Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/347

 and Sejitiments. 327 century (MS. Reg. lo E. iv.), a traveller is taking his repofe under a tree, — it is, perhaps, intended to be underllood that he is pafling the night in a wood, — while he is plundered by robbers, who are here jokingly reprefented in the forms of monkeys. While one is emptying his " male" or box, the other is carrying off his girdle, with the large pouch attached to it, in which, no doubt, the traveller carried his money, and perhaps his eatables. The infecurity of the roads in the middle ages was, indeed, very great, for not only were the forells tilled with bands of out- laws, who ftripped all who fell into their hands, but the knights and landed gentry, and even noblemen, took to the highways not unfrequently, and robbed unfcrupuloully. Moreover, they built their caftles near difficult pafles, or by a river where there was a bridge or ford, and where, there- fore, they commanded it, and there they levied arbitrary taxes on all who paffed, and, on the Ihghteft attempt at refiftance, plundered the traveller of his property, and put him to death or threw him into their dungeons. Incidents of this kind are common in the mediaeval romances and ilories. Piers de Bruville, in the hiftory of Fulke Fitz-Warine, may be mentioned as an example of this clafs of marauders. "At that time," fiys the llory, " there was a knight in the country who was called Piers de Bruville. This Piers ufed to coUeft all the fons of gentlemen of the country who were wild, and other ribald people, and ufed to go about the country, and Hew and robbed loyal people, merchants, and others." In the fabliau of the " Chevalier au Barizel," ^'e are told of a great baron who iffued con- tinually from his ftrong caftle to plunder the country around. "He watched lb clofely the roads, that he Hew all the pilgrims, and plundered the merchants 5 many of them he brought to milhap. He fpared neither clergy nor monk, reclufe, hermit, or canon ; and the nuns and lay-fifters he caufed to live in open fliame, when he had them in his power 5 and he fpared neither dames nor maids, of whatever rank or clafs, whether poor or rich, or well educated or fimple, but he put them all to open Ihame" (Barbazan, i. 209). The roads, in the middle ages, appear alfo to have been infelled with beggars of all defcriptions, many of whom were cripples, and perfons mutilated in the moft revolting manner, the refult of feudal wantonnels, and