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Romance and Poetry: Richesse

Chaucer, in the "Romaunt of the Rose," describes Richesse as crowned with the costliest gems:- "But all before full subtilty A fine carboncle set sawe I. The stone so cleare was and bright, That al so sone as it was night, Men mightin se to go for nede A mile or two in length and brede, Such light ysprange out of that stone That Richesse wonder bright yshone, Both on her hedde and all her face, And eke about her all the place."

In the Romance, or Lay of "Syr Launfal," a pavilion is described, having on the top an eagle:- "Of bournede golde, ryche and good, I florysched with ryche amalle, (enamel) Hys eyn were carbonkeles brygt As the mone they shon anygt, That spreteth out ovyre alle: Alysaundre the conqueroure, Ne Kyng Artoure yn hys most honour Ne hadde noon swyche juelle."

Shakspeare alludes to the carbuncle in "Titus Andronicus":-- "Upon his bloody finger he doth wear, A precious ring that lightens all the hole, Which, like a taper in some monument, Doth shine upon the dead man's earthy cheeks, And shews the rugged entrails of the pit." Milton describes the cobra:-- "his head Crested aloof, and carbuncle his eyes."