Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/259

 and Sentiments 239 The Three Fates. articles of other kinds, but they were extenfively employed in the various proceffes of making the cloth itfelf. Our cut No. 169, taken from a manufcript of about the fame period (MS. Reg. 10 E. iv.), reprefents the procefs of carding the wool ; and the fame manufcript furnifhes us with another cut (No. 170), in which a lady appears in the employment of fpinning it into yarn. Our next cut (No. 171), taken from an illumination in an early French tranflation of the Metamorphofes of Ovid (in the National Library, MS. 6986), reprefents three ladies (intended for the three Fates) employed in thefe domeftic occupations, and will give us a notion of the implements they ufed. Domeftic animals, particularly dogs and birds, ^°- ^7^ were favourite companions of the ladies in their chambers. A favourite falcon had frequently its "perche" in a corner of the chamber; and in the illuminations we fometimes fee the lady feated with the bird on her wrift. Birds in cages are alfo not unfre- quently alluded to through the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In the romance of "La Violette" a tame lark plays rather an important part in the ftory. Our cut No. 172, where we fee two birds in a cage together, and which is curious for the form of the cage, is given by Willemin from a manufcript of the fourteenth century at Paris. The hawk, though ufually kept only for hunting, fometimes became a pet, and perfons carried their hawks on the fift even in focial parties within doors. The jay is fpoken of as a cage-bird. The parrot, under the name of during the middle ages, although, in all probability, it was veiy rare. The favourite talking-bird was the pie, or magpie, which often plays a very remarkable No. 172. Bhd;. Encaged. pnpejay, popinjay, or papingay, is alfo often fpoken of