exterior, which renders his
actions more absurd. His part is that of a faithful valet; greedy;
always in love; always in trouble, either on his own or his master's
account; afflicted and consoled as easily as a child, and whose grief is
as amusing as his joy."

His costume consisted of a jacket fastened in front with loose ribbons,
and pantaloons of wide dimensions, patched with various coloured pieces
of cloth sewn on in any fashion. His beard was worn straight, and of a
black colour; on his face he had a half black mask and in his belt of
untanned leather he carried a wooden sword.

In Italy there were many varieties of Harlequin, the most notable being
Trivelin, and Truffaldin. The dress of the former, instead of the
patches symmetrically arranged, had triangular patches along the seams,
and suns and moons only for patches. He wore the soft hat and hare's
foot, but did not carry the wooden sword. The hare's foot denoting
speed, has in all probability its origin in the winged cap of the god
Mercury.

Truffaldin is a species of Harlequin, who first appeared about 1530. He
represented (_truffa_, the villain) a sneaking kind of knave, and in the
middle of the seventeenth century this character was very popular.

In France, about 1660, Cardinal Mazarin invited one Joseph Dominique
Biancolelli, to come to Paris to give entertainments. Shortly after his
arrival Biancolelli gave quite a new reading to the character of
Arlechino, as he made him not only a wit and punster, but also a bit of
a philosopher. Biancolelli's improvements did not end here, as he turned
his attention to the dress of Arlechino, which was now made of finer and
better quality, whilst the parti-coloured patches were made more
artistic and attractive. On the death of Lolatelli, who, in his
lifetime, had played a kind of Arlechino part, Biancolelli succeeded
him, and soon sprang into prominence, and acquired a great artistic
reputation. Whilst dancing before Louis XV. Biancolelli contracted a
cold, which set up inflammation of the lungs, causing his death. His
companions, at the theatre in which he performed, to mark the sense of
their great grief, closed the theatre for a month. Biancolelli died in
1688.

As Arlechino, Biancolelli was succeeded by his son, Pierre, who played
under the name of Dominique.

A Tuscan, named Gherardi, who had obtained celebrity as a singer, was
the next successful French Harlequin. In consequence of a fall Gherardi
met