thus that
Jean de Gouves is condemned, in 1323, to undertake a pilgrimage to the
shrine of Saint-Louis of Marseilles, to the tomb of the Apostles in
Rome, and to two other Italian shrines; while, to avoid possibility of
deception on the part of this pious pilgrim, he is required to bring
back a certificate from each of the places visited.

If the punishments inflicted on rebellious vassals were severe, what
epithet shall we reserve for the punishments of the criminal code? The
rack and the stake are not unheard of during the reign of Mahaut, and
these are the milder forms of punishment: counterfeiters boiled in oil,
women guilty of theft or of marital infidelity buried alive, miserable
lepers put to the torture,--these are but a few of the ingenious and
barbarous punishments of which we find record. But it is to be noted
that Mahaut was not wantonly cruel or vindictive; the forms of execution
we have mentioned were the established practice of the day, with which
no one dreamed of interfering; so far from being heartless, Mahaut
reduced the severity of the fines and penalties in some cases and
provided for the widows and orphans of some who were sent to the
gallows, while she was always endeavoring to restrain the grasping
proclivities of her tax-gatherers and holding investigations whenever
complaint of injustice reached her ears.

With the minor matters of her household economy we need not deal, since
enough has been said of the manner of life of a mediaeval lady of rank.
Suffice it to say that the _hotel_ of the Countess of Artois was famous
for its hospitality and that many of the great ones of the earth sat
down to her table. With the fashionable world, the world of the court,
Mahaut maintained very close relations, since she was, in one way or
another, related to most of the royal family and to the great nobles.
Whenever there was a marriage in these circles, there came a rich
present from "Madame la Comtesse d'Artois"; sometimes, as in the case of
the daughter of her minister, Thierry d'Hirecon, it was practically a
whole trousseau: "One scarlet robe, another of deep green cloth, both
lined and bordered with fine furs; a mantle and a _cotte_ of cloth of
gold, the former lined with fur; a robe of Irish woollen; a coverlet of
green cloth; a counterpane of _cendal_ (meaning usually a heavy and
strong stuff, but sometimes silk); four green carpets and fifty ells of
linens for sheets." Truly a present of which any br