Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/143

 and Sentiments. 123 Mufeum (MS. Addit. Nos. 10,292 — 10,294), furnilhes us with one or two rather interefting illuftrations of this lubjed. The romances them- felves were compofed in Anglo-Norman, in the latter half of the twelfth century. The firft cut which we Ihall fele£t from this manufcript is a No. 81. ^n Anglo-Norman Houje complete view of a houfe; it belongs to a chapter entitled Enji que Lancelot ront les fers d'une fenejlre, et fi entre dedens pour gefir avoec la royne. The queen has informed Lancelot that the head of her bed lies near the window of her chamber, and that he may come by night to the window, which is defended by an iron grating, to talk with her, and flie tells him that the wall of the adjacent hall is in one part weak and dilapidated enough to allow of his obtaining an entrance through it 3 but Lancelot prefers breaking open the grating in order to enter diredly into the chamber, to paffing through the hall. The grating of the chamber window appears to have been common in the houfes of the rich and noble ; in the records of the thirteenth century, the grating of the chamber windows of the queen is often mentioned. The window behind Lancelot in our cut is that of the hall, and is diftinguillied by architeftural ornamentation. The ornamental hinges of the door, with the lock and the knocker, are alfo curious. Our next cut (No. 82), taken from this fame manufcript.