"In that on korner made was
Idoyne and Amadas,
With love that was so trewe,
For they loveden hem wit honour,
Portrayed they wer with trewe-love flour,
Of stones bryght of hewe,
Wyth carbankull and safere,
Kasydonys and onyx so clere,
Sette in golde newe,
Deamondes and rubyes,
And other stones of mychyll pryse,
And menstrellys with her gle.
"In that other korner was dyght,
Trystram and Isowde so bryght,
That semely wer to se,
And for they loved hem ryght,
As full of stones ar they dyght,
As thykke as they may be,
Of topase and of rubyes,
And other stones of myche pryse,
That semely wer to se,
With crapawtes and nakette,
Thykke of stones ar they sette,
For sothe as y say the.
"In the thyrdde korner, with gret honour,
Was Florys and dame Blawncheflour,
As love was hem betwene,
For they loved wyth honour,
Purtrayed they wer with trewe-love-flower,
With stones bryght and shene.
Ther wer knyghtes and senatowres,
Emerawdes of gret vertues,
To wyte withouten wene,
Deamondes and koralle,
Perydotes and crystall,
And gode garnettes bytwene.
"In the fowrthe korner was oon
Of Babylone the sowdan sonne,
The amerayle's dowghter hym by,
For hys sake the cloth was wrowght,
She loved hym in hert and thowght,
As testy-moyeth thys storye.
The fayr mayden her byforn
Was purtrayed an unykorn,
With hys horn so hye,
Flowres and bryddes on ylke a syde,
Wyth stones that wer sowght wyde,
Stuffed wyth ymagerye.
"When the cloth to ende was wrought,
To the sowdan sone hit was browght,
That semely was of syghte:
'My fadyr was a nobyll man,
Of the sowdan he hit wan,
Wyth maystrye and myghth;
For gret love he yaf hyt me,
I brynge hit the in specyalte,
Thys cloth ys rychely dyght.'
He yaf hit the Emperour,
He receyved hit wyth gret honour,
And thonkede hym fayr and ryght."
We must not dismiss this subject without recording a species of mantle
much celebrated in romance, and which must have tried the skill and
patience of the fair votaries of the needle to the uttermost. We all
have seen, perhaps we have some of us been foolish enough to
manufacture, initials with hair, as tokens or souvenirs, or some othe
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