‘Pulchrior ut facie dulcis videaris amica ... fervores solis ... Me retinere manu Ulfeda (?) poscente memento ... splendoris ...’ Mr. Burges has pointed out that the form of the letters of the inscription, which are Roman with slight Rustic variations, as also the purple dye, are sufficiently similar to contemporary manuscripts of St. Augustine of the end of the sixth century. [Illustration: THE MONZA FLABELLUM. Details.] The case which accompanies the fan is constructed on the same principle as the handle of the Tournus flabellum, although less elongated. It is of wood, covered with silver, the wooden part probably modern, made to the original shape, with the old silver used again. The length of the case with handle is 15-1/2 inches, the diameter of the leaf 10 inches. [Illustration: Fan of Queen Theodolinda, VI. cent. Cathedral of Monza.] The side flap was originally fastened to the fan, and drawn round until it formed a complete circle, as in the instance of the Tournus flabellum. With respect to the identity of the original owner of this fan, although the claim which has been made for its association with Queen Theodolinda cannot be substantiated, its identification with any well-defined personage is equally difficult. Who was Ulfeda? Mr. Burges states with reference to this name that it is by no means the most legible part of the inscription—that he has been able to discover no one so named who lived during this period. M. de Linas points out that the name Ulféda is a variant of the Saxon Elpheid, which the marvellous cloisonné fibula, exhumed, as is said, from a Carlovingian sepulchre at Wittislingen (Bavaria), gives under the softened form of Ufeila. This Monza fan is not mentioned in an inventory of the treasury in 1275; in that of 1353 the following, however, occurs: ‘Item, fabella, seu orata una argenti facta ad modum unius maze cum manica ligni ligata in argento.’ M. de Linas infers from the fact of the extremity of the handles being provided with a ring, that it was _not_ a liturgic fan, and certainly this circumstance, together with the smallness of its size, would appear to be a sufficient evidence of its secular use; in any event, and whatever its original use, this fan, together with that of Tournus, must be accounted among the most precious relics preserved to us from that dim and dark, but extremely fascinating period. The rigid flag-fan, which appears to have been in intermittent use in Europe from the early centuries of our era, consists of an oblong parallelogram with a handle fitted to one of its longer sides. These were made either of plaited straw of various colours, of linen painted and embroidered, of parchment or vellum, or of silk, woven or embroidered, often with lozenge-shaped diapering.