Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/274

 254 Hijiory of Domejiic Mai^ners was a wick fwinging in oil in a bafin. Our cut No. i8o^ taken from a manufcript of the fourteenth century in the Britilh Mufeum (MS. Harl, No. 1227), reprefents a row of lamps of rather curious form, made to be fufpended. In our next cut (No. 181), from a manufcript of the fame Mcdiaval Lamps. date (MS. Reg. 2 B. vii.), we have lamps of a fomewhat fimilar form, made to be carried in the hand. Torches were ufed at greater feftivals, and for occafions where it was neceffary to give light to very large halls full of company. They were rying Lamps ufually held in the hand by fervants, but were fometimes placed againft the wall in holds made to receiv^e them. Torches were not unfrequently ufed to give light to the chamber alfo. In one of the ftories of the " Seven Sages," a man, bringing a perfon in fecret to the king's chamber, " blewe