Another reading is [Greek: kokorugcha], which M. Martha renders, "Marmots à vilain petit museau!"

[but his money]; and to show you what fools we all are in some point or other, she has certainly told him some fine story or other of her love and her passion, and that poor manavec ce gros corps, ces jambes enflées, et ce vilain ventrebelieves her.

[Illustration: Fig. 21.Costume of a Vilain or Peasant, Fifteenth Century, from a Miniature of "La Danse Macabre," Manuscript 7310 of the National Library of Paris.]

In consequence of this the serfs and vilains (Fig. 21) emigrated from all parts, in order to profit by these advantages, to such a degree, that the lands of the nobles became deserted by all the serfs of different degrees, and were in danger of remaining uncultivated.

Not only were the severest and even cruellest penalties imposed on "vilains" who dared to kill the smallest head of game, but quarrels frequently arose between nobles of different degrees on the subject, some pretending to have a feudal privilege of hunting on the lands of others (Fig. 27).

If a noble was made a prisoner of war, his life was saved by his nobility, and his ransom had practically to be raised by the "vilains" of his domains.

The lord, pointing to the little bird, declared solemnly, that if any 'vilain' succeeded in piercing him with an arrow he should be exempt from that year's dues.

The vilains shot away, but, to the great merriment of their lord, never hit, and so had to continue paying the dues.

A small poem of the thirteenth century, entitled, "De l'Oustillement au Vilain," gives a clear though rough sketch of the domestic state of the peasantry.

Les vilains nous pourvoyaient et apportaient dans nos châteaux le blé, la farine, le pain tout cuit, l'avoine pour les chevaux, le bon vin, les boeufs, les brébis, les moutons tous gras, la poulaille et la volataille.

Mais c'est un vilain tour, cela, dit l'envoyé.

Le maréchal était un peu contrefait, "Ne pourrai-je jamais battre ce vilain bossu?

VILAIN, E, malhonnête; pas beau.

Jeux de vie, Jeux de vilains.

Jeux de vie, Jeux de vilains.

One piece of recorded testimony is rather amusing, being to the effect that "Monsieur Smith est un grand vilain coquin."

St. Louis's extreme severity towards what he called the knavish oath (vilain serment), that is, blasphemy, an offence for which there is no definition save what is contained in the bare name of it, is, perhaps, the most striking indication of the state of men's minds, and especially of the king's, in this respect.

Fauve, il cherchait la nuit; les enfants l'aperçurent Et crièrent:Tuons ce vilain animal, Et, puisqu'il est si laid, faisons-lui bien du mal!

There are not those ostentatious displays of wealth and generosity, which used to signalise certain political events, such as the coronation of a monarch or the enthronement of a primate; the mode of living has grown more uniform and consistent, since between the vilain and his lord has interposed himself the middle-class Englishman, with a hand held out to either.

[whip] whereas for to vindicate the injury of that vilain.

Ah! le vilain homme!

Ah! le vilain amour!