in 
Literature and Art. 
189 
food, and in a fair way towards fiarvation, expofed to the 
fumcient clothing, and with nothing but Iiraw for his bed. 
cold without 
_7e touz defroit, defain banille, 
Don! jefui: mars er maubailliz, 
jefuisfarrz mute: etjm: Iiz ; 
   
Sire, fi ne jizi quel part aille ; 
Me: cqfieiz commit 12 pailliz, 
Et liz de pail]: rflffi fa: liz, 
Er en mon lit rfafbrx la paille.-- (Euvres (le Rutebeuf, vol. i. p. 3- 
In another poem. Rutebeuf laments that he has rendered his condition 
Hill more miferahle by marrying, when he had not wherewith to keep a 
wife and family. In a third, he complains that in the midfi of his 
poverty, his wife has brought him a child to increafe his dorneilic 
expenfes, while his horfe, on which he was accufiomed to travel to places 
where he might exercife his profeflion, had broken its leg, and his nurfe 
was dunning him for money. In addition to all thefe caufes of grief, he 
had loft the ufe of one of his eyes. 
Or a d'eqfnnt ge'u ma fame; 
Mon Me-val a brffii la jams 
A une lice ; 
Or 1-uzut dz 1'a;-gent ma norrice, 
Qui m'zn dqpraint et me pilice, 
For Pergfarrt pzfre. 
Throughout his complaint, although he laments over the decline of 
liberality among his contemporaries, he neverthelefs turns his poverty into 
a joke. In feveral other pieces of verfe he fpeaks in the fame way, half 
joking and half lamenting over his condition, and he does not conceal that 
the love of gambling was one of the caufes of it. " The dice," he fays, 
" have [tripped me entirely of my robe; the dice watch and fpy me; it 
is thefe which kill me; they aH'ault and ruin me, to my grief." 
Li de' qua Ii de't1'er ontfkt, 
M'0nt dz ma robe tout dafet; 
Li de'm'o:iant. 
Li :15 m"aguetent zt ejfient; 
Li a'e' rrfafzillent er dejient, 
Ce pazfe moi.-1b., vol. i. p. 27. 
And 
LL