m are
found the following startling statements:

"Marriage cannot be pleaded as an excuse for refusing to love."

"A person who cannot keep a secret can never be a lover."

"No one can really love two people at the same time," says one rule; but
another adds, "Nothing prevents one lady being loved by two gentlemen,
or one gentleman by two ladies."

Two years was the required period of mourning for a dead lover. But such
constancy may not have been demanded in the case of the living, for,
according to rule, "A new love-affair banishes the old one completely."

Lovers in those days were expected to show the most definite symptoms of
their malady; for, according to law, "Every lover is accustomed to grow
pale at the sight of his lady-love;" "At the sudden and unexpected
prospect of his lady-love, the heart of the true lover invariably
palpitates;" and "A real lover is always the prey of anxiety and
_malaise_." Also, "A person who is the prey of love eats little and
sleeps little."

There are many maxims on the best way of keeping true love alive, and
many more on the subject of jealousy. That the love of the Troubadours
was none too permanent is indicated by the statement, "A moderate
presumption is sufficient to justify one lover in entertaining grave
suspicions of the other."

Among the celebrated decisions is one given by the Countess of Champagne
upon the question, "Can real love exist between married people?" Basing
her decision on the fact that love implies a free granting of all
favours, while marriage enforces constraint, the fair arbiter decided
for the negative. Another decree, of wider application, was pronounced
by Queen Eleanor. A lover, after entreating his lady's favour in vain,
sent her a number of costly presents, which she accepted with much
delight. Yet even after this tribute to her charms, she remained
obdurate, and would not grant him the slightest encouragement. He
accordingly brought the case before the Court of Love, on the ground
that the lady, by accepting his presents, had inspired him with false
hopes. Eleanor gave the decision wholly in his favour, saying that the
lady must refuse to receive any gifts sent as love-tokens, or must make
compensation for them. The story does not tell whether the lady in
question accepted the suitor or returned the gifts.

The absurdity to which these laws were carried is shown by another
decision of Eleanor's. A gentleman became deeply smitten with a lad