Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/199

 and Sentiments. 179 The monk was not (killed in linging, but he replied boldly, " Know I one ? Yea ! of Agoulant, and Aymon, or of Blonchadin, or of Florence of Rome (thefe were all early metrical romances) ; there is not a fong in the whole world but I know it. I lliould be delighted, no doubt, to afford you amufementj but, in truth, the fea frightens me fo much at prefent, that I could not fing a fong worth hearing." He was allowed to pafs. Some of thofe who adopted the difguife of the jongleur were better able to fuftain it, and mlnftrelfy became conlidered as a polite accomplilhment, perhaps partly on account of its utility. There is, in the hiftory of the Fitz-Warines, a remarkable chara6ter of this defcription named John de Raunpaygne. Fulke Fitz-Warine had formed a defign againft his great enemy, Moris Fitz-Roger, and he ellabliflied himfelf, with his fellow outlaws, in the foreft near Whittington, in Shroplhire, to watch him. Fulke then called to him John de Raunpaygne. "John," faid he, "you know enough of minftrelfy and joglery; dare you go to Whittington, and play before Moris Fitz-Roger, and fpy how things are going on?" "Yea," fiid John. He crullied a herb, and put it in his mouth, and his face began immediately to fwell, and became fo dif- coloured, that his own companions hardly knew him 3 and he dreffed himfelf in poor clothes, and " took his box with his inftruments of joglery and a great ftatf in his hand 5" and thus he went to Whittington, and prefented himfelf at the caftle, and faid that he was a jogeleur. The porter carried him to Sir Moris, who received him well, inquired in the firll place for news, and receiving intelligence which pleafed him (it was defignedly falfe), he gave the minftrel a valuable filver cup as a reward. Now, " John de Raunpaygne was very ill-favoured in face and body, and on this account the ribalds of the houfehold made game of him, and treated him roughly, and pulled him by his hair and by his feet. John raifed his flatf, and ftruck a ribald on the head, that his brain flew into the middle of the place. 'Wretched ribald,' faid the lord, 'what haft thou done?' ' Sir,' faid he, 'for God's mercy, I cannot help it 5 I have a difeafe which is very grievous, which you may fee by my fwoUen face. And this difeafe takes entire polTeflion of me at certain hours of the day, when I have no power to govern myfelf.' Moris fwore a great oath, that