again, and they found their roads, especially that to the French side,
almost entirely barred by the Gave de Béarn and other rivers. So they
scattered in different directions, most of them taking the Spanish
side, either along the mountains and across to Roussillon or straight to
Barcelona, and thence home by sea. But a certain widow, named Oisille,
made her way with much loss of men and horses to the Abbey of Notre Dame
de Serrance. Here she was joined by divers gentlemen and ladies, who
had had even worse experiences of travel than herself, with bears and
brigands, and other evil things, so that one of them, Longarine, had
lost her husband, murdered in an affray in one of the cut-throat inns
always dear to romance. Besides this disconsolate person and Oisille,
the company consisted of a married pair, Hircan and Parlamente; two
young cavaliers, Dagoucin and Saffredent; two young ladies, Nomerfide
and Ennasuite; Simontault, a cavalier-servant of Parlamente; and
Geburon, a knight older and discreeter than the rest of the company
except Oisille.(1)

1 These names have been accommodated to M. Le Roux de
Lincy's orthography, from MS. No. 1512; but for myself I
prefer the spellings, especially "Emarsuitte," more usual in
the printed editions.--G. S.

These form the party, and it is to be noted that idle and contradictory
as all the attempts made to identify them have been (for instance, the
most confident interpreters hesitate between Oisille and Parlamente, an
aged widow and a youthful wife, for Margaret herself), it is not to be
denied that the various parts are kept up with much decision and spirit.
Of the men, indeed, Hircan is the only one who has a very decided
character, and is represented as fond of his wife, Parlamente, but
a decided libertine and of a somewhat rough and ruthless general