197. =Black-stoled.= With long black robes reaching to the feet.
=like a dream.= The scene had an appearance of unreality.
198. =Three Queens.= Malory speaks of the three Queens as being King Arthur’s sister, Morgan le Fay; the Queen of Northgales (Wales); and the Lady of the Lake. On the symbolic side, however, they represent Faith, Hope and Charity.
199. =that shivered to the tingling stars.= So shrill that even the stars tingled at the sound.
213-4. The waning moon which looks pale in the bright morning sunshine.
215-6. =greaves and cuisses.= Armour for the shins and thighs.
=dash’d with drops of onset.= Splash’d with stains of the battle.
218. =daïs-throne.= The daïs was the raised part of the hall; a platform.
222. =in rest.= On the right side of the coat of mail was a projection to support the lance when not in use.
224. =lists.= The enclosed ground in which the combats took place.
230. =a noble chance.= A chance to do some noble deed.
232-3. The star that led the Wise Men to Bethlehem. (See _Matthew_ ii., 7-11.)
240. If old customs and institutions are changing it is only because new and better ones are taking their place.
241-2. It is in accordance with God’s purpose and his nature that the world should grow better. Changes are necessary, since even a good custom will at length degenerate and become corrupt.
243. =what comfort is in me?= I cannot comfort you.
251. =a blind life.= A life without the power of reason.
255. =gold chains.= There existed an old fancy that the earth was suspended from Heaven by a golden chain. Here, each prayer is a chain binding earth to Heaven.
259. =Avilion.= A mythical island in the western ocean, in Celtic legend the abode of the blessed after death.
263. =crown’d with summer sea.= Surrounded by the sea, as the head is encircled by a crown.
267. The belief existed that the swan sang sweetly before her death.
268. =Ruffles.= Spreads out her feathers.
271. Note that even when the barge bearing King Arthur, who represented “the old order” of things, was disappearing, a new day, with a new order of things, was already dawning.
The story of _The Prisoner of Chillon_ is founded on certain events in the life of Francis Bonnivard, a Swiss patriot, who was imprisoned in the Fortress of Chillon for six years. Bonnivard was born in 1496. He belonged to a noble family, and inherited a rich priory near Geneva. When the republic was attacked in 1519 by Charles III Duke of Savoy, Bonnivard came to its defence. After many adventures he was taken prisoner by the Duke in 1530, and consigned to the dungeon of Chillon. He was liberated in 1536 when the castle fell into the hands of the Swiss patriots. From this time until his death in 1571 he was prominent in the affairs of the republic.