good taste, and those in which it would be the reverse, to invite persons to a share of the dishes within her reach are specified; and the rules as to carving, washing one’s hands before and after dinner, and similar matters, leave nothing to be desired. ‘Always temper your wine with water, so that it cannot do you harm,’ is another maxim of undeniable wisdom. After dinner follows the time of polite conversation in the _sala_ (drawing-room), the arbour, or on the battlements of the castle; and now the teachings of Amanieu become more and more animated, and are enlivened occasionally by practical illustrations of great interest. ‘And if at this season,’ he says, ‘a gentleman takes you aside, and wishes to talk of courtship to you, do not show a strange or sullen behaviour, but defend yourself with pleasant and pretty repartees. And if his talk annoys you, and makes you uneasy, I advise you to ask him questions, for instance: “Which ladies do you think are more handsome, those of Gascony or England; and which are more courteous, and faithful, and good?” And if he says those of Gascony, answer without hesitation: “Sir, by your leave, English ladies are more courteous than those of any other country.” But if he prefers those of England, tell him Gascon ladies are much better behaved; and thus carry on the discussion, and call your companions to you to decide the questions.’ I defy any modern professor of deportment to indicate a more graceful and appropriate way of giving a harmless turn to a conversation, or cutting short an awkward _tête-à-tête_. And the same sense of tact and social ease pervades the remainder of the poem, which consists chiefly of valuable hints how to accept and how to refuse an offer of marriage without giving more encouragement or more offence than necessary. Upon the whole, it must be admitted that ‘Amanieu des Escas, called God of Love,’ although undoubtedly a pedant, is the least objectionable and tedious pedant that ever preached ‘the graces’ from the days of Thomasin of Zerclaere to those of Lord Chesterfield. But the important point for us is the enormous weight attached to these rules of etiquette in the education of the Provençal lady. Again and again the advantages of _cortesia_, _avinensa_, and whatever the numerous other terms for a graceful, courteous behaviour may be, are emphasised: ‘even the enemy of all your friends ought to find you civil-spoken,’ the poet exclaims in a fit of polite enthusiasm. However exaggerated and one-sided this point of view may appear to the reader, he ought to remember that in primitive societies the code of ethics can be enforced alone by the power of custom; the derivation, indeed, of our word morality from the Latin _mores_ is by no means a mere etymological coincidence.