This is one of the finest and most elaborate Illuminations of the famous MS. of the Bibliothèque Royale;--the number of single combats, the picturesque costumes of the Moors, and the general rush and confusion of the _melée_, (in the midst of which Pedro is seen wielding his formidable battle-axe,) are most capitally pourtrayed, and every part is finished with the greatest care and precision. The landscape exhibits the romantic, rocky character which distinguish nearly all the finest of the pictures in these beautiful volumes; and in the present instance it is treated with great care and finish.
[Illustration: <f>The Chanoine of Robesart takes Jaffre.</f>]
THE CANON OF ROBESART SURPRISES THE TOWN OF JAFFRE.
This Illumination represents one of the exploits of the warlike Canon of Robesart. To convey an idea of surprise, the illuminator has exhibited an inhabitant of the town coming out of the gate, fingering his walking-stick with an air of self-satisfaction that evidently shows he has no idea even of the approach of the enemy--who already stand ranged close to the walls, with a formidable piece of artillery, which looks as likely to be detrimental to themselves as their adversaries.
[Illustration: <f>John Ball Preaching.</f>]
John Ball, a priest, was one of the chief instigators of the rebellion of 1381. He harangued the people of his village every Sunday after mass; and as he preached equality of rank and property, he was soon popular among the lower orders; and when the men of Kent, Essex, &c., &c., marched to London, he, with Jack Straw, and Wat Tyler, became one of their leaders. After the fall of Wat Tyler, and the dispersion of the rebels in Smithfield, John Ball and Jack Straw concealed themselves in a ruin, but were betrayed by their own men, and beheaded. In this Illumination the names of John Ball and Waultre le Tieullier are written in white on the respective dresses, which would seem to render it probable that they are actual portraits.
[1] This and the following Illuminations are from the famous Gruthyse MS. in the Paris Library.
[2] See Smith’s Edition of Froissart, vol. i., page 13.
[3] For a most interesting account of his meeting with the Spanish fleet off Rochelle, his defeat, captivity, and death, see Smith’s edition of Froissart, Vol. I. pp. 470, 471, 475, and 501.