sions, participate in the very luxuries of the higher orders, the conduits poured forth wine. Indeed, looking back even on this early period, and contemplating the kindly feeling which was cherished toward the poor and destitute,—the abundant convent dole, which supplied them in times of scarcity, and the noble hospitals, in which age and helplessness found repose; the poor man in the present day, crushed down by "the greedy avarice of civilization," might turn a sorrowful look on the days gone by.

During the years which preceded Henry's marriage much discontent prevailed in the land. Although the refractory nobles had been subdued, and the bands of mercenaries dismissed, still the heavy taxes which were imposed, and the hostility which the young king had already evinced to the great charter, excited the indignation of the people. It was during this period, however, that he solemnly affixed his seal to it, and conceded also that welcome boon, the Forest charter, for which the people paid one fifteenth on all moveables. Meanwhile, negotiations for Henry's marriage were no less than four times commenced with four ladies, and as often broken off. With the last of these, Joanna, daughter of the earl of Ponthieu, the negotiations had proceeded so far, that the pope was applied to for a dispensation, as they were fourth cousins; and the lady Joanna looked forward to the crown of England, as her undoubted right. But the weak-minded Henry could prove as false to his lady, as any gay and capricious recreant knight: the contract of marriage with Joanna was regarded with

the same sense of honour, as his oath to maintain the charter had been; and ere his nuncios had commenced their proceedings at Rome, we find a letter addressed by him to the earl of Savoy,* requesting his kind offices in prosecuting a proposal of marriage with one of the daughters of his brother-inlaw, Raymond the earl of Provence. This letter is dated June, and in July he sent a letter to his curators at the court of Rome, directing that the negotiations be suspended for the present, and concluding by directing them to observe profound secrecy respecting it.

In prosecution of this fifth "purpose of marriage," Henry seems to have aroused himself to extraordinary exertions. He despatched letters both to the father and mother of his new lady-love, and sent an embassy consisting of Richard the prior of Hurle, the bishops of Ely and Hereford, and Robert de Sandford, master of the temple, to solicit the hand of their second daughter, who, although she had only completed her twelfth year, was already celebrated by the title of "Alianora la belle."

The family with whom Henry now sought an alliance, was one of the most illustrious in Europe. Its remoter ancestors were counts of Barcelona. It was by Raymond Berenger, the first earl (or king, as he is sometimes called) of Provence, that the foundation of its greatness was laid. After rendering himself celebrated both in battle and in council, he died in 1131; and the third Raymond—

* Fœdera, vol. i. p. 215.

who at this period swayed the sceptre, so to say, of Provence-was his great grandson. Very early, from the first dawning of the poetry of the south, was Provence distinguished among the surrounding countries, by her successful cultivation of the "gai saber;" and so willingly were her claims to superiority admitted by her rivals, that Provençal became the popular term to distinguish the poetry of the langue d'oc, from that of the langue d'oil. And proudly did the successive counts of Provence wreath the chaplet of poesy in their coronet, and most liberally did they welcome and reward each troubadour who sought an asylum at the court of Arles. Indeed so princely had been their gifts to this most favoured race of minstrels, that their munificence had impoverished their family; and Raymond, who yielded to none of his forefathers in love to the art, or in largesse to its professors, is said to have become almost ruined by the profuse liberality of his expenditure. As, however, so unwelcome a reward as beggary to so generous a patron, would have told but ill in the lay of the troubadour, a fanciful story was invented to account for his subsequent wealth— a story which, in the following century, under a different name, found a place in that amusing receptacle of religious tales, the "Gesta Romanorum.”

While Raymond, almost driven to despair by the sight of his empty coffers, was busying himself with attempting to form some plan for refilling them, a pilgrim, "de fort bon mine," says abbé de Ruffi, to whom we are indebted for the story, came to the palace on his return from a pilgrimage to St. James.

This stranger, after partaking the hospitality of the count for some days, inquired into the value of his lands, the state of his finances, and finally offered to free him from every difficulty in a short time, provided that he was placed in absolute superintend ence of all his affairs. To this proposal Raymond readily acceded;--and the unknown pilgrim was forthwith placed in supreme authority over the household. And well did the stranger perform his promise ;-ere-long, Raymond was freed from his embarrassments, and in a few years his coffers overflowed with wealth. But now gratitude began to fade from the fickle mind of the count, and he listened to the suspicious hints of his servants; until, altogether forgetful of the great benefits he had received at the hands of the unknown pilgrim, he commanded him to render up his accounts. The pilgrim made no objection-he exhibited his statements, and proved the integrity of his conduct so fully, that even his bitterest enemies could not answer a word. He then resumed his staff, scrip, and mantle, and, in despite of every entreaty of the repentant count, disappeared. Long, strict, and minute search was made after him; but he was never heard of more.

The visit of this friendly pilgrim, we may suppose, was subsequently to Raymond's marriage of his daughter Elinor, since Matthew Paris represents him as an "illustrious and valiant man ; but, through continual wars, almost all he had had vanished from his treasury." The proposal, therefore, of the king of England was peculiarly grateful both to

Raymond, and to his wife Beatrix of Savoy, whose three brothers looked anxiously, even from the commencement of their niece's marriage treaty, to the broad lands and rich church preferment which they anticipated they should soon possess in wealthy but ill-governed England. It was therefore with eager joy that the proposal of Henry was accepted by the needy count; and with equally eager joy, judging from his haste, did the king transmit his instructions for the marriage articles. In these, he assigns to Elinor, as dower, "those cities, lands, and tenements, which it has been customary for other kings, our predecessors, to assign to other queens." He then proceeds to state, that if Isabel should survive him, and should have recovered her dower, "then his procurators shall assign to Elinor these towns Gloster, Cambridge, and Huntingdon, and the villages of Wych, Basingstoke, Andover, Chiltham, Gumester, Clynes, Kingston, Ospringe, and Ludingland, to hold meanwhile ;" and after Isabel's death, Elinor in that case taking the usual dower, these towns and lands should revert to the king. In respect to Elinor's portion, which is stated to be 20,000 marks, he directs his embassy to agree with the count that the sum shall not be less than that promised; and in a subsequent instrument he grants full power to the procurators to receive it.* In the secret instructions which immediately follow, Henry seems to have apprehended, that if he pressed the count for immediate payment of his daughter's por

Fœdera, vol. i. p. 219

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