writer permit herself to make use of
English words, in many parts of her work, which would most probably be
unintelligible to that prince, and most certainly so to the greatest
part of his subjects? It is true that she sometimes explains them in
Romance, but not always; and when, upon the other hand, she makes a
constant practice of translating them into English, she proves to what
sort of readers she was principally addressing herself. The list of the
lays of Mary is omitted here, as a translation follows.

The smaller poems of Mary are, in general, of much importance, as to the
knowledge of ancient chivalry. Their author has described manners with a
pencil at once faithful and pleasing. She arrests the attention of her
readers by the subjects of her stories, by the interest which she
skilfully blends in them, and by the simple and natural language in
which she relates them. In spite of her rapid and flowing style, nothing
is forgotten in her details--nothing escapes her in her descriptions.
With what grace has she depicted the charming deliverer of the unhappy
Lanval! Her beauty is equally impressive, engaging, and seductive; an
immense crowd follows but to admire her; the while palfrey on which she
rides seems proud of his fair burden; the greyhound which follows her,
and the falcon which she carries, announce her nobility. How splendid
and commanding her appearance; and with what accuracy is the costume of
the age she lived in observed! But Mary did not only possess a most
refined taste, she had also to boast of a mind of sensibility. The
English muse seems to have inspired her; all her subjects are sad and
melancholy; she appears to have designed to melt the hearts of her
readers, either by the unfortunate situation of her hero, or by some
truly afflicting catastrophe. Thus she always speaks to the soul, calls
forth all its feelings, and very frequently throws it into the utmost
consternation.

Fauchet was unacquainted with the Lays of Mary, for he only mentions her
fables[12]. But, what is more astonishing, Monsieur le Grand, who
published many of her lays, has not ascribed them all to her. He had
probably never met with a complete collection like that in the British
Museum; but only some of those that had been separately transcribed;
and, in that case, he could not have seen the preface, in which Mary has
named herself.

The second work of our poetess consists of a collection of fables,
generally called Aesop