date: "_Aujourduy iiij. Jour du Jullet
lan mil ccc. soixante dix a este escript ce livre darmes par Micheaugatelet
prestre demeurant en la ville de Tournay_." Just before the colophon, on
the reverse of the preceding leaf, is a common-place illumination of the
interment of a figure in a white sheet--with this incription:

ICI: GIST. LECORS: GALAHAVT: SEIGNEVR
DES. LOINTENES. ILES. ET. AVECQVES. LVI. REPOVSE: MESIRE
LANCELOT. DVLAC. MELLIEVR. CHRL. DV. MVDE. APRES. GVALEAT.

There are two or three more illuminated MSS. of our well-beloved Lancelot.
One, in six volumes, has illuminations, but they are of the usual character
of those of the fifteenth century.

LANCELOT DU LAC, &C. This MS. is in three volumes. The first contains only,
as it were, an incipient illumination: but there is preserved, on the
reverse of the binding, and written in the same character with the text,
three lines--of which the private history, or particular application, is
now forgotten--although we learn, from the word _bloys_ being written at
top, that this MS. came from the library of Catherine de Medici--when she
resided at Blois.

The second volume of this copy is in quite a different character, and much
older than the first. The colophon assigns to it the date of 1344. The
volume is full of illuminations, and the first leaf exhibits a fair good
specimen of those drolleries which are so frequently seen in illuminated
MSS. of that period. The third volume is in a still different hand-writing:
perhaps a little more ancient. It has a few slight illuminations, only as
capital initials.

LANCELOT DU LAC: No. 6782. This MS. is executed in a small gothic
character, in ink which has now become much faded. From the character of
the illuminations, I should consider it to be much more ancient than either
of the preceding--even at the commencement of the thirteenth century. Among
the illuminations there is a very curious one, with this prefix;

_Vne dame venant a.c. chr. q dort en son
lit & ele le volt baisier. mais vne
damoiselle li deffendi_

You will not fail to bear in mind that the history of Lancelot du Lac will
be also found in those of Tristan and Arthur. I shall now therefore
introduce you to a MS. or two relating to the former.

TRISTAN. No. 6957, 2 vols. _folio_. This is a very fine old MS. apparently
of the middle of the XIVth century. The writing and the embellishments
fairly justify this inference. The first