Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/270

 250 Hijiory of Domejiic Manricn his fupper-table two candlefticks of lilver, "very fair and handfome," with wax-candles — Dejor la table ot deus broijjins. Oh il avo'it ciergesj ({""argent^ Molt ejioient bel et gent. — Barbazan, vol. iv. p. Hi. So in the romance of "La Violette," when the count Lifiart arrives at the caftle of duke Gerart, on the approach of bedtime, two men-fervants make their appearance, each carrying a hghted clerge, or wax-candle, and thus they lead him to his chamber — At ant lor -vinrent dot jergant., Chajcuns tenoit j . cerge ardant ; Le come menerent conchier. — La Viulette, p. 30. This, however, appears to have been done as a mark of honour to the gueft, for, even in ducal call:les common candles appear to have been in ordinary ufe. In a bedroom fcene in a fabliau printed by Meon (torn. i. p. 268), in vv'hich the younger ladies of the duke's family and their female attendants flept all in beds in one room, they have but one candle (cliandoile), and that is attached to the wood of the bed of the duke's daughter, fo that it would appear to have had no candleftick. One of the damfels, who was a ftranger, and lefs familiar than the others, was unwilling to take otf' her chemife until the light was extinguiflied, for it mull: be remembered that it was the general cuftom to fleep in bed quite naked, and the daughter of the duke, whofe bedfellow fhe was to be, blew the candle out — Rojcite tantoft la soufa, Slu" a p ejponde ejioit atachle. Blowing out the candle was the ordinary manner of extinguifliing it. In the "Menagier de Paris," or inftruftions for the management of a gen- tleman's houfehold, compiled in the latter half of the fourteenth century, the lady of the houfe is told, after having each night afcertained that the houfe is properly clofed and all the fires covered, to fee all the fervants to bed, and to take care that each had a candle in a " flat-bottomed candle- ftick," at fome diftance from the bed, "and to teach them prudently to extinguilli