these attendants, is an old woman, hooded, with her head encircled by a
glory. They are all three sweetly and delicately touched; but there are
many evident marks of injury and ill usage about the surface of the
colouring. Yet, as being _ideal_ personages, my eye hastily glided off them
to gaze upon the illustrious Lady, by whose orders, and at whose expense,
these figures were executed. It is upon the DUCHESS that I fix my eye, and
lavish my commendations. Look at her[36] as you here behold her. Her gown
is brown and gold, trimmed with dark brown fur. Her hair is brown. Her
necklace is composed of coloured jewels. Her cheek has a fresh tint; and
the missal, upon which her eyes are bent, displays highly ornamented art.
The cloth upon the table is dark crimson.

The _Calendar_ follows; in which, in one of the winter months, we observe a
very puerile imitation of flakes of snow falling over the figures and the
landscape below. The calendar occupies a space of about six inches by four,
completely enclosed by a coloured margin. Then begins a series of the most
beautiful ornaments of FLOWERS, FRUITS, INSECTS, &C. for which the
illuminators of this period were often eminently distinguished. These
ornaments are almost uniformly introduced in the fore-edges, or right-side
margins, of the leaves; although occasionally, but rarely, they encircle
the text. They are from five to six inches in length, or height; having the
Latin name of the plant at top, and the French name at the bottom. Probably
these titles were introduced by a later hand. It is really impossible to
describe many of them in terms of adequate praise. The downy plum is almost
bursting with ripeness: the butterfly's wings seem to be in tremulous
motion, while they dazzle you by their varied lustre: the hairy insect puts
every muscle and fibre into action, as he insinuates himself within the
curling of the crisped leaves; while these leaves are sometimes glittering
with dew, or coated with the finest down. The flowers and the vegetables
are equally admirable, and equally true to nature. To particularise would