men of his time. Thibaut offered his hand to Ids fair guest. He met with a refusal, which by no means turned him from his purpose, as he resolved to detain the lady prisoner in his fortress till she complied with his proposal. Eleanora suspected his design, and departed by night for Tours. Young Geoffrey Plantagenet, the next brother to the man she intended to marry, had likewise a great inclination to be sovereign of the south. lie placed himself in ambush at a part of the Loire called the Port of Piles, with the in-tention of seizing the duchess and carrying her off and marrying her. But she, pre-warned by her good angel, turned down a branch of the stream toward her own country.—Queens of England, p. 114. NOTE BBB.—PAGE 151. " Becket?''—Thomas Becket, the most celebrated Eoman Catholic prelate in the English annals, was born in London, 1119. He was the son of Gilbert, a London merchant. His mother was a Saracen lady, to whose father Gilbert was prisoner, being taken in the first crusade. The lady fell in love with the prisoner, and guided by the only English words she knew—"Gilbert—London"-rfollowed him to Lon-don, where he married her. He was recommended by Archbishop Theobald, to King Henry II., and in 1158 he was appointed high chancellor and preceptor to Prince Henry, and at this time was a com-plete courtier, conforming in every respect to the humor of the king. He died in the fifty second year of his age, and was can-onized two years after. Of the popularity of the pilgrim-ages to his tomb, the " Canterbury Tales" of Chaucer will prove an enduring testimony.—Encyclopedia. bueksd* i i Wirf MW J ' NOTE CCC—PAGE 155. " Regular Drama?"1—Besides the mysteries and miracles played by the parish clerks and students of divinity, the classic taste of the accomplished Eleanor patronized repre-sentations nearly allied to the regular drama, since we find NOTES. 477