnetwi was ( riot his, religion jfcOj t >j«ye fnoi?e( pc wife, and that he bftrothw| jr. The'-Sultajn thoujutht the mcwre, roe better. M ,ile , at tjempted ( cp ,oom« t $>aM|£e» but Pierre , resist ed'wl-jfck* eatß of the dervishes and .all thf f smn'ents of ' , £h© ■seducing. jOd«lU» ; ques. 'At last, after /eight; yeajra of captivity, the Sultan.gavejPierrttjhia, liberty^ embarked him on a vessel ( bound to Ifn> r vence, and enriched him, wjth Jojid» je\vels,,and fine. stuffs, .which for, s^unfer ! were' placed in fourteen, barrela^povejcedj. ! with salt at each end. ,r>* J{ "; i v ;., ,.j u ,<► 1 The y.essel stopped' for w.aterj at^littl^ ; island, Pierre wandered ashore 'andjnui, jleft^while the MHjsaj^jSMi^.^/, chance came, Aim^E^h.Hi^Lm the barrels of palt at frl^l^a ht^ i^md near -by, in cIimPMTO, itfho stored them, %^T}..ha^pg j thiit"l;hey' were iho. property, of a^PM' ]senge«leftbehind. thiji passenger,. ifor,,siome reason, ,sl^e ,took;9n,i^]!iS 0 , ma }P'*' •interest. Pierre, 'after, 'as 5^ v i^ n r 'tuns as ' 'Ulysses,'^,^cmne at Jiwfcjiiniself. 'to Ai'gnes-Mor^pgicJlT awltl^lPJP I'..*ll^'1 '..* 11^' ■souglitp the shelter^ of - thg^os^itia;,., ,qyer . jwhichjgresided a charji]c|^g'yo«[g.g§.^Reno]r, 'wlip always wore her, yeUj jwho^e^wne v?»& , and who &$%, kaCwn^.byh^, chanty, a^dher.lgjPigg, tendetx |spiVit"tb % alil;h'eunfQflb3inate. iir .^* „ „ , ', , The story of Maguelpjine, after,|^raban-, ; donmeriti, is equally rgmajitig^ .Bliejdared, |npt gojb"ack.iio Nagl^fgV fear Q^i^piving,, Jher attendants in dijre punjshjp^^k, i I^ti 'st'ead,"sheinade a' pilgrimage. to Rome.in , company with an honest andloyely family,' iwho were going there to get actispensation - jfrpin the P-ppejipii tti§ maier^jfigeyftf .their* daughter to hep,cousp. r From Rome she., sought Provence, the country of her ,lover.' There she found that the story of her,, flight was known, and, froni what sh,« heard of the anger of , ,his , parents, against her she did not daro to present herself to them. ,She >\entto t the little near Aignes Mortes, atu] founded a hospital for pilgrims. . Her renown soon^spread. Among those whoge came to, sc^e her were Count Jean and Isabella^, his wife. They , learned to love her for herself ;and, finally, she disclosed ■ to them her name, ,aud all her faithful love, and , hope. , She believed , that Pierre had been captured, by Mos-. lems, and that spine day h» would; return. One day a fisherman brought to . the chateau, at Cavillion a,fine tiirjjqtand pre* sentecl it to the Countess Isabellw,', What was hor su prise -on , opening ;itto , .find within a small wooden >r which/ contained the three trmgs she^ had given to Pierre. This was, proof to,i the parent . that Pierre \v,ajs de^d.^land^lney had per-^. formed funeral services accordingly. TJut j\laguelonne ,wonld.,not accept,, this »a, , proof of his loss, and still waited/ for him. In the hospital, <Pien'e, who was very . weak, was tenderlyi- nursed by the veiled. Superior, who, however,' did! not dare to disclose herself for fear of! the effects of sudden joy iv his exhausted coudition. He told her his sad' stopy. At' length, when he was a little, recovered /she told' him th it Maguelonne lived, that sheknew«; her well ; and one day she brought Pierre t_ a letter w litten in Maguclonne's 1 own hand, which he recognised. When 'she feigned < necessity of three days absence on'hcr part , she invited Pierre to supper iv her apart* ments. What was his astonishment to. see there his father and his mother, and Maguclonue herself, in- all her radiant sweetness. Does not all the world know that they were man ied immediately, and that they succeeded to.the throne of Naples; probably the happiest King and Queeii'who ever sat upon it,' or on any throne, and that thoir only, sou united on his head the crown of Naples and tliat of the Counts of Province ? It is needless to say that the fourteen • btifrels of salt were not forgotten at the wedding. When I stood outside the walls of Aigues-Mortes that' night, toward the setting of the sun, the washerwomen of tliGcity were 'gathering their, clothes from the lines stretched on stakes driven into the sand. Children were playing around their mothers by theedge of the salt and tideless water. Under the high walls, in the full play of the generous sun, sat on the gravel a few old men, apparently contented in idleness and rags. Over the rosy water and the gray marsh, and under a sky blazing with broken clouds of orange, and pink, ami green, I fancied I could see the nappy island and hospital walls where the constant Pierre was nursed back to , life by la belle Maguc* lonnc. Perhaps they were only in the sky. — Exchange.

The Marquis of Lome has been presented with an address for transmission to the Queen, signed by 50,000 Canadian women, congvatv\lat\«g Her Majesty upon her escape from assassination.

A New Use forßuijbkr Stamps.— The following invention is credited to aßridgeport Yankee, its object being to prevent markettnen from palming off old eggs lor fresh ones : —"The inventor proposes to arrange a rubber stamp in the nest of every lien, with a moveable date. ■ This • stamp is arranged with a pad 1 that as saturated in indelible ink. When the hen lays an egg, as is well known;' she kicks slightly with her hind leg The electric disc is arranged so that her foot revolves, stamping the date oil the egsj. The hen then goes off on her business, tale farmer's girl removes the egg and replaces the stamp, which is then ready for another. On eacli evening, after the hens have retired to>their drowsy roost with the roosters, the date of the stamp is altered for the 'next day, and the work 1 goes on. In 1 this > way there can be no cheating. You may go to the grocer' ai^l • ask for'fresh'eggs, 1 and the grocer tells you he has dome eggs of the vintage of May 301' fy, 1882, for" instance. You look" at theifi^ " and there are'the figures,' \vhich camt<»N|i The new pure cash' system now, beifsj|j|! nitiuted by G. and C, will crtaih^ly* pro fvM a beiiefit! to the public. • It' has be^n^i I's great success: in iind, ilclbou^r^ and, when, strictly carrjed, out the ,cust#j}*£ri^ who' buys at an, establishment? where'%'fi>W& goods arc mai-lccdlow'toensiirca ra'pTO siale'mustix i be aier«iit gainer."' f_G. and G. sell their drapery, * millincrj;, and.clothinfj at such prices; for cash ata ■ , give* the bujjei^the, aclvanta^H's of a Shareholder t, in a co-opprativo iocieiy, without the risk of being/ called upon to bear si portibii*off the loss should the , jear's business^ •prove -* v urts;)(iisfjiqtpnr.j' <Garlick^c-, and .Cranwcjr,yjitl aim ttf .retain* the confidence f£< VrtiicK the pii>lic lhave u hitli&U'WoWlJjSnV, hnSi J£? are detcrmiHed id 1 * (five* ftfcttfiite cash«iysHrfar &„ faintrui) j'jnfh'ettfir- thejrg'ainW'lose'tJie Rrat'A6xr^ jfC Country buyers.on rcmittinkrasb wUhpi^c^Ul^*!! "be suppluia vntn goods at ci> T opcratvc<pri?es;;* "iust'ilie.s&me'as tnougKlhc-v jnade apersonalse-'<ffl leqtiAtt-'i' flopr^jqjotftsjvjjjedttqads; b9/?djnij u,and'gctorsrt.iiß i JiOMevfctmkjfi^( flJ<?, )ajges port ion; $i*]"s&&X tterfleufeurat burWrt facWtry, wiljpe marked at-jlB 'tHe[lfl^tVchiunolatiV6tiriSb3^aftdaaiXcblint'of^ Mafiei 'qentJXtiHibjs^irp^ml I'^^^fl^^^H %aSh^le;ltTO^r^n#^k'tjt|xiw^MJ^feQ^H