The book of British ballads . says, that the upper parts of their bodies were like eagles,and the lower part like lions, but that one griffin is greater and stronger than eightlions, or one hundred eagles; for one griffoun there wil bere, fleynge to his nest,a great horse, or two oxen yoked togidere, as thei gon to the plowghe. In anilluminated copy of these travels—in the British Museum, Harleian MSS. No. 3954—is a very curious drawing, representing a knight and his horse carried by a griffin to his nest as food for its young, much in thesame way that the queen, in the ballad, ima-gined herse
The book of British ballads . says, that the upper parts of their bodies were like eagles,and the lower part like lions, but that one griffin is greater and stronger than eightlions, or one hundred eagles; for one griffoun there wil bere, fleynge to his nest,a great horse, or two oxen yoked togidere, as thei gon to the plowghe. In anilluminated copy of these travels—in the British Museum, Harleian MSS. No. 3954—is a very curious drawing, representing a knight and his horse carried by a griffin to his nest as food for its young, much in thesame way that the queen, in the ballad, ima-gined herself to be carried. We copy the singularsubject, which would appear to be a favourite wayof shewing the power of the creature; for a bas-relief upon the front of the Hotel de Bourgthe-rolde, at llouen, erected in the time of Francis I.,exhibits a similar scene, with this difference only,that the knight, in full armour, is carried awayby a griffin, while his horse and attendant squireare allowed to remain in amazement
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookidg, bookpublisherlondonjhow
