scrutatus, gemmam perexiguo annulo inclusam sub gelida rigentique lingua repertam festinabundus auexit. Nec multo post rediens Carolus, & ex consuetudine ad optatum mortuæ congressum properans, repente aridi cadaueris spectaculo concussus, obriguit, exhorruitque contactum, auferri eam quantocius ac sepeliri iubens. Inde totus in Antistitem conuersus, illum amare, illum colere, illum indies arctius amplecti. Denique nihil nisi ex sententia illius agere, ab illo nec diebus nec noctibus auelli. Quod vbi sensit vir iustus ac prudens, optabilem forte multis sed onerosam sibi sarcinam abiicere statuit, veritusque ne si vel ad manus alterius perueniret, vel flammis consumeretur, domino suo aliquid periculi afferret, annulum in vicinæ paludis præaltam voraginem demersit. Aquis forte tum rex cum proceribus suis habitabat, ex eoque tempore cunctis ciuitatibus sedes illa prælata est, in ea nil sibi palude gratius, ibi assidere & illis aquis mira cum voluptate, illius odore velut suauissimo delectari. Postremo illuc regiam suam transtulit, & in medio palustris limi, immenso sumptu, iactis molibus, palatium templumque construxit, vt nihil diuinæ vel humanæ rei eum inde abstraheret. Postremo ibi vitæ suæ reliquum egit, ibique sepultus est: cauto prius vt successores sui primam inde coronam & prima imperii auspicia capescerent, quod hodie quoque seruatur, seruabiturque quam din Romani frena imperii Theutonica manus aget.” Petrarchæ _Fam. Epist._, lib. i. Ep. iii. p. 10, _et seq._, ed. 1601.—On this story, which he found in a French author, Mr. Southey has composed a ballad: see his _Minor Poems_. Page 48. v. 694. _carectes_] i. e. characters, magical inscriptions. v. 703. _Acon_] i. e. Aix la Chapelle: “_Acon_ in Almayne whyche is a moche fayr cytee, where as kyng charles had made his paleys moche fayr & ryche and a ryght deuoute chapel in thonour of our lady, wherin hymself is buryed.” Caxton’s _History and Lyf of Charles the Grete_, &c. 1485. sig. b 7. v. 709. _obsolute_] i. e. absolute, absolved. v. 710. _practyue_] i. e. practise. —— _abolete_] i. e. antiquated, abolished. Page 49. v. 713. _But I wyll make further relacion_ _Of this isagogicall colation_] —_isagogicall colation_ seems to be equivalent here to—comparison introduced, or discourse introduced for the sake of comparison.