ce in particular animals
and stones; and the language of poets was becoming a language of
flowers. On the other hand, the personification of abstract qualities
was a usage largely affected by the Latin writers of the earlier Middle
Ages, and formed a favourite device of the monastic beginnings of the
Christian drama. For both these literary fashions, which mildly
exercised the ingenuity while deeply gratifying the tastes of mediaeval
readers, room was easily found by Guillaume de Lorris within a
framework in itself both appropriate and graceful. He told (as
reproduced by his English translator) how in a dream he seemed to
himself to wake up on a May morning. Sauntering forth, he came to a
garden surrounded by a wall, on which were depicted many unkindly
figures, such as Hate and Villainy, and Avarice and Old Age, and
another thing

That seemed like a hypocrite,
And it was cleped pope holy.

Within, all seemed so delicious that, feeling ready to give an hundred
pound for the chance of entering, he smote at a small wicket and was
admitted by a courteous maiden named Idleness. On the sward in the
garden were dancing its owner, Sir Mirth, and a company of friends; and
by the side of Gladness the dreamer saw the God of Love and his
attendant, a bachelor named Sweet-looking, who bore two bows, each with
five arrows. Of these bows the one was straight and fair, and the other
crooked and unsightly, and each of the arrows bore the name of some
quality or emotion by which love is advanced or hindered. And as the
dreamer was gazing into the spring of Narcissus (the imagination), he
beheld a rose-tree "charged full of roses," and, becoming enamoured of
one of them, eagerly advanced to pluck the object of his passion. In
the midst of this attempt he was struck by arrow upon arrow, shot
"wonder smart" by Love from the strong bow. The arrow called Company
completes the victory; the dreaming poet becomes the Lover ("L'Amant"),
and swears allegiance to the God of Love, who proceeds to instruct him
in his laws; and the real action (if it is to be called such) of the
poem begins. This consists in the Lover's desire to possess himself of
the Rosebud, the opposition offered to him by powers both good and
evil, and by Reason in particular, and the support which he receives
from more or less discursive friends. Clearly, the conduct of such a
scheme as this admits of being varied in many ways and protracted to
any length; but