_Ses mains_ _Lava, et puis l’autre gent toute,_ _Et puis se burent tout à route,_ _Et por l’amor dou chevalier_ _Se vont trestuit apparillier_ _De faire karoles et dances._ In the early English romance of “Sir Degrevant,” after dinner the ladies go to their chambers to arrange themselves, and then some proceed to amuse themselves in the garden-- _When the lordys were drawin_ (withdrawn), _Ladyes rysen, was not to leyn,_ _And wentten to chaumbur ageyne,_ _Anon thei hom dythus_ (dight); _Dame Mildore and hyr may_ (maid) _Went to the orcherd to play_. In the romance of “Lanfal,” we have the same circumstance of dancing after dinner:-- _And after mete Syr Gaweyn,_ _Sir Gyeryes and Agrafayn,_ _And Syr Launfal also,_ _Went to daunce upon the grene,_ _Unther the tour ther lay the quene,_ _Wyth syxty ladyes and mo._ * * * * * _They hadde menstrayles_ (minstrels) _of moch honours,_ _Fydelers, sytolyrs, and trompours,_ _And elles hyt were unryght;_ _Ther they playde, for sothe to say,_ _After mete the somerys day,_ _Alle what_ (till) _hyt was neygh nyght_. It was only on extraordinary occasions, however, that the dancing or walking in the garden continued all day. In the romance of “Blonde of Oxford,” the dinner-party quit the table, to wander in the fields and forests round the castle, and the young hero of the story, on their return thence, goes to play in the chambers with the ladies:-- _Après manger lavent leurs mains,_ _Puis s’en vont juer, qui ains ains,_ _Ou en forès ou en rivieres,_ _Ou en deduis d’autres manieres._ _Jehans au quel que il veut va,_ _Et quant il revent souvant va_ _Jouer és chambres la contesse_ _O les dames._