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 xx over flower-besprinkled meadows beside a river, basting his sleeves with a bodkin as he goes.

When he has traversed some distance, he perceives before him a spacious garden en­closed by high embattled walls, whereon, as he comes anigh, he beholds, painted in bright colours illumined with gold, ten hideous figures, which represent respectively: Hatred, Felony, Villainy, Covetousness, Avarice, Envy, Sorrow, Old Age, Hypocrisy, and Poverty.

The characteristics of these various figures are set forth with marvellous force and insight.

Having carefully studied these paintings, and listened with delight to the singing of the birds in the trees that overtop the wall of the garden, the Dreamer becomes possest by extreme longing to gain access to the place, and carefully seeks around in the hope of finding some means of entrance, or a ladder by means of which he may scale the barrier. He at last discovers a small and narrow hornbeam wicket.

On this wicket he smites boldly several times, and then listens anxiously for a footstep. The gate is opened to him by a beautiful damsel richly habited. In reply to his inquiry she tells him that she is called Idleness, and that her sole occupation is the tiring of her hair and the adornment of her person. She is the friend of Sir Mirth, to whom this pleasaunce belongs. He it was, she says, who built the wall and caused the hideous figures to be painted on the outside