The Middle Ages was the great epoch for dancing, especially in France.  There were an endless number of dancing festivals, and, from reading the old poets and romancers, one might imagine that the French had never anything better to do than to dance, and that at all hours of the day and night.  A curious argument in favour of the practical utility of dancing is suggested by Jean Tabourot in his “Orchesographie,” published at Langres in 1588, under the name of Thoinot Arbeau.  He says, “Dancing is practised in order to see whether lovers are healthy and suitable for one another:  at the end of a dance the gentlemen are permitted to kiss their mistresses, in order that they may ascertain if they have an agreeable breath.  In this matter, besides many other good results which follow from dancing, it becomes necessary for the good governing of society.”  Such was the doctrine of the Courts of Love, which stoutly took up the defence of dancing against the clergy.  In those days, as soon as the two sexes were assembled in sufficient numbers, before or after the feasts, the balls began, and men and women took each other by the hand and commenced the performance in regular steps (Fig. 183).  The author of the poem of Provence, called “Flamenca,” thus allegorically describes these amusements:  “Youth and Gaiety opened the ball, accompanied by their sister Bravery; Cowardice, confused, went of her own accord and hid herself.”  The troubadours mention a great number of dances, without describing them; no doubt they were so familiar that they thought a description of them needless.  They often speak of the danse au virlet, a kind of round dance, during the performance of which each person in turn sang a verse, the chorus being repeated by all.  In the code of the Courts of Love, entitled “Arresta Amorum,” that is, the decrees of love, the pas de Brabant is mentioned, in which each gentleman bent his knee before his lady; and also the danse au chapelet, at the end of which each dancer kissed his lady.  Romances of chivalry frequently mention that knights used to dance with the dames and young ladies without taking off their helmets and coats of mail.  Although this costume was hardly fitted for the purpose, we find, in the romance of “Perceforet,” that, after a repast, whilst the tables were being removed, everything was prepared for a ball, and that although the knights made no change in their accoutrements, yet the ladies went and made fresh toilettes.  “Then,” says the old novelist, “the young knights and the young ladies began to play their instruments and to have the dance.”  From this custom may be traced the origin of the ancient Gallic proverb, “Apres la panse vient la danse” ("After the feast comes the dance").  Sometimes a minstrel sang songs to the accompaniment of the harp, and the young ladies danced in couples and repeated at intervals the minstrel’s songs.  Sometimes the torch-dance was performed; in this each performer bore in his hand a long lighted taper, and endeavoured to prevent his neighbours from blowing it out, which each one tried to do if possible (Fig. 184).  This dance, which was in use up to the end of the sixteenth century at court, was generally reserved for weddings.