[333] It seems that the Parliament proposed at first to prohibit the publication of this book; but evidently it did not persist in its opposition, for, besides the four quarto editions, I have seen four others in octavo, which, however, are without interest for us. See Brunet's Manuel du Libraire, under 'Gringoire.'
[334] This deplorable practice of removing the text from engravings, which was once rigourously followed in the Cabinet des Estampes at the Bibliothèque Nationale, injured the collection materially. There are many pieces of which neither the origin nor the meaning is known, because of the removal of the legends which formerly accompanied them.
[335] Number 3.
Hell he defies (to him no arduous task),
And the dog Cerberus, him with the three heads;
He seeks the infernal regions, fighting hand to hand,
To set at liberty Theseus his good friend.
Number 9.
The raging bulls (most marvellous to see)
With his two sinewy hands he masters easily,