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HISTORICAL   READER   OF 
EARLY   FRENCH 


v^ 


HISTORICAL   READER 


OF 


EARLY  FRENCH 

CONTAINING    PASSAGES    ILLUSTRATIVE    OF   THE 

GROWTH    OF    THE    FRENCH    LANGUAGE 

FROM   THE   EARLIEST   TIMES   TO   THE    END   OF 
THE   FIFTEENTH    CENTURY 


BY 


HERBERT  A.  STRONG,  LL.D. 

OFFICIER   DE    l'INSTRUCTION    PUBLIQUe; 
PROFESSOR   OF    LATIN,    UNIVERSITY  COLLEGE,    LIVERPOOL 

AND 

L.  D.  BARNETT,  M.A.,   D.Litt. 


WILLIAM     BLACKWOOD    AND     SONS 

EDINBURGH    AND    LONDON 

MCMI 


133805 


Ail  Rights  reserved 


•        8  ■    * 


L  r  t    c  *   *    '  c  < 


M)  PC 

PEEFACE. 


The  object  of  this  work  is  to  give  the  student 
materials  for  following  the  development  of  Latin 
in  its  different  stages  into  Old  French,  and  of  Old 
French  into  Modern  French. 

The  basis  of   the  French  portion  of   the  work  is 
the    Chrestomathie    clu    Moyen    Age,   edited    by    M. 
,  Sudre,  to  reproduce  which  with  an  English   trans- 
^'•■lation  and  notes  leave  was  obtained  from  Messrs 
'  Delagrave.     But  several  new  pieces  have  been  in- 
.  serted,  and  nianv  notes  have  been  added  to  those 
*  furnished    by    M.    Sudre.       Use    has    been    made 
1-  throughout    of    Korting's    Bomanisches    Worterhuch, 
of  Darmesteter's  Historical  French  Graminar,  trans- 
^' lated   by   Hartog  (Macmillan),   of    Toynbee's  Speci- 
mens of  Old  French,  and  of  Brachet  and  Toynbee's 
Historical    French    Grammar.      The     other    works 
which   have  been   consulted    are   mentioned   where 
references  to  them  occur. 

Much  gratitude  is  due  to  A.  P.  Goudy,  Esq., 
Salomon's  Lecturer  in  Eussian  at  Cambridge  Uni- 
versity, for  aid  given  in  the  Notes  on  Old  French, 
and  especially  for  supplying  parallel  instances  of 
the  usage  of  words  in  Fiomance. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

PAGE 

I.    PERIOD    OF    EARLY    AND    CLASSICAL    LATIN  ...  1 

II.    POST-CLASSICAL    LATIN    OF    GAUL      .  .  .  .20 

III.  DOMINANCE    OF    VULGAR   LATIN         .  .  .  .33 

IV.  LATIN    AND    FRENCH  .  .  .  .  .46 

ILL  USTRA  TIVE   PA  SSA  GES. 
EARLY  FRENCH. 

STRASBURG   OATHS  .....  68 

ST   EULA.LIA        .......  70 

VIE   DE    SAINT   L1^:GER    .  .  .  .  .  .73 

ELEVENTH   CENTURY. 

life  of  st  alexis      ......         76 

chanson  de  roland  .  .  .  .  .  .79 

Charlemagne's  pilgrimage    .  .  .  .  ,91 

mystJ:re  d'adam         ......         99 


VIU 


CONTENTS. 


TWELFTH  CENTURY. 


COURONNEMENT   LOUIS 
THE    WAGGON    OF    nImES 
ALESCHANS 

KAOUL    DE    CAilBRAI       . 
LAWS    OF    WILLIAM    THE    CONQUEROR 
ROMAN    DE  ROU 
\_^    LE    CHEVALIER   AU    LION 
CRUSADE    SONGS 


104 
112 
118 
123 
129 
134 
140 
145 


THIRTEENTH   CENTURY. 


GAME    OF    ROBIN   AND    MARION. 
REFLECTIONS    OF    A    HERBALIST 
LE    MTSTERE    DE    LA    PASSION     . 
L'aVEUGLE    ET    LE    BOITEUX 
THE    MINSTREL    OF    REIMS 


147 

149 
153 
155 
158 


THIRTEENTH   AND   FOURTEENTH   CENTURIES. 


JOINVILLE 


r     i' 


161 


FIFTEENTH   CENTURY. 


FARCE    DE    MAISTRE    PIERRE    PATHELIN 
GEOFFROY    DE    VILLEHARDOUIN 
HISTOKY    OF    WILLIAM    THE    MARSHAL 


C'' 


167 
173 
178 


CONTENTS.  IX 
FROISSART  (1337-1410). 

LES    SIX   BOURGEOIS    DE    CALAIS                   .                  .                  ,  .182 

PHILLIPE    DE   COMINES  (1445?-1511). 

DU    CHATIMENT   DES   FAUTES    DES    GRANDS    ET    DES    PRINCES  .           187 

SUR   LES   DERNIERS   MOMENTS   DE   LOUIS   XI.        .  .          189 


APPENDIX  .                 ,                 .                 .                  .                  .                 .192 

INDEX — 

LATIN  .                 ...                 .                 .                 .                 .197 

FRENCH  .......         197 


LIST    OF    ABBREVIATIONS. 


A.S.  or  Anglo-)   Auglo-Saxon. 
Sax.  ) 

Arab Arabic. 

Eng Eiiglisli. 

Fr French. 

Ger German. 

Goth Gothic. 

Gr Greek. 

Ital Italian. 

Lat Latin. 

Ijow  Lat low  Latin. 

Medieval  Lat..  ..medieval  Latin. 

M.H.Ger J  middle   High 

(     German. 


Mod.  Fr modern  Frencli. 

Mod.  Ger modern  German. 

Mod.  Gr modern  Greek. 

N.Fr Norman  French. 

N.H.Ger i  "« '^    ^'S^'    ^^'- 

(     man. 

O.Fr old  French. 

O.Fiank.  -. old  Frankish. 

O.H.Ger {"^^    ^'^^^    ^"^ 

I     man. 

O.Norse f  old  Norse  or  Nor- 

I     wegian. 

Kuss Russian. 

Span Spanish. 


Brachet  and  Toynbee \  ^'^''^'''^  ^""^  Toynbee's  Historical  French 

(      Gramiiiar. 

Ch.  de  R "  Chanson  de  Roland." 

Darm Darmesteter's  Historical  French  Grammar. 

K.  or  Korting Korting's  Romanisches  IVdrterbuch. 

Toynbee,  Spec Toynbee's  Specimens  of  Old  French. 


HISTORICAL    READER    OF 
EARLY    FRENCH. 


INTRODUCTION. 


I. 


PERIOD   OF   EARLY  AND   CLASSICAL  LATIN. 


1. 

Ale.  Satin  parva  res  est  vol- 

uptatum  in  vita  atque  in 

aetata  agunda 
praequain  quod  molestumst  ? 

ita  quoique  coraparatunist 

in  aetata  homonum  ; 
ita  divis  est  placitum,  volup- 

tatem     ut    rnaeror    conies 

consequatur, 
quin    incommodi     [ut]     plus 

raalique    ilico    adsit,    boni 

si  optigit  quid, 
nam  ego  idnuncexperiordomo 

atqua  ipsa  de  me  scio,  (juoi 

voluptas 
parumper    datast    dum    viri 

mei  potestas  videndi    fuit 

mi 


'Tis  a  pretty  small  matter 
of  pleasure  we  get  in  our  life 
and  our  allotted  span,  com- 
pared with  the  trouble  !  'Tis 
so  arranged  in  the  life  of 
man  for  each  of  us  ;  ay,  such 
is  the  gods'  will,  that  sorrow 
should  follow  hard  on  plea- 
sure—or rather  indeed  that 
all  the  more  worry  and  vexa- 
tion should  be  on  us  straight 
for  each  stroke  of  good  luck. 
Why,  now  I  am  making  proof 
of  this  in  my  own  case,  and 
of  my  personal  experience 
I  know  it  ;  for  to  me  was 
granted  for  a  brief  while  the 
plcnsure  of  being  able  to  see 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


noctem  unam  modo  ;  atque  is 

repeiite  abiit  a  me  .  .  .  liinc 

ante  lucem. 
sola    hie    niihi    nunc    videoi', 

quia  ille  hinc  abest  quern 

ego  amo  praeter  omnes. 
aegri  plus  ex  abitu  viri  quam 

ex  adventu  voluptatis  cepi. 
sed  hoc  me  beat  saltern,  quom 

perduellis 
vicit  et  domum  laudis  compos 

revenit : 
id     solaciost.        absit,    dum 

laude  parta 
domum  recipiat  se  ;  feram  et 

perferam  usque 
abitum     eius     animo      forti 

atque   offirmato,    id    modo 

si  mercedis 
datur  mi  ut  mens  victoi"  vir 

belli  clueat,  satis  mi   esse 

ducam. 
virtus     praemiumst     optum- 

um  .  .  . 
virtus  omnibus  rebus  anteit 

profecto  ; 
libertas    salus    vita    res    et 

parentes 
patria  [hac]  et  prognati  tu- 

tantur  servantur  : 
virtus  omnia  in  sese  habet, 

omnia  adsunt 
bona  quem  penest  virtus. 
— Plautus,  Ainphitruo, 
II.  ii.  1-21. 


my  husband  for  one  sole 
night  —  and  in  a  trice  he 
went  off  from  me  ere  day- 
break. Here  now  I  seem  to 
myself  to  be  all  alone  ;  for 
he  whom  I  love  beyond  all 
others  is  away.  The  bitter- 
ness I  felt  at  my  lord's  de- 
parture was  greater  than  the 
joy  at  his  home-coming.  But 
this  thought  at  any  rate 
cheers  me  ■ —  he  has  van- 
quished his  foes  and  come 
back  full  of  glory.  That  is 
my  consoling  thought.  I 
don't  mind  his  being  away, 
if  only  he  can  get  home  with 
his  laurels  ;  I  will  bear — 
yes,  bear  even  to  the  end — 
his  departure  with  stout  and 
constant  heart,  if  only  this 
much  of  reward  be  mine, 
that  my  husband  be  hailed 
as  conqueror  in  war.  I  shall 
deem  this  enough.  Valour 
is  the  greatest  of  guerdons  ; 
valour  goes  before  every- 
tluHg,  in  truth  ;  freedom, 
safety,  life,  fortune,  and  pa- 
rents by  it  are  guarded,  are 
saved.  Valourincludes  every- 
thing ;  all  goods  are  his  in 
whom  is  valour. 

Titus  Maccius  Plautus  —  an 
official  name  derived  from  Ms 
stage-name  Maccus  Plotus — was 
an  Uiiibriau  from  Sarsina.  Prac- 
tically nothing  is  known  of  his 
life.  He  is  said  to  have  com- 
menced authorsliip  while  working 
as  a  journeyman  miller.  He  was 
boru  about  250  B.C.,  and  lived  to  a 
great  age. 


2.  Q.  Marcius  L.f  S[p.] 
Postumius  L.f.  cos.  senatimi 
conaoluerunt  n.  Octob.  apud 


2.  Quintus  Marcius  son  of 
Lucius  and  Spurius  Postum- 
ius  son   of   Lucius,  Consuls, 


PERIOD   OF   EARLY  AND    CLASSICAL   LATIN. 


aedem  Duelonai.  Sc(ribendo) 
arf(uerunt)  M.  Claudi(us)M.f. 
L.  Valeri(us)  P.f.  Q.  Miiiuci- 
(us)  C.f. 

De  Bacanalibus  quel  foide- 
ratei  esent  ita  exdeiceiiduni 
censuere — 

Nei  quis  eorum  Bacanal 
habuise  velet.  Sei  ques  esent 
quei  sibei  deicerent  necesua 
ese  Bacanal  habere,  eeisutei  ad 
pr(aetorem)  urbanem  Eom- 
am  venirent  deque  eeis  rebus 
ubei  eorum  verba  audita  esent 
utei  senatus  deceriieret,  dum 
ne  minus  senatoribus  C  ade- 
sent  [quom  e]a  res  cosoleretur. 
Bacas  vir  nequis  adiese  velet 
ceivis  Eomanus  neve  nomin- 
U3  Latini  neve  socium  quis- 
quam,  nisei  pr(aetorem)  ur- 
banum  adiesent  isque  [d]e 
senatuos  sententiad,  dum  ne 
minus  senatoribus  C  adesent 
quom  ea  res  cosoleretur,  iousi- 
set.  Ce[n]suere.  (Corpus  In- 
scr.  Lat.  1.  196.) 


consulted  the  Senate  on  the 
Nones  of  October  at  the 
temple  of  Bellona.  Witnes- 
ses of  the  drafting  were  Mar- 
cius  Claudius  son  of  Marcus, 
Lucius  Valerius  sou  of  Pub- 
lius,  and  Quiiitus  Minucius 
son  of  Gaius. 

With  regard  to  Bacchic 
rites,  it  was  proposed  to  make 
the  following  announcement 
to  those  in  association  : — 

None  of  them  shall  hold  a 
Bacchic  lite.  If  there  be  any 
who  declare  a  need  to  hold  a 
Bacchic  rite,  they  shall  come 
to  Rome  before  the  Urban 
Prfetor,  and  on  the  matti  r 
the  Senate  shall  decide  after 
hearing  their  statements,  pro- 
vided there  be  present  not 
fewer  than  one  hundred  Sen- 
ators while  the  matter  is 
under  discussion.  No  person, 
whether  Roman  citizen,  or 
member  of  the  Nomen  Latin- 
um,  or  one  of  the  Allies,  shall 
approach  a  Bacchante,  unless 
lie  approach  the  Urban  Prae- 
tor and  the  latter  give  per- 
mission on  tlie  advice  of  the 
Senate,  provided  there  be 
present  not  fewer  than  one 
hundred  Senators  while  the 
matter  is  under  discussion. 
The  resolution  was  passed. 

This  law  wa.s  pa.ssed  186  B.C., 
to  suppress  the  licence  of  Bacchic 
rites,  wliich  were  finding  their 
way  into  Italy. 


3.  M.  Cicero  S.  D.  Volum- 
nio. 

Quod  sine  piaenomine  fam- 
iliariter  ut  debebas  ad  me 
epistulam  misisti,  prinnim 
addubitavi  num  a  Volumnio 


3.  M.  Cicero  to  Yolumimix 
Greeting. 

You  sent  me  a  letter  with 
the  friendly  and  proper  omis- 
sion of  my  first  name  ;  and 
this  at  first  led  me  to  doubt 
whether  it  was  from  Volum- 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


senatore  esset,  quocimi  mihi 
est  inagmis  iisus ;  deinde 
fvrpaiTtAla  litterariim  fecit  ut 
intellegeveni  tuas  esse  ;  qni- 
bus  in  litteris  omnia  per- 
iiieunda  fuerunt  praeter  illud, 
quod  parum  diligenter  posses- 
sio  salinavum  mearum  a  te 
procuratore  defenditur  ;  ais 
enim,  ut  ego  discesserim, 
omnia  omnium  dicta,  in  eis 
etiam  Sestiana,  inme  conferri. 
quid  ?  tu  id  pateris  1  non  me 
defendis  ?  non  resistis  1  equi- 
dem  sperabam  ita  notata  me 
reliquisse  genera  dictorum 
meorum  ut  cognosci  sua 
sponte  possent ;  sed  quoniam 
t;inta  faex  est  in  urbe  ut 
nihil  tam  sit  aKveripov  quod 
non  alicui  venustum  esse 
videatur,  pugna,  si  me 
amas,  nisi  acuta  a/Kpi^oXla, 
nisi  elegans  inrepfioX-fj,  nisi 
irapdypa/xfia  Lellum,  nisi  rid- 
iculum  Trap^  irpoffSoKiav,  nisi 
cetera  quae  sunt  a  me  in 
secundo  libro  De  Oratore  per 
Aiitonii  personam  disputata 
de  ridiculis  evTexva  et  arguta 
apjjarebunt,  ut  sacramento 
contendas  mea  non  esse. 
nam,  de  iudiciis  quod  quer- 
eris,  multo  laboro  minus : 
trahantur  per  me  pedibus 
omnes  rei  :  sit  vel  Selius  tam 
eloquens  lit  posset  probare  se 
liberum  ;  non  laboro.  ur- 
banitatis  possessionem  amabo 
quibusvis  interdictis  defend- 


nius  the  Senator,  for  he  and 
I  are  ck)se  friends  ;  but  then 
the  esprit  of  the  letter  showed 
me  it  was  j'ours.  T  was 
highly  pleased  witli  all  its 
contents,  except  one  item : 
the  tenure  of  my  wit-mines 
is  being  defended  under  your 
agency  with  insufficient  care, 
for  you  tell  me  that  since  my 
departuie  every  good  saying 
of  everybody  —  and  among 
them  even  those  of  Sestius — 
is  ascribed  to  me.  What  ? 
You  tnleiate  this  1  You 
don't  defend  me  ?  You 
don't  stand  up  against  it? 
Upon  my  word,  I  thought 
I  had  left  the  types  of  my 
witticisms  so  well-  hall- 
marked that  they  could  be 
recognised  of  themselves. 
Bat  since  the  canaille  in 
town  is  so  numerous  that 
nothing,  however  much  de 
mauvais  gout,  fails  to  strike 
somebody  as  tasteful,  fight, 
if  you  love  me — fight  by 
maintaining  on  your  oath 
that  they  are  none  of  mine 
uidess  there  appear  in  them 
a  pointed  dovble  entente,  a 
graceful  s2irc7-oU,  a  neat  jeii 
de  mots,  a  laughable  surprise, 
or  the  I'est  of  the  tou7's  de 
mdthode  and  smartnesses 
handled  by  me  in  the  sec- 
ond book  of  my  De  Oratore 
in  treating  the  Laughable 
with  Antonius  as  my  mouth- 
jiiece.  As  to  your  complaints 
about  the  law-courts,  I  am 
much  less  concerned.  For 
what  I  care,  all  the  defen- 
dants may  go  hang  ;  even 
Selius  may  speak  well  enough 
to  prove  himself  a  freeman  ; 
I  (lon't  care.  But  pray  let 
ua  defend  with  every  possible 


PERIOD   OF  EAELY  AND   CLASSICAL  LATIN. 


amus  ;  in  qua  te  unum  metuo, 
contemno  ceteros.  derideri  te 
putas  :  nunc  demum  intellego 
te  sapere.  sed  mehei'cules 
extra  iocuni  :  valde  mihi  tuae 
litterae  facetae  elegantesque 
visae  sunt.  ilia  quamvis 
ridicula  essent  sicut  erant 
mihi  tamen  risum  non  move- 
runt  ;  cupio  enim  nostrum 
ilium  amicum  in  tribunatu 
quam  plurimum  habere  gra- 
vitatis  :  id  cum  ipsius  causa 
— est  mihi  ut  scis  in  amori- 
bus — turn  mehercule  etiam 
rei  p.  quam  quidem,  quamvis 
in  me  ingrata  sit,  aniare  non 
desinam.  tu,  mi  Volumni, 
quoniam  et  instituisti  et 
mihi  vides  esse  gratum, 
scribe  ad  me  quam  saepis- 
sime  de  rebus  urbanis,  de 
re  25. :  iucundus  est  mihi  sermo 
littei-arum  tuarum.  praeterea 
Dolaliellani,  quem  ego  per- 
spicio  et  iudico  cupidissimum 
esse  atque  amantissimum 
mei,  cohortare  et  confirma 
et  redde  plane  meum,  non 
mehercule  quo  quicquam  de- 
sit,  sed  quia  valde  cupio  non 
videor  nimium  laborare.  (Cic- 
ero, Ad  Famil.  vii.  32.) 


caveat  our  tenure  of  wit ;  on 
this  ground  I  fear  only  you, 
the  rest  I  despise.  You 
think  I  am  laughing  at  you  1 
Well,  now  I  pei'ceive  your 
intelligence.  But,  on  my 
word,  jesting  apart,  your  let- 
ter struck  me  as  extremely 
witty  and  graceful.  What 
you  say,  however  laughable 
it  might  be,  as  indeed  it  was. 
nevertheless  did  not  draw  a 
smile  from  me  ;  for  I  am  anx- 
ious that  our  friend  should 
have  as  much  influence  as 
possible  in  his  tribunate ; 
this  not  only  for  his  own 
sake — as  you  know,  he  is  one 
of  my  pets — but  also  for  the 
sake  of  our  country,  which  I 
shall  never  cease  to  love, 
however  thankless  it  may  be 
towards  me.  Pray,  my  dear 
Volumnius,  since  you  have 
set  yourself  to  it  and  you  see 
I  appi'eciate  it,  write  to  me 
as  often  as  you  can  about  the 
doings  in  town,  and  about 
the  government  :  the  conver- 
sation of  your  letters  is  pleas- 
ing to  me.  Furthermore,  you 
must  encourage  Dolabella, 
whom  I  see  through  and 
judge  to  be  strongly  inclined 
towards  me  and  deeply  at- 
tached ;  you  must  strengthen 
him  and  make  him  wbolly 
mine — not  indeed  that  there 
is  anything  lacking,  but  the 
strength  of  my  desire  makes 
me  think  I  don't  overdo  my 
efforts. 


Marcus  Tiillius  Cicero,  born  106 
B.C.  at  Arpimnu,  made  his  cUbtLt 
as  a  barrister  in  the  year  80.  lu 
63  he  became  Consul.  His  at- 
tempts to  buttress  uj)  tlie  totter- 
ing republican  constitution  by  a 


6 


HISTOIIICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


4.  Euoharis  Liciniae  L(ib- 
erta)  docta  erodita  omnes  ar- 
tes  virgo  vixit  an(nos)  xiiii. 

Heus  oculo  errante  quei  as- 

picis  leti  domus 
morare   gressum    et   titulum 

nostrum  perlege, 
amor   j^arenteis   quern   dedit 

natae  suae 
ubei  se  reliquiae  conlocarent 

corporis, 
lieic  viridis  aetas  cum  floreret 

artibus 
crescente  et  aevo  gloriam  con- 

scenderet, 
properavit  hora  tristis  fatalis 

mea 
et  denegavit  ultra  veitae  spir- 

itum. 
docta  erodita  paene  Musarum 

manu, 
quae   modo    nobilium    ludos 

decoravi  choro 
et  graeca   in    scaena    prima 

populo  apparui, 
en    hoc    in    tumulo   cinerem 

nostri  corporis 
infistae    Parcae    deposierunt 

carmine. 
Btudium  patronae,  cura  amor 

laudes  decus 


coml  (illation  of  the  capitalist 
Equites  with  the  Patricii  were  cut 
short  by  his  banishment  in  58, 
due  to  Clodius.  Restored  in  57, 
he  was  henceforth  politically  in 
the  shade  until  the  murder  of 
Julius  Caesar  in  44,  through  which 
he  became  the  mouthpiece  of  the 
Senatorial  policy.  On  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Triumvirate  in  43  he 
was  assassinated. 

4.  Eucharis,  freed  woman 
of  Licinia,  a  maid  cultured 
and  trained  in  all  the  arts, 
lived  fourteen  years. 

Oh,  you  who  with  wan- 
dering eye  regard  the  homes 
of  death,  delay  your  step  and 
study  my  storied  stone,  be- 
stowed by  a  father's  love 
upon  a  daughter  that  the  rel- 
ics of  her  body  might  there 
be  deposited.  Here,  while 
youth's  freshness  was  lush  in 
my  limbs  and  was  rising 
through  age's  increase  into 
honour,  the  sad  hour  of  my 
doom  came  premature  and 
denied  me  further  breath  of 
life.  Cultured  and  trained 
as  it  were  by  the  very  Muses' 
hand,  but  a  little  time  ago  I 
embellished  with  choirs  the 
nobles'  games,  and  was  first  of 
them  that  stand  before  the 
people  on  the  Greek  stage  : 
and  now,  lo  !  the  unkind 
Fates  with  their  charm  have 
laid  in  this  tomb  the  ashes  of 
my  body.  My  mistress's  in- 
terest, care,  love,  pivaise,  hon- 
our,   are    hushed    over     the 


PERIOD   OF   EARLY   AND   CLASSICAL   LATIN. 


silent  ambusto  corpore  et  leto 

tacent. 
reliqui  fletum  nata  genitori 

meo 
et  antecessi  genita   post   leti 

diem, 
bis  hie  septeni  mecum  natal  es 

dies 
teuebris   tenentur   Ditis    ae- 

terna  domu. 
rogo  ut  discedens  terram  mihi 

dicas  levem. 
(C.I.  L.,  i.  1009  :  vi.  10,096.) 

5.  Et  mihi  discendi  et  tibi 
docendi     facultatem     otium 
praebet.       igitur      perquam 
velim  scire  esse  phantasmata 
et  habere   propriam  figuram 
numenque  aliquod  putes  an 
inania  et  vana  ex  metu  nos- 
tro  imaginem  accipere.     ego 
ut    esse    credam    in    primis 
eo  ducor  quod  audio  accidisse 
Curtio  Rufo.      tenuis  adhuc 
et  obscurus   obtinenti  Afri- 
cam    conies     haeserat  :     in- 
clinato    die    spatiabatur     in 
])orticu  :  offertur  ei  mulieris 
figura  humana  grandior  pul- 
chriorque  :    perterrito   Afri- 
can! se,  futurorum  praenun- 
tiam,    dixit  :     iturum    enim 
Romam   honoresque    gestur- 
um   atque   etiam  cum   sum- 
mo  iniperio  in   candem  ])ro- 
vinciam    reversurum    ibique 
moriturum.     facta  sunt  om- 
nia,       praeterea      accedenti 
Carthaginem      egrcdienti<jue 
nave   eadem  figui-a  in   litore 


burnt  corpse,  silent  before 
death.  I  bequeathed  tears 
to  my  father,  and  though 
younger  preceded  his  day  of 
doom.  Twice  seven  birth- 
days are  here  encompassed 
with  me  in  darkness,  in  the 
ageless  hall  of  Dis.  I  beg 
you  in  departing  to  bid  the 
earth  be  light  for  me. 

Epitaph  on  a  young  actress, 
from  Rome ;  date  about  the 
middle  of  the   1st  century  B.C. 

5.  Our  leisure  gives  facili- 
ties for  learning  to  me,  and 
for  teaching  to  you.    So  I  par- 
ticularly want  to  know  if  you 
believe  that  ghosts  exist  and 
possess   a   special   form   and 
some  supernatural  power,  or 
that  empty  and  idle  fancies 
take    bodily   shape    through 
our    terrors.       I   am    led   to 
believe     in     their    existence 
mainly   from    what    I    hear 
befell  Curtiu.s  Rufus.     When 
still    poor  and  unknown   he 
had  remained  as  companion 
with  the  governor  of  Africa. 
At  the  close  of  day  he  was 
taking  a  stroll  in  the  portico 
when  a  woman's  form,  taller 
and   fairer   than   that    of    a 
mortal,    appeared     to     him. 
She   told   the   terrified   list- 
ener   that    she   was   Africa, 
and  proj)hesied   his   future  : 
he   was   destined    to    go    to 
Rome    and     hold    office,    to 
return      moreover      in      the 
highest     command     to     the 
same  province,  and  there  to 
die.     It  all  came  true.     Be- 
sides   this,    as    he   was    ap- 
proaching Carthage  and  dis- 
embarking   from    his     ship, 


HISTOEICAL   HEADER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


occurrisse      narratur.       ipse 
certe    inplicitus    morbo,    fii- 
tura  praeteritis,  adversa  se- 
cundis  auguratus,  spem  sal- 
utis  nullo  suorum  desperante 
proiecit.     iam  illud  nonne  et 
magis  terribile  et  non  minus 
mirum  est  quod  exponam  ut 
accepi  1      erat   Atlienis   spa- 
tiosa  et  capax  domus  sed  in- 
famis  et  pestilens.    per  silen- 
tium  noctis  sonus  ferri  et  si 
attenderes    acrius    strepitus 
vinculorum    longius     prirao, 
deinde   e   proximo   reddeba- 
tur  :  mox  apparebat  idolon, 
senex  macie  et  squalore  con- 
fectus,  promissa  barba,  hor- 
renti  capillo  ;  cruribus  com- 
pedes  mauibus  catenas  gere- 
bat  qnatiebatque.      inde  in- 
liabitantibus  tristes  diraeque 
noctes     per    metum    vigila- 
bantur  :  vigiliam  morbus  et 
crescente     formidine      mors 
sequebatur.       nam    interdiu 
quoque,   quamquam    absces- 
serat    imago,   memoria  ima- 
ginis  oculis  inerrabat,  longi- 
orque    causis    timoria   timor 
erat.     deserta  inde  et  dam- 
nata    solitudine    domus    to- 
taque    illi   monstro    relicta : 
proscribebatur     tamen     seu 
([uis    eniere    seu    quis    con- 
ducere    ignarus    tanti    mali 


the    same    form,    they    say, 
met  him.    It  is  a  fact  that  he 
himself  at  the  tinie  was  in 
the  cbitches  of  disease,  and 
drawing  from  prosperity  in 
the  past  his   forecast  of  ad- 
versity in  the  future,  he  gave 
up  hopes  of  recovery,  though 
none  of  his  people  despaired. 
Now  is  not  this  case — which 
I  shall  narrate  as  I  heard  it 
— still   more    awe  -  inspiring 
and  no  less  amazing  ?    There 
was  in  Athens  a  house,  large 
and  roomy,  but  of  evil  repu- 
tation   and   unhealthy.      In 
the     dead     of     night    there 
used   to  be   heard  a  din   of 
iron,    and,    if     one    listened 
more  carefully,  a  clanking  of 
chains,  first  at  a  distance  and 
then   close   at   hand.      Next 
would  appear  the   ghost,  an 
old     man,     emaciated     and 
grimy,    with    a    long   beard 
and  bristling  hair.    He  wore 
and    clanked    on     his    legs 
fetters    and    on    his    hands 
manacle.s.     So  dwellers  here 
passed  dismal    and  fearsome 
niglits  in  terrified  watching  ; 
their    sleeplessness   was   fol- 
lowed by  sickness,  and,  as  the 
alarm    increased,    by    death. 
For  even  by  day,  though  the 
phantom  had  vanished,  recol- 
lections of  it  haunted  their 
sight,    and    their   fears   out- 
lasted   the    causes    of    their 
fears.       So    the    house    was 
deserted  and   condemned  to 
loneliness  ;    it    was    entirely 
abandoned    to    the    Horror. 
Nevertheless   it   was   adver- 
tised, if  any  one  in  ignorance 
of  its  awful  curse  wanted  to 
buy  or  hire  it.     There  came 
to     Athens     a     philosopher 
Athenodorus.      He   read  the 


PERIOD   OF   EARLY   AND   CLASSICAL  LATIN. 


9 


vellet.  venit  Athenas  phil- 
osophus  Athenodorus,  legit 
titulum,  auditoque  pretio 
quia  suspecta  vilitas  per- 
cunctatus  omnia  docetur  ac 
nihilo  minus,  immo  tanto 
magis  conducit.  ubi  coepit 
advesperascere  iubet  sterni 
sibi  in  prima  domus  parte, 
poscit  pugillares  stilum 
lumen ;  suos  omnes  in  in- 
teriora  dimittit,  ipse  ad 
Hciibendum  animum  oculos 
manum  intendit,  ne  vacua 
mens  audita  simulacra  et 
inanes  sibi  metus  fingeret. 
initio,  quale  ubique,  silen- 
tiura  noctis  ;  dein  concuti 
ferrum,  vincula  moveri  :  ille 
non  tollere  oculos,  non  re- 
mittere  stilum,  sed  offirmai-e 
animum  auribusque  praeten- 
dere.  turn  crebrescere  fra- 
gor,  adventare,  et  iam  ut  in 
limine,  iam  ut  intra  limen 
audiri.  respicit,  videt  agnos- 
citque  narratam  sibi  effigiem. 
stabat  innuebatque  digito 
similis  vocanti.  hie  contra 
ut  paulum  exspectaret  manu 
significat  rursusque  ceris  et 
stilo  incumbit.  ilia  scri- 
bentis  capiti  catenis  insona- 
bat.  respicit  rursus  idem 
quod  prius  innuentem,  nee 
moratus  tollit  lumen  et  se- 


advertisement.  On  learning 
the  price  he  made  inquiries, 
as  its  cheapness  was  suspi- 
cious, and  was  informed  of 
the  whole  story.  None  the 
less,  or  rather  all  the  more 
readily,  he  hired  it.  As 
evening  began  to  close  in  he 
ordered  a  couch  to  be  pre- 
pared for  him  in  the  front 
part  of  the  house,  called  for 
his  note-book,  his  pencil,  and 
a  light,  and  sent  away  all 
his  people  into  the  inner 
cliambers,  while  he  himself 
applied  mind,  eyes,  and  hand 
to  writing,,  so  that  the  un- 
employed fancy  should  not 
conjuie  up  before  him  hear- 
say phantoms  and  empty 
terrors.  At  first,  night's 
silence  prevailed  as  usual  ; 
then  iron  began  to  clank, 
fetters  to  move.  He  did 
not  raise  his  eyes  nor  put  by 
his  pencil,  but  steeled  his 
mind  and  opposed  it  to  his 
hearing.  Then  the  din  grew 
louder.  It  drew  nearer,  and 
was  heard,  as  it  were,  first 
on  the  threshold,  and  then 
within  the  tlu'eshold.  He 
turned  his  head  and  saw  ;  he 
lecognised  the  phantom  de- 
scribed to  him.  It  stood 
there  and  beckoned  with  a 
finger,  as  though  summoning 
him.  He  on  the  other  hand 
ordered  it  with  a  gesture  to 
wait  a  while,  and  applied 
himself  anew  to  his  note- 
book and  pencil.  It  began 
to  rattle  its  chains  over 
the  writer's  head.  Looking 
jound  again,  he  saw  it 
beckoning  as  before.  With- 
out more  ado  he  took  up 
the  light  and  followed.  It 
walked  with  a  slow  step,  as 


10 


HISTORICAL  READER   OF    EARLY   FRENCH. 


quitur.    ibat  ilia  lento  gradu 
quasi  gravis   vinculis  ;  post- 
quam  deflexit  in  aream  do- 
mus   repente  dilapsa  deserit 
comitem.      desertus    herbas 
et    folia    concerpta    signum 
loco  ponit.     postero  die  adit 
magistratus,  monet  ut  ilium 
locum  effodi  iubeant.    inven- 
iuntur  ossa  inserta  catenis  et 
inplicita   quae    corpus    aevo 
terraque    putrefactum    nuda 
et  exesa  reliquerat  vinculis  : 
collecta  publice  sepeliuntur. 
domus    postea    rite    conditis 
manibus     caruit.      et     haec 
quidem  adfirmantibus  credo ; 
illud  adfiruiare  aliis  possum, 
est  libertus  mihi  non  inlitter- 
atus.     cum  hoc  minor  frater 
eodem    lecto   quiescebat.     is 
visus  est  sibi  cernere  quen- 
dam   in  toro  residentem  ad- 
moventemque  capiti  suo  cul- 
tros    atque     etiam    ex    ipso 
vertice  amputantem  capillos. 
ubi  inluxit  ipae  circa  verti- 
cem   tonsus,  capilli   iacentes 
reperiuntur.     exiguum  tem- 
poris     medium,     et     rursus 
simile     aliud     priori     fidem 
fecit.      puer   in    paedagogio 
mixtus   i^luribus   dormiebat. 
venerunt   per  fenestras,   ita 
narrat,   in  tunicis  albis  duo 
cubantemque  detonderunt  et 


though  weighed  down  by  its 
chains.  After  turning  into 
the  courtyard  it  suddenly 
vanished,  and  left  its  com- 
])anion  alone.  Thus  left  to 
himself,  he  plucked  some 
grass  and  leaves  and  laid 
them  down  to  mark  the  spot. 
The  next  day  he  went  to 
the  magistrates  and  advised 
them  to  order  the  place 
to  be  dug  up.  Bones  were 
found  locked  and  confined  in 
chains  ;  the  flesh,  wasted  by 
time  and  the  action  of  the 
earth,  had  left  them  bare 
and  gnawed  by  the  fetters. 
They  were  collected  and 
officially  buried.  After  this 
the  spirit,  having  received 
due  sepulture,  did  not  appear 
in  the  house.  The  avouchers 
of  these  tales  I  believe. 
Here  is  one  that  I  can  avouch 
to  others.  I  have  a  fairly 
well  educated  freedman. 
With  him  his  younger 
brother  was  sleeping  in  the 
same  bed.  This  person  ima- 
gined he  saw  some  one  seat 
himself  on  the  bed,  api)ly 
razors  to  his  head,  and 
actually  cut  off  hair  from 
his  crown.  At  daybreak  he 
himself  was  found  to  be 
shorn  about  the  crown  of 
the  head,  and  his  hair  to  be 
lying  by.  A  little  while 
elapsed,  and  a  second  like 
event  proved  the  truth  of  the 
former.  A  lad  was  sleeping 
with  several  others  in  the 
pages'  hall.  Through  the 
windows,  he  says,  came  two 
figures  in  white  tunics, 
cropped  his  hair  as  he  lay 
there,  and  withdrew  by  the 
way  they  had  come.  L>ay- 
break     displayed     him     too 


PERIOD   OF  EARLY  AND   CLASSICAL  LATIN. 


11 


qua  venerant  recesserunt. 
hunc  quoque  tonsum  spar- 
sosque  circa  capillos  dies 
ostendit.  nihil  notabile  se- 
cutum,  nisi  forte  quod  nou 
fui  I'eus,  futurus  si  Domi- 
tianus,  sub  quo  haec  accide- 
runt,  diutius  vixisset.  nam 
in  scrinio  eius  datus  a  Caro 
de  me  libellus  inventus  est ; 
ex  quo  coniectari  potest,  quia 
reis  moris  est  summittere  ca- 
])illum,  recisos  meorum  ca- 
pillos depulsi  quod  immine- 
bat  periculi  signum  fuisse. 
proinde  rogo  eruditionem 
tuam  intendas.  digna  res 
est  quam  diu  multumque 
consideres,  ne  ego  quidem 
indignus  cui  copiam  scientiae 
tuae  facias,  licet  etiam  ut- 
ramque  in  partem,  ut  soles, 
disputes,  ex  altera  tamen 
fortius,  ne  me  suspensum 
incertumque  dimittas,  cum 
mihi  consulendi  causa  fuerit 
ut  dubitare  desinerem.  vale. 
(Pliny,  Epistles,  vii.  27.) 


with  a  shorn  head  and  the 
liair  scattered  around  him. 
Nothing  worth  mentioning 
followed,  except,  perhaps, 
that  I  was  not  accused  of 
treason,  as  I  should  have 
Ijeen  if  Domitian,  in  whose 
reign  this  liappened,  had 
lived  longer  ;  fur  in  his  desk 
was  found  a  charge  -  sheet 
I'elating  to  me,  which  Cams 
liad  given  in.  Hence  one 
may  conjecture,  as  it  is  usual 
with  the  accused  to  let  their 
liair  grow,  that  the  shaving 
uf  my  people's  hair  was  a 
token  of  the  removal  of  the 
threatening  dangei\  So  pray 
set  your  learning  to  work. 
The  matter  is  one  that  de- 
serves long  and  deep  study 
on  your  part  ;  and  I  too 
am  not  unworthy  to  receive 
the  benefit  of  your  know- 
ledge. You  may  indeed, 
after  your  wont,  support 
both  sides  with  arguments  ; 
only  support  one  more  vigor- 
ously than  the  other,  so  as 
not  to  send  me  away  in  sus- 
pense and  uncertainty,  when 
the  very  reason  of  ray  con- 
sulting you  was  the  wish  to 
be  put  out  of  doubt. 

Gaius  Plinius  CiEcilius  Sec- 
uudus  was  born  62  a.D.  at  Novum 
Conium.  A  distiuguislied  poli- 
tical career  culminated  in  his 
consulate  (a.D.  100),  and  his 
administration  as  imperial  legate 
of  Bithynia  (about  112). 


6.  e. 

{(i)  Admirer  o  pariens  te  non  («)  I  marvel,  AVall,  you  have 

cecidisse  [ruini.s]  not  tumbled  in  ruin,  since 

qui    tot   scriptorum   ta[e-  so    many    writers    inflict 

d]ia  sustineas.  themselves  upon  you. 


12 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


(b)  Ubi    periia   cocta    est    si 

convivae  ajjponitur, 
non        gustat        pernam, 
liiigit    ollam    aut    cac- 
cabum. 

(c)  Quis([uis      amat     veniat ; 

Veueri    volo     fningere 

costas 
fustibus    et    lunibos    de- 

bilitaie  deae. 
si    pot[iH]   ilia  niihi   ten- 

erum    pertundere    pec- 
tus, 
qu[r]     ego     non     possini 

caput     ill[i]      frangere 

f uste  ? 


7.  Is    finis    nobis   et    ser- 
monis  et    itineris    communis 
fuit.     Nam  comites    utrique 
ad  villulam  proximam  laevor- 
sum     abierunt.       ego     veio 
quod  primum  ingressu  stab- 
ulum    conspicatus    sum,    ac- 
cess! et  de  quadam  anu  cau- 
pona  ilico  percontor  :    estne, 
inquam,  Hypata  liaec  civitas  ? 
annuit.        nostine     Milonem 
quendam      e       primoribus  ? 
arrisit   et    vere,    inquit,  pri- 
mus   istic    perhibetur    Milo 
qui      extra     pomoerium     et 
urbem  totam  colit.    remoto, 
inquam,  ioco,  parens  optima, 
die    oro     et     cuiatis    sit    et 
quibus    deversetur    aedibus. 
videsne,      inquit,     extremas 
fenestras   quae    foris    urbem 
prospiciunt     et      altrinsecus 
fores  proximum   resjoicientes 


(b)  If  when  a  ham  has  been 
cooked  it  is  set  before 
the  guest,  he  does  not 
taste  the  ham,  but  licks 
the  pot  or  saucepan. 

(c)  Let  any  lover  come  on  ;  I 
want  to  pound  Venus' 
ribs  with  a  cudgel  and 
knock  up  the  goddess' 
loins.  If  she  can  dig 
through  my  soft  breast, 
why  should  not  I  be  able 
to  break  her  head  with  a 
cudgel  ? 

Verses  scribLled  on  the  walls  of 
Pompeii  (C.I.L.  iv.  1904,  1896, 
1824). 

7.  So  ended  our  chat  and 
our  journey  iti  common;  for 
both  companions   turned  oif 
towards  the  left  to  the  near- 
est homestead.      As  for  my- 
self, I  went  up  to  the  very 
first  outhouse   that  met  my 
eye  on  entering  and  straight- 
way   asked   an   old    woman 
who    kept    a    tavei^n    there, 
"  Is  tills  city  Hypata  ? "    She 
nodded.       "  Do     you     know 
Milo,  one  of  the  leading  cit- 
izens?" She  smiled.   "Milo," 
she  said,  "  is  truly  accounted 
a  leading  citizen  there,  when 
he  lives  outside  the  city  boun- 
dary and   the   whole   town." 
"Jesting     apart,"      said     I, 
"  pray  tell  me,  good  mother, 
whei'e  he  comes  from  and  in 
which     house     he     lodges." 
"Do  you  see  those   farthest 
windows,"  quoth  she,  "  which 
look    forward    towards    the 
town   from  witliout,  and  on 
the  other  side  the  door  back- 


PERIOD  OF  EARLY  AND   CLASSICAL  LATIN. 


13 


angiportiim  ?  inibi  iste  Milo 
deversatur  ampliter  mim- 
matus  et  loiige  opulentus, 
verum  extremae  avaritiae  et 
sordis  infimae  infamis  homo, 
fenus  denique  copiosum  sub 
airabone  auri  et  argenti  creb- 
riter  exercens,  exiguo  lare 
inclusus  et  aerugini  semper 
intentus  ;  cum  uxore  etiam 
calamitatis  suae  comite  hab- 
itat, neque  praeter  unicam 
pascit  ancillulam  et  habitu 
mendico  semper  incedit.  ad 
haec  ego  risu  subicio,  ben- 
igne,  inquam,  et  prospicue 
Demeas  meus  in  me  con- 
suhiit,  qui  peregrinatorem 
tali  viro  conciliavit,  in  cuius 
hospitio  nee  fumi  nee  nidoris 
nebulam  vererer.  et  cum 
dieto  modico  secus  progres- 
sus  ostium  accedo  et  ianuam 
firmiter  oppessulatam  pul- 
sare  vocaliter  incipio.  tan- 
dem adulescentula  quaedam 
procedens,  heus  tu,  inquit, 
qui  tam  fortiter  fores  verb- 
erasti,  sub  qua  specie  mutu- 
ari  cupis  ?  an  tu  solus  ignoras 
praeter  aurum  argentumque 
nullum  nos  pignus  admittere? 
meliora,  inquam,  ominare  et 
potius  responde  an  intra 
aedes  erum  tuum  offenderim 
plane,  inquit ;  sed  quae  causa 
quaestionis  liuius  ?  litteras  ei 
a  Corintho  Demea  sciiptas 
ad  eum  reddo.  dum  annuntio, 
inquit,  hie  ibidem  me  opper- 
iiiiinor.  et  cum  dicto  rursum 
foribus  oppessulatis  se  intro 


ing  into  the  neighbouring 
alley  ?  That  is  where  your 
Milo  lodges  —  a  man  well 
nroneyed  and  monstrous  sub- 
stantial, but  in  discredit  for 
his  ])iodigious  greed  and 
outrageous  meanness  ;  a  man 
too  who  constantly  practises 
on  a  big  scale  usury  on  depos- 
its of  gold  and  silver,  confining 
himself  in  a  narrow  dwelling 
and  brooding  always  over 
the  rust  of  his  cash.  He 
lives  with  a  wife  who  shares 
alike  in  his  plight ;  he  keeps 
but  one  maid,  and  always 
goes  about  in  the  garb  of  a 
beggar."  To  this  I  replied 
with  a  smile,  "  My  friend 
Demeas  has  kindly  and  con- 
siderately studied  my  inter- 
ests by  Ijringing  me  in  my 
pilgrimage  to  a  man  under 
whose  roof  I  need  apprehend 
reek  neither  of  smoke  nor  of 
kitchen  odours." 

After  this  conversation  I 
walked  a  little  way  onwai'ds 
and  approached  the  doorway. 
The  door  was  sti'ongly 
barred  ;  I  began  to  knock 
on  it,  shouting  the  while. 
At  length  a  young  woman 
came  forth,  and  said,  "  You, 
sir,  who  have  been  knocking 
so  confidently  at  the  door, 
what  is  your  claim  for  desir- 
ing to  raise  a  loan  ?  Or  are 
you  the  only  man  who  does 
not  know  that  we  accept  noth- 
ing as  a  pledge  but  gold 
and  silver?"  "  Don't  talk  so 
ominously,"  said  I  ;  "  tell  me 
rather  whether  I  have  found 
your  master  at  home."  "Cer- 
tainly," said  she  ;  "  but 
what's  your  reason  for  ask- 
ing this?"  "lam  bringing 
him    letters     from     Corinth 


14 


HISTORICAL  READEK   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


capessivit.  raodico  deinde 
regressa  patefactis  foribiis, 
rogat  te,  inquit.  intuli  me 
eumque  accubantem  exiguo 
admodum  grabatulo  et  com- 
modum  cenare  incipientem  in- 
venio.  adsidebat  pedes  uxor 
et  niensa  vacua  posita,  cuius 
monstratu,  en,  inquit,  hos- 
pitium.  bene,  ego  ;  et  ilico 
ei  litteras  Denieae  trado. 
quibus  properiter  lectis,  amo, 
inquit,  nieum  Demean  qiii 
mihi  tantuui  conciliavit  hos- 
pitem.  et  cum  dicto  iubet 
uxorem  decedere  utque  in 
eius  locum  assidam  iubet, 
meque  etiam  nunc  vere- 
cundia  cunctantem  arrepta 
lacinia  detrahens,  adside,  in- 
quit,  istic.  nam  prae  metu 
latroiium  nulla  sessibula  ac 
ne  sufficientem  supellectilem 
parare  nobis  licet,  feci,  et 
sic,  ego  te,  inquit,  etiam  de 
ista  corporis  speciosa  habit- 
udine  deque  hac  vii-ginali 
prorsus  verecundia  generosa 
stirpe  proditum  et  recte  con- 
icerem.  sed  et  mens  Demeas 
eadem  litteris  pronuntiat. 
ergo  brevitatem  gurgustioli 
nostri  ne  spernas  peto.  erit 
tibi  adiacens  et  ecce  illud 
cubiculum  honestum  recep- 
taculum.  fac  libenter  dever- 
seris  in  nostro.  nam  et 
maiorem  domum  dignatione 
tua  feceris  et  tibi  specimen 
gloriosum  arrogaris  si  con- 
tentus  lare  parvulo  Thesei 
illius   cogiiominis   patria   tui 


which  Demeas  has  written 
to  him."  "  Wait  for  me  here 
on  the  spot,  the  pair  of  you," 
.said  she,  "  wliile  I  announce 
you. "  With  these  words 
she  barred  the  doors  again, 
and  withdrew  into  the  house. 
Returning  shoitly  after,  she 
opened  the  door  and  said, 
"  He  asks  you  in."  I  entered, 
and  found  him  reclining  on 
the  tiniest  of  couches  and 
just  beginning  dinner.  At 
his  feet  his  wife  was  sitting ; 
an  empty  table  stood  by, 
pointing  to  which  he  said, 
"  Here  is  our  hospitality  !  " 
"  Excuse  me,"  said  I,  and 
forthwith  handed  him  the 
letter  of  Demeas.  He  read 
it  swiftly  and  said,  "  I  am 
obliged  to  my  friend  Demeas 
for  bringing  to  me  a  guest  of 
such  importance."  So  saying, 
he  dismissed  his  wife  and 
bade  me  sit  down  in  her 
place  by  him.  As  I  still 
from  modesty  hesitated,  he 
seized  me  by  the  lappel  and 
drew  me  down,  saying,  "  Sit 
by  me  there — for  we  can't 
get  chairs,  or  even  sufficient 
furniture,  from  fear  of  burg- 
lars." I  did  so.  Thereupon 
he  said,  "  Even  from  this 
comely  appearance  and  quite 
maidenly  modesty  of  yours,  I 
should  guess  you,  and  rightly 
too,  to  be  a  scion  of  some 
noble  stock  ;  but  my  friend 
Demeas  too  makes  the  same 
statement  in  his  letter.  So 
I  beg  you  won't  despise  the 
narrowness  of  our  poor  cabin. 
You  will  find  yonder  adjoin- 
ing chamber  a  decent  lodg- 
ing. I  hope  you'll  enjoy 
yourself  with  us ;  for  you 
will    make     our    hotise     the 


PERIOD   OF   EARLY  AND    CLASSICAL  LATIN. 


15 


virtu  tes  aemulaveris,  qui  non 
est  aspernatus  Hecales  anus 
hospitium  tenue.  et  vocata 
ancillula,  Fotis,  inquit,  sar- 
cinulas  hospitis  susceptas 
cum  fide  conde  in  illud  cub- 
iculum  ac  simul  ex  promp- 
tuario  oleum  unctui  et  lintea 
tersui  et  cetera  huic  eidem 
Usui  profer  ociter,  et  hos- 
pitem  meum  produc  ad  prox- 
imas  balneas ;  satis  arduo 
itinere  atque  prolixo  fatigatus 
est.  (Apuleius,  Metamorph. 
I.  xxi.-xxiii.) 


greater  by  your  condescen- 
sion, and  you  will  be  aljle  to 
claim  honour  as  an  example 
if  you  rival  the  virtues  of 
Theseus,  your  father's  name- 
sake, who  did  not  despise  old 
Hecale's  scanty  hospitality." 
Then,  summoning  the  maid, 
he  said,  "  Fotis,  take  my 
guest's  iuorgage  and  bestow 
it  carefully  into  that  bed- 
room, and  at  the  same  time 
bring  out  at  once  from  the 
store-room  oil  for  anointing 
him,  towels  for  drying  him, 
and  other  things  for  the 
same  purpose ;  then  show 
my  guest  to  the  nearest 
baths.  After  his  really  toil- 
some and  tedious  journey  he 
is  worn  out." 


8.  Erant  in  quadam  civi- 
tate  rex  et  regina.  hi  tres 
numero  filias  forma  conspic- 
uas  habuere.  sed  maiores 
quidem  natu  quamvis  gra- 
tisshna  specie  idonee  tamen 
celebrari  posse  laudibus  hu- 
manis  credebantur,  at  vero 
puellae  iunioris  tam  prae- 
cipua,  tam  praeclara  i)ul- 
chritudo  nee  exprimi  ac  ne 
sufficienter  quidem  laudari 
sermonis  humani  penuria  po- 
terat.  multi  denique  civium 
et  advenae  copiosi,  quos  ex- 
iraii  spectaculi  rumor  studi- 
osa  celebritate  congregabat, 
inaccessae  formositatis  ad- 
miratione  stupidi,  et  admo- 
ventes  oriVjiis  suis  dexteram, 
piimore  digito  in  erectum 
pollicem  residente,  ut  ipsani 
prorsus    deam    Venerem    re- 


8.  In  a  ceitain  country 
there  lived  a  king  and  a 
queen.  They  had  daughters 
three  in  number,  of  striking 
beauty.  But  while  it  was 
thought  that  the  two  eld- 
es*-,  exquisite  as  were  their 
charms,  still  were  not  be- 
yond the  possible  scope  of 
mortal  praise,  the  loveliness 
of  the  youngest  was  so  uniijue, 
so  transcendent,  as  to  sur- 
pass description  and  even 
reasonable  laudation  fi'om 
sheer  poverty  of  human  lan- 
guage. Now  there  were  many 
of  her  countrymen  and  nu- 
merous strangers  who  were 
banded  by  the  fame  of  the 
rare  vision  in  eagei'  crowds  ; 
dumb  with  admiration  of  her 
unapproachable  loveliness, 
and  applying  their  right 
hands  to  their  mouths  with 
the  finger  -  tip  closed  down 
on  the  raised  thumb,  they 
adored  her  with  the  saluta- 


16 


HISTOEICAL   READER    OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


ligiosis  a(](ii'ationil)us  venera- 
bantur.  iauique  proximas 
civitates  et  attiguas  regiones 
fama  jjervaserat,  deam  quam 
caerulum  profundum  pelagi 
peperit  et  ros  spumantium 
fliictuum  educavit  iani  nu- 
minis  sui  passim  tributa 
venia  in  mediis  conversari 
populi  coetibus,  vel  certe 
rursum  novo  caelestium  stel- 
larum  germine  non  maria 
sed  terras  Venerem  aliam 
virginali  flore  praeditam  pul- 
lulasse.     (lb.,  iv.  xxviii.) 


9.  Aeliae  AeUa\jiae\. 

Littera  qui  nosti  lege  casum 

et  d[ole  puellam  f\. 
multi     sarcophagum     dicunt 

quod  cous[umit  artus  ?]  ; 
set    conclusa    decens   apibus 

domus  ista  [vocanda]. 
o  nefas  indignum  ;  iacet  hie 

praeclara  puella. 
hoc  pUis  quam  dolorest ;  rapta 

est  specios[a  puelia]. 
pervixit  virgo  ubi  iam  matura 

placebat ; 
nuptias    indixit,     gaudebant 

vota  parentes. 


tioiis  of  religion  as  the  god- 
dess Venus  lierself.  Ere  long 
the  rumour  liad  penetrateil 
the  neighbouring  states  and 
adjacent  lands  that  the  god- 
dess born  from  the  azure 
abyss  of  Ocean  and  nurtui'ed 
by  the  dew  of  the  foamy 
waves  had  now  freely  vouch- 
safed the  graces  of  her  god- 
head and  was  ranging  amidst 
popular  throngs  ;  or  that  at 
least  the  heavenly  stars  had 
conceived  anew,  and  the 
earth,  not  the  sea,  had 
brought  forth  a  second  Venus 
dowered  with  the  flower  of 
maiden  loveliness. 

Lucius  Apuleius  was  born  about 
130  A.D.  of  a  good  family  in  Ma- 
•laura,  on  the  borders  of  Numidia 
and  Gaetulia.  Having  lost  his 
patrimony  in  learned  travel,  he 
became  a  pleader  at  Rome  and 
rapidly  rose.  He  then  returned 
home  to  Africa,  where  he  married 
a  rich  widow  of  Oea,  Pudentilla 
by  name.  The  rest  of  his  life 
was  seemingly  spent  for  the  most 
]iart  in  Carthage. 

9.  To  Aelia  Aeliana. 

You  who  know  your  let- 
ters, read  a  girl's  sad  tale 
and  weej).  Many  call  that 
a  "sarcophagus"  which  con- 
sumes the  body ;  but  this 
should  l>e  called  a  dwelling- 
place  closed  and  befitting  the 
bee.  O  monstrous  iniquity  ! 
here  lies  a  noble  girl.  This 
is  more  than  grief  :  a  lovely 
girl  has  been  ravished  away. 
She  remained  a  maid  in  the 
time  of  her  ripened  charms  ; 
she  announced  wedlock  ;  the 
parents  rejoiced  over  her  de- 
sire.    For  she  lived  17  years, 


PEEIOD   OF   EAELY   AND   CLASSICAL   LATIN. 


17 


vixit    enim    ann(os)    xvii   et 

menses  vii  diesque  xviii. 
o  felice  patrem  qui  non  vidit 

tale  dolorem. 
heret  et  infixo  pectore  volnus 

Dionysiadi  matri  ; 
et  iunctam  secum  Geron  patei" 

tenet  ipse  puellam. 

(C.  I.  L.,  xii.  743.) 


7  months,  and  18  days.  O 
liappy  father,  not  to  have 
lived  to  experience  such 
anguish  !  The  wound  abides 
in  the  pierced  bosom  of  her 
mother  Dionysias  ;  and  her 
father  Geron  keeps  the  girl 
in  his  society, 

A  would-be  metrical  ej^itaph  of 
the  second  century,  from  Gaul. 


10.  Neque  enim  Deus  cocci- 
neas  aut  purpureas  eves  fecit, 
aut  herbarum  sucis  et  conchy- 
liis  tingere  et  colorare  lanas 
docuit,  nee  distinctis  auro  la- 
pill  is  et  margaritis  contexta 
serie  et  numerosa  compage 
digestis  monilia  instituit,  qui- 
bus  cervicem  quam  fecit  ab- 
sconderes,  ut  operiatur  illud 
quod  Deus  in  homine  for- 
mavit  et  conspiciatur  id  de- 
super  quod  diabolus  adin- 
venit.  an  vulnera  inferri 
auribus  Deus  voluit,  quibua 
innocens  adhuc  infantia  et 
mali  saecularis  ignara  cru- 
cietur,  ut  postea  de  aurium 
cicatricibus  et  cavernis  pre- 
tiosa  grana  dependeant,  gra- 
via  etsi  non  suo  pondere 
raercium  tamen  quantitate  1 
quae  omnia  peccatores  et 
apostatae  angeli  suis  artibus 
prodiderunt  quando  ad  ter- 
rena  contagia  devoluti  a  cae- 
lesti  vigore  rece.sserunt.  illi 
et  oculos  circumduct©  nigrore 
facare  et  genas  mendacio  lu- 
l)oris  inficere  et  mntare  adid- 
terinis  coloribus  crinem  et 
expugnare    omnom     oris     et 


10.  God  did  not  create 
sheep  of  scarlet  or  purple 
hue  ;  He  did  not  teach  the 
dyeing  and  colouring  of  wool 
by  vegetable  juices  and  sliell- 
tishes'  secretions  ;  nor  did  He 
create  necklaces  of  gems 
framed  in  gold  and  pearls, 
arranged  in  threaded  row 
and  frequent  conjuncture, 
that  thei^eby  you  should  con- 
ceal His  work,  cloaking  what 
God  moulded  in  man  and  ex- 
hibiting over  it  the  Evil  One's 
invention.  Was  it  God's  will 
that  wounds  should  be  in- 
flicted on  the  ears,  for  the 
torture  of  babes  still  innocent 
and  unwitting  of  worldly 
evil,  that  later  tiny  gems, 
heavy  from  their  commercial 
value  if  not  from  their  own 
weight,  should  dangle  from 
the  scars  and  hollows  of  the 
ears  ?  All  this  the  sinful  and 
recreant  angels  devised  by 
their  arts  when  they  sank 
to  the  defilements  of  eaith 
and  letreated  from  heavenly 
energy.  They  by  the  as- 
saults of  their  fascination 
taught  the  embellishment  of 
the  eyes  by  surrounding 
blackness  ;  they  taught  the 
staining  of  the  cheeks  with 
a  feigned  bhish,  the  cliaiig- 
iiig  of  the  Iiaii-  with  counter- 


18 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


capitis  veritatem  coriiiptelae 
suae  impugnatione  docuerunt. 
et  quidem  isto  in  loco  pro 
timore  quern  nobis  fides  sug- 
gerit,  pro  dilectione  quam 
fraternitas  exigit,  non  vir- 
gines  tantum  aut  viduas  sed 
et  nuptas  puto  et  omnes  om- 
nino  feminas  admonendas 
quod  opus  Dei  et  factura 
eius  et  plastica  adulterari 
nullo  modo  debeat  adliibito 
flavo  colore  vel  nigro  pulvere 
vel  rvibore  aut  quolibet  deni- 
que  lineamenta  nativa  cor- 
rumpenti  medicamine.  dicit 
Deus  "  faciamus  hominem  ad 
imaginem  et  similitudineni 
nostram."  et  audet  quisquam 
mutare  et  convertere  quod 
Deus  fecit  1  manus  Deo  in- 
ferunt  quando  id  quod  ille 
formavit  reformare  et  trans- 
figurare  contendunt,  nesci- 
entes  quia  opus  Dei  est  omne 
quod  nascitur,  diaboli  quod- 
cumque  mutatur.  (Cyprian, 
De    Habitu    Virgimim,     xiv. 

XV.) 


fc'it  hues,  the  subversion  of 
all  honesty  as  to  the  face  and 
head.  In  this  connexion,  in- 
deed, the  fear  that  faith  in- 
si>ires  in  me  and  the  affection 
demanded  by  brotlierhood 
lead  me  to  think  that  not 
only  maidens  and  widows,  but 
also  wives  and  all  women  in 
general,  should  be  reminded 
that  the  work  of  God,  the 
form  made  and  moulded  by 
Him,  should  in  nowise  be 
falsified  by  the  use  of  golden 
dye,  or  black  powder,  or 
rouge,  or  in  short  by  any 
medicament  marring  the  fea- 
tures of  nature.  God  says, 
"  Let  us  make  man  in  our 
image  and  likeness"  ;  and 
does  any  one  dare  to  change 
and  recast  what  God  has 
made?  They  do  violence  to 
God  when  they  strive  to  re- 
model what  He  has  modelled, 
and  to  transform  it,  ignorant 
that  all  that  comes  to  birth 
is  the  work  of  God,  and  all 
that  undergoes  change  is  the 
work  of  the  Evil  One. 

Thascius  Crecilms  Cyprianus  be- 
longs to  the  first  half  of  the  third 
century.  He  was  Bishop  of  Car- 
thage, and  his  writings  show 
traces  of  a  youthful  training  in 
the  African  school  of  rhetoric. 


11. 

(«)  D(is)  M(anibus)  T. 
Calvii  Pompeiani.  L.  Cal- 
vius  Secundus  et  Pompeia 
Q.  f .  Severilla  filio  pientissimo 
et  desiderantissimo  qui  in- 
digne  ereptus  est  iuvenis 
exempli    rarissimi    annorum 


11. 

(ff)  To  the  blessed  spirit 
of  Titus  Calvius  Pompeianus. 
Lucius  Calvius  Secundus  and 
Pompeia  Severilla,  daughter 
of  Quintus  (raised  this  tomb) 
to  their  most  affectionate  and 
sadly  missed  son,  who  was 
mercilessly     carried     off,     a 


PERIOD   OF   EARLY   AND   CLASSICAL   LATIN. 


19 


xvii  m(eiisium)  v  dier(iuii) 
vi. 

(6)  Perpetuae  quieti.  Do- 
mitio  Tatiano  infanti  dul- 
cissimo  quern  prima  aetate 
florentem  mors  dira  sub- 
ripuit.  Vixit  ann(os)  iii 
m(enses)  vi  d(ies)  xx.  Agri- 
pin.  Donatus  pater  et  lovina 
mater  filio  carissimo  [p]os- 
uerunt.  (C.I.L.,  xii.  3502, 
3559.) 

12. 

Depossio  (depositio)  Ivniani 
pri.  idvs  Apriles  Marcellino  et 

Probino  Conss.  Qvi  bixit 
annis  xl  in  pace  decessit  et 
amator  pavperorvm  vixit.] 

Cvm  Brginia  (Virginia) 
annis  xv  benemerenti  Bir- 
ginia  sva  Bictora  (Victoria)]. 

Benemerenti  fecit  amatrix 
pavperorvm  et  operaria. 

(In  Mus.  Lat. ;  De  Rossi,  n.  62. ) 
See  M'Caul's  '  Christian  Epitaphs ' 
(Toronto,  1869). 

A  Christian  inscription  of  341 

A.D. 


singularly  exemplary  youth, 
aged  17  years,  5  months,  and 
6  days. 

(6)  To  Eternal  Repose.  In 
memory  of  Domitius  Tati- 
anus,  their  darling  babe, 
whom  a  cruel  death  snatched 
away  in  the  blossom  of  his 
earliest  years.  He  lived  3 
years,  6  months,  and  20  days. 
Agrippinus  Donatus  the 
father  and  Jovina  the  mother 
raised  this  monument  to  their 
beloved  son. 

Two  epitaphs  of  the  third  cen- 
tury, from  Gaul. 

12. 

The  burial  of  Junianus 
(took  place)  on  the  day  before 
the  Ides  of  April,  in  the  con- 
sulship of  Marcellinus  and 
Probinus  {i.e.,  April  12,  341 
A.D.),  who  lived  forty  years. 
He  departed  in  peace  (and 
was)  a  lover  of  the  poor.  He 
lived  with  his  wife  fifteen 
years.  To  him,  well  deserv- 
ing, his  wife  Victoria,  a  lover 
of  the  poor,  and  industrious, 
made  (this)  to  him  well  de- 
serving. 

Brginia  =  Virginia = a  wife  who 
was  a  maiden  when  married. 
Thus  also  Virginius  =  maritus. 

Operaria,  industrious.  This 
praise  of  a  woman  is  common 
to  pagan  and  Christian  epitaphs. 
Thus  lanam  fecit,  Gruter,  769,  9  ; 
lanifica,  Orelli,  4658  :  and  xal  epya- 
Tiy,  Boeck,  Corp.  Inscrip.  Graec, 
954.     (Mainly  from  M'Caul.) 

The  popular  character  of  the 
sufiBx  -arius  is  fully  described  in 
Olcott,  p.  137  sqq.  The  classical 
Latin  woidd  have  been  "  operosa." 
These  forms  have  produced  the 
suffix  -ier  in  French. 


20 


11. 


POST-CLASSICAL   LATIN   OF  GAUL. 


1.    Symmachus     Flaviano 
ratri. 

Baiai'ura  solitudine  vehe- 
menter  offensus  Puteolis  ma- 
lui  commorari.  iuvat  enim 
nos  istius  loci  salubris  habi- 
tatio.  dehinc  si  adiutu  dei 
optata  processerint,  Capuam 
paramus  excurrere  totumque 
hunc  mensem  Novembrem 
diversis  Campaniae  locis 
atque  urbibus  deputamus. 
haec  est  nostri  sum  ma  pro- 
positi, sed  lit  animus  al- 
acrior  destinata  promoveat, 
vestris  alloquiis  erigendus 
est  ;  qiiandoquidem  sanitatis 
vestrae  et  felicitatis  indicio 
nihil  antiquius  aestimamus. 
veriim  hoc  pro  insigni  re- 
ligione  sponte  facietis.  atque 
ideo  non  est  necesse  volun- 
tariis  officiis  aculeos  exhorta- 
tionis  adhibere.  interea  quod 
te,  mi  f rater,  affore  poUic- 
eris  vehementer  amplector. 
atque  utinam  te  doraus  tota 
comitetur,   ut   et   nobis    lae- 


1.  Symmachus  to  his  brother 
Flavianiis. 

I  was  gi'eatly  annoyed  at 
the  empty  condition  of  Baiae, 
and  have  chosen  rather  to 
stay  at  Puteoli  ;  for  the 
healthiness  of  the  latter 
))lace  as  a  resort  takes  my 
fancy.  Afterwards,  if  by 
the  aid  of  Providence  my 
wishes  are  realised,  I  pro- 
pose an  excursion  to  Capua, 
and  am  devoting  the  whole 
of  this  month  of  November 
to  the  different  places  and 
towns  of  Campania.  This  is 
the  main  outline  of  my  pro- 
gramme. But  my  mind 
needs  the  encouragement  of 
your  conversation  in  order 
to  put  its  plans  into  execu- 
tion with  spirit  ;  for  there  is 
nothing  on  which  I  set  a 
higher  value  than  on  the 
indication  of  your  health  and 
happiness.  But  this  you 
will  do  of  your  own  not- 
able conscientiousness,  with- 
out pressure  ;  so  there  is  no 
need  for  me  to  apply  to  your 
spontaneous  good  offices  the 
spur  of  request.  Meantime, 
brother,  I  heartily  greet 
the    promise   of    your    pres- 


POST-CLASSICAL   LATIN   OF   GAUL. 


21 


titiam  pleniorem  tribuat  ad- 
ventus  omnium  et  tibi  causa 
non  sit  citius  patriam  re- 
curreiidi  desiderio  et  amore 
remanentium.  vale.  (Sym- 
machus,  Epist.  ii.  26,  Migne.) 


2.    DD.    Theodosio   et    Ar- 
cadia semper  Aug. 

Certum  est  quidem  Cle- 
meutiam  vestram  fidei  amore 
et  studio  veritatis  in  exameii 
assiduum  saepe  explorata  revo- 
care,  dd.  iraperatores.  sed  cum 
Auxentius  v.c.  et  Cyriades 
comes  et  mechanicus  pari- 
lis  dignitatis  quadam  inter 
se  concertatione  dissentiunt, 
nonnihil  .superioribus  iudici- 
l)us  derogatur.  iam  dudum 
enim  v.c.  et  illustris  Auch- 
eiiius  Bassus  pontis  novi 
opere  perspecto  .sub  actoi'um 
coufectione  signavit  culpam 
vel  diligentiam  singulorum  ; 
denuo  successor  eius  eadem 
loca  rimatus  asseritur.  de- 
hinc  cum  apud  me  ex  re- 
scripto  quod  Cyriades  v.c. 
impetravit  recidiva  cogni- 
tione  confligerent  atque  ipsis 
consistentibus  censuissera  ut 
utriusque  tarn  sumptus  quam 
aedificationem  investigatio 
diacussionis  inquireret,  v.c. 
Auxentius  rej)ente  deseruit 
iudicatum.      de    cuius   facto 


ence ;  and  I  hope  your 
whole  household  will  come 
with  you,  so  that  the  arrival 
of  all  may  vouchsafe  us  a 
more  abundant  joy,  and  you 
may  have  no  motive  for 
hurrying  back  before  due 
time  to  your  country  out  of 
longing  and  affection  for 
those  who  stay  behind.  Fare- 
well. 

2.   To  their  Majesties  Theo- 
dosius  and  Arcadius. 

I  know  well,  my  Imperial 
Lords,  that  youi'  Clemencies, 
out  of  love  for  fairdealiiig  and 
devotion  to  truth,  frequently 
recall    into    diligent    review 
matters   already   scrutinised. 
Now   when  the   Honourable 
Auxentius    and    the   official 
engineer  Cyriades,   of   equal 
rank,   cease   through  contro- 
versy to  be  in  harmony  with 
one  another,  a  certain  curtail- 
ment of  authority  befalls  the 
higher    judges.       For    some 
time  ago  the  Right  Honour- 
able Auchenius  Bassus,  after 
examining  the  works  of  the 
new  bridge,  noteil  in  drawing 
up  his  minutes  the  culi)ability 
or  activity  of  individuals;  his 
successor  is    stated    to   have 
subjected  the  same  places  to 
a    seconfl     scrutiny.       Then, 
when   ill   a  renewed  investi- 
gation, on  a  rescript  obtained 
liy  the  Honourable  C!yi'iades, 
they  ])leaded  against  one  an- 
other   before    me    and    with 
the   parties    in  my   presence 
I  had  decided  that  an  audi- 
torial   scrutiny    should    look 
into  the  ex])enditure  as  well 
as  the  construction,  the  Hon- 
ourable Auxentius  suddenly 


22 


HISTORICAL  KEADEU  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


iiiissurus  relationem  quaiu 
sollicitudo  remissi  operis  ex- 
igebat,  alia  numinis  vestri 
decreta  rursus  accepi  quibus 
examini  meo  v.c.  et  lauda- 
bilem  vicaiium  copulastis,  ut 
utroque  residente  accusata 
pontis  vitia  quaererentur. 
nee  obsequium  defuit  im- 
peratis.  itaque  adhibito  v.c. 
tribuno  et  notario  Aplirodisio 
cui  post  Auxentium  v.c. 
iiovarum  molitioniuu  cui'a 
lesata  est,  liabita  est  de  his 
quaestio  qui  pontis  eiusdem 
fundamentaposuerunt.  atque 
ita  constitit  partem  brevem 
atque  disci'etam  sub  exordio 
hiemis  inclioatam  vi  fluminis 
corruisse,  cuius  impendium 
viginti  solidorum  definitione 
artifices  aestimarunt.  sad 
casus  partis  istius,  utpote 
adhuc  a  cetero  corpore  segre- 
gatae,  nihil  videtur  iniuriae 
locis  distantibus  attulisse  ; 
quam  facili  aedificatione  re- 
parandum  Cyriades  v.c.  pol- 
licetur.  post  haec  alterius 
loci  exploratio  hiulcam  com- 
pagem  lapidum  deprehendit, 
quam  Cyriades  comes  et  me- 
chanicus  consilio  suo  et 
ratione  artis  ita  positam 
suggerebat  ut  infuso  postea 
t  impensarum  liquore  hiantia 


refused  to  stand  by  the  de- 
cision. I  intended  to  send 
you  a  report  on  his  conduct, 
as  my  anxiety  at  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  woik  demanded ; 
but  I  received  again  other  de- 
crees of  your  Majesties,  in 
which  you  associated  with 
my  investigation  the  Honour- 
able and  Worshipful  Deputy, 
so  that  the  alleged  defects  of 
the  bridge  should  l)e  inquired 
into  in  the  sittings  of  both  of 
us.  Due  heed  was  given  to 
your  injunctions.  So  the 
Honourable  Tribune  and 
Notary  Aphrodisius  was  sum- 
moned, on  whom  the  charge 
of  new  buildings  after  the 
Honourable  Auxentius  de- 
volved, and  an  inquiry  was 
held  as  to  the  persons  who 
laid  the  foundations  of  the 
same  bridge.  It  appeared  in 
consequence  that  a  limited 
and  separate  poi'tion  of  the 
bridge,  which  had  been  com- 
menced at  the  beginning  of 
the  winter,  had  given  way 
before  the  force  of  the  cur- 
rent, the  damage  of  which 
the  masons  appraised  at  a 
quotation  of  20  solidi.  But 
the  mishap  of  this  portion, 
as  it  was  still  standing  apart 
from  the  rest  of  the  struc- 
ture, appears  to  have  inflicted 
no  harm  on  the  parts  separ- 
ate from  it,  and  the  Honour- 
able Cyriades  promises  to  get 
it  repaired  by  a  simple  pro- 
cess of  Iniilding.  After  this 
our  scrutiny  of  another  place 
revealed  a  gap  in  the  junc- 
ture of  the  stones.  With 
regard  to  this,  the  official 
engineer  Cyriades  suggested 
as  his  jirofessional  opinion 
and  idea  that  it  was  placed  so 


POST-CLASSICAL   LATIN   OF   GAUL. 


23 


striiigereiitur.       quod      cum 
facere  debuisset   succedentis 
industeia,     affectasse     potius 
dicitur  ut  in  auctoris  iuvid- 
iam   patula  quaeque  feni  et 
sparti   manipulis    clauderen- 
tur.      quod     cum     astrueret 
I'ecitatione  gestorum,  factum 
quidem  urinandi  artifex  iion 
negavit,  sed   ex   usu   operis, 
non      in      dehonestamentum 
Cyriadis    v.c.    asserebat,    re- 
medium  huiusmodi  esse  pro- 
visum.      tunc    responsionum 
varietate  commoti  coercuimus 
a    praeteritis     discrepantem. 
at  ille  Cyriadem  sibi  ait  du- 
dum      esse      terrori.       quod 
credibile    non   videtur,    cum 
illius   temporis    cognitor    ad 
fidem    veri   destricta   quaes- 
tione      pervenerit.       interea 
Cyriades  v.c.  facilem  profec- 
tum     esse     suggessit    operis 
sarciendi,  cuius  stabilitatem, 
sicut    assertum     est,     hiems 
tertia     non     resolvit.        ipse 
autem     de     aedificationibus 
Auxentii    v.c.    et    de    usur- 
patione   immodici   auri  non- 
nullaiudiciisintimavit.    quae 
ideo  gestorum  paginis  placuit 
applicari,  ut  aeternitas  vestra 
cunctis  per  ordinem  patienter 
auditis     providere     dignetur 
quemadmodum  concortatione 


that  the  crevices  would  close 
up  on  the  influx  of  moisture. 
.  .  .  Though  tlie  activity  of  his 
successor  was  in  duty  bound 
to  comply  with  this,  he  is 
alleged  to  have  instead  made 
a  mere  pretence,  so  that  all 
the  open  places  were  closed 
with  wisps  of  hay  and  es- 
parto, to  the  discredit  of  the 
adviser.  He  suj^ported  his 
charge  by  i^eading  the  min- 
utes. The  diver  acknow- 
ledged the  fact ;  but  he 
stated  that  it  was  not  to 
iliscredit  the  Honourable 
Clyriades,  but  to  benetit  the 
construction,  that  such  a 
l)recautionary  treatment  had 
been  adopted.  Being  now 
strongly  moved  by  the  dis- 
crepancy of  his  answers,  we 
called  him  to  order  when  his 
statements  disagi'eed  with 
what  preceded.  He  said, 
however,  that  Cyriades  had 
long  overawed  him.  This 
seems  beyond  belief,  since 
the  previous  commissioner 
held  a  close  inquiry  and  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  the 
truth.  Meantime  the  Hon- 
ourable Cyriades  has  indi- 
cated an  easy  mode  of  pro- 
gress towards  repairing  the 
construction,  the  solidity  of 
which,  as  was  deposed,  even 
a  third  winter  has  failed  to 
shake.  He  in  his  turn  has 
given  certain  information  to 
the  court  about  the  building- 
methods  of  the  Honourable 
Auxentius  and  the  expendi- 
ture by  him  of  extravagant 
sums.  These  we  decided 
sliould  be  entered  in  the 
books  of  minutes,  in  order 
that  your  Elci-nities,  after 
hearing    with    patience    the 


24 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


aeinulantium  coiupressa  et 
integritati  sumptuum  et 
firmitati  open's  consulatur. 
(lb.  X.  46.) 


3.  Aihsonius  Hymmacho. 

Modo  intellego  quam  mel- 
lea  res  sit  oratio,  quam  de- 
lenitica  et  quam  suada  facun- 
dia.  2)ersuasisti  mihi  quod 
epistulae  meae  aput  Capuam 
tibi  redditae  concinnatio  in- 
humana  non  esset,  set  hoc 
non  diutius  quam  dum  epis- 
tulam  tuam  legi,  quae  me 
blanditiis  inhiaiitem  tuis  ve- 
lut  suco  nectaris  delibuta 
perducit.  ubi  vero  chartu- 
1am  pono  et  me  ipsum  inter- 
rogo,  tum  absinthium  meum 
resipit  et  circumlita  melle 
tuo  pocula  depiehendo.  si 
vero,  id  quod  saepe  facio,  ad 
epistulam  tuam  redii,  rursus 
inlicior  ;  et  rursum  ille  sua- 
vissimus,  ille  floridissimus 
tui  sermonis  adflatus  de- 
l)osita  lectione  vanescit  et 
testimonii  pondus  prohibet 
inesse  dulcedini.  hoc  me 
velut  aerius  bratteae  fucus 
aut  picta  nebula  non  longius 
quam  dum  videtur  oblectat, 


whole  sLory  duly  set  forth, 
might  deign  to  take  measures 
whereby  a  stop  should  be 
put  to  the  contention  of  the 
rival  pai'ties,  and  provision  be 
made  for  proper  administra- 
tion of  the  funds  and  for  the 
stability  of  the  construction. 

Quiutus  Aurehus  Symmacluis, 
a  Roman  of  noble  birth  and  a  dis- 
tinguished orator,  was  prefect  of 
Rome  in  384  and  consul  in  391  a.d. 
He  was  the  last  great  champion  of 
the  old  faith. 

3.  Ausonius  to  S7/mmachus. 

Now    I    comprehend    the 
sweetness      of      style,      the 
fascination     and    charm     of 
eloquence.      You   made    me 
believe  that  the  composition 
of   my   letters  delivered   to 
you  at  Capua  was  not  with- 
out  taste  ;    but   this    lasted 
only  till  I  read  your  letter, 
which,    steeped    in    nectar's 
juices,    carries    me    away   in 
rapturous  admiration  of  your 
graces.      But    when    I    put 
down  the  ])aper  and  call  upon 
my  own  wits,  the  flavour  of 
my  absinth  comes  in,  and  I 
seize      upon      your      honey- 
smeared  cups.     When  again 
I  come  back,  as  I  often  do, 
to   your   letter,    I   am    once 
more    tempted ;     again    the 
supremely  sweet,  supremely 
brilliant  inspiration  of  your 
style  vanishes  as  my  reading 
stops,  and  denies  to  elegance 
the     weight     of     testimony. 
Like  the  airy  flush  of  gold- 
leaf,   or  a   painted   cloud,   it 
gives  pleasure  only  so  long 
as   it   is   looked   upon    after 
the    manner    of    that    little 
creature      the      chamseleon, 


POST-CLASSICAL   LATIN    OF   GAUL. 


25 


chamaeleontis  bestiolae  vice, 
quae  de  subiectis  sumit 
colorem.  aliiid  sentio  ex 
epistula  tua,  aliud  ex  con- 
scientia  mea.  et  tu  me 
audes  facundissimorum  hom- 
inum  laude  dignari  ?  tu, 
inquam,  mihi  ista,  qui  te 
ultra  emendationem  omnium 
protulisti  ?  aut  quisquam  ita 
nitet  ut  comparatus  tibi  non 
sordeat  ?  quis  ita  Aesopi 
venustatem,  quis  sophisticas 
Isocratis  conclusiones  ?  quis 
ita  ad  enthymemata  Demos- 
thenis  aut  opulentiam  TuUi- 
anam  aut  proprietatera  nos- 
tri  Maronis  accedat  ?  quis 
ita  affectet  singula,  ut  tu 
imples  omnia?  quid  enim 
aliud  es  quam  ex  omni  bon- 
arum  artium  ingenio  collecta 
perfectio  ?  haec,  domine  mi 
fili  Symmache,  non  vereor 
ne  in  te  blandius  dicta  vide- 
antur  esse  quam  verius.  et 
expertus  es  fidem  meam 
mentis  atque  dictorum  dum 
in  comitatu  degimus  ambo 
aevo  dispari,  ubi  tu  veteris 
militiae  praemia  tiro  meru- 
isti,  ego  tirocinium  iam  veter- 
anus  exercui.  in  comitatu  tibi 
verus  fui,  nedum  me  peregre 
existimes  composita  fabu- 
lari  ;  in  comitatu,  inquam, 
qui  frontes  hominum  aperit, 
mentes  tegit,  tibi  me  et 
])arentem  et  ami  cum  et  si 
quid  utroque  cainus  est  cari- 
orem  fuisse  sensisti.  set 
abeamus  ab  his,  ne  ista  haec 


which  draws  its  hue  from 
its  neighbourhood.  I  have 
one  feeling  from  your  letter 
and  another  from  my  con- 
science. And  you  dare  to 
honour  me  wath  the  praise 
of  the  masters  of  style  ?  1 
rejieat,  you  tell  me  this,  you 
who  have  risen  beyond  the 
possibility  of  improvement  ? 
Is  there  any  one  of  such 
brilliance  as  not  to  lose  his 
lustre  when  compared  to 
you?  AYho  is  there  equally 
jiossessed  of  the  charm  of 
^^sop,  the  I'hetorical  periods 
of  Isocrates  ?  Who  is  there 
that  equally  approaches  the 
enthymemes  of  Demosthenes, 
the  Ciceronian  wealth  of 
style,  the  correctness  of  our 
Vergil  ?  Who  can  imitate 
individual  excellences  as  you 
attain  all  ?  For  what  are 
you  but  a  perfection  com- 
pounded of  the  whole  genius 
of  liberal  studies  ?  I  have 
no  fear,  noble  son,  that  you 
should  deem  tliese  woi'ds 
uttered  more  in  a  spirit  of 
flattery  than  of  truth.  You 
had  exj)erience  of  my  honesty 
of  thought  and  speech  while 
we  were  living  together  in 
the  court,  though  so  unequal 
in  age ;  then  you,  a  young 
recruit,  won  the  ])rizes  of  an 
old  campaigner,  while  I,  a 
veteran  in  years,  did  the  work 
of  a  young  soldier.  I  was 
truthful  to  you  in  the  court  ; 
how,  then,  could  you  imagine 
me,  when  so  far  away,  to 
speak  in  a  strain  of  pretence? 
— in  the  court,  I  say,  which 
bai'es  the  faces  of  men,  and 
conceals  tlieir  souls,  you 
found  me  a  father,  a  friend, 
and   one    even   dearer    than 


26 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


commemoratioad  illani  Sosiae 
formidinem  videatur  acce- 
deie.  illud  quod  paeue  prae- 
terii,  qua  adfectatione  addi- 
disti  ut  ad  te  didascalicuni 
aliquod  opusculum  aut  ser- 
monem  protrepticum  mit- 
terem  ?  ego  te  docebo  do- 
cendus  adhuc,  si  essem  id 
aetatis  ut  discerem  1  aut  ego 
te  vegetum  atque  alacrem 
commonebo  1  eadem  opera 
et  Musas  hortabor  ut  canant, 
et  maria  ut  effluant,  et  auras 
ut  vigeant,  et  ignes  ut  cale- 
ant  admonebo  et  si  quid  in- 
vitis  quoque  nobis  natura  fit 
superfluus  instigator  agitabo. 
sat  est  uniuB  erroris,  quod 
aliquid  meorum  me  paeni- 
tente  vulgatum  est.  quod 
bona  fortuna  in  manus  ami- 
corum  incidit.  nam  si  contra 
id  evenisset,  nee  tu  mihi  per- 
suaderes  placere  me  posse, 
haec  ad  litteras  tuas  res- 
ponsa  sint  :  cetera  quae  nos- 
cere  aves  compendi  faciam  : 
sic  quoque  iam  longa  est 
epistula.  lulianum  tamen 
familiarem  domus  vestrae,  si 
quid  de  nobis  percontandum 
arbitraris,  allego  ;  simul  ad- 
moneo  ut  cum  causam  ad- 
ventus  eius  agnoveris  iuves 
studium  quod  ex  parte 
fovisti.  vale.  (Ausonius, 
■^jnst.  xvii.) 


tliese,  if  there  be  aught 
dearer.  But  let  us  leave 
these  topics,  lest  this  refer- 
ence seem  to  you  to  recall 
the  terror  of  Sosia  in  the 
play.  There  is  a  point  I 
nearly  passed  over — what  a 
pretence  it  was  for  you  to 
add  the  request  that  I  should 
send  you  some  little  educa- 
tional writing,  or  an  exhor- 
tatory  speech  ! — I,  who  still 
should  have  to  go  to  school 
if  I  were  of  an  age  to  learn, 
I  am  to  teach  you  ?  I  am  to 
admonish  one  so  vigorous 
and  energetic  as  you  1  I 
might  as  well  exhort  the 
Muses  to  sing  ;  I  might  as 
well  counsel  the  seas  to  roll 
on,  the  breezes  to  blow 
freshly,  fire  to  be  hot,  and 
add  needless  stimulation  to 
nature's  operations  that  go 
on  with  or  without  our  wish. 
Enough  of  the  one  mistake 
that  one  of  my  works,  to  my 
regret,  was  published.  It  was 
by  good  luck  that  it  fell  into 
friendly  hands.  Not  even 
you  could  convince  me  that, 
had  the  reverse  happened,  I 
could  give  pleasure  to  the 
reader.  Be  this  my  answer 
to  your  letter.  Of  the  other 
points  on  which  you  seek 
information  I  will  make 
short  work.  Even  so  the 
letter  is  now  a  long  one. 
However,  I  send  Julianus,  a 
friend  of  your  family,  if  you 
think  proper  to  make  in- 
quiries about  us ;  at  the 
same  time  I  counsel  you,  on 
learning  the  reason  of  his 
arrival,  to  lend  your  assist- 
ance to  the  purpose  which 
you  have  done  something  to 
foster.     Farewell. 


POST-CLASSICAL   LATIN   OF   GAUL. 


27 


4.  .  .  .  pontem  portas 
aquiduct(us)  quaru  r[eruiii] 
usus  longa  incuria  et  vetus- 
tate  [corruejrat  (?)  civitati 
restauravit  ac  reddi[dit]  et 
ad  praeturianam  Gall(iariim) 
prefect[uram]iudicio  Auguste 
remuneratio[nis  causa]  evect 
[us  est].    (C.  I.  L.,  xii.  4355.) 


5.  Sidonius  Syagrio  suo. 

Cum  sis  consulis  pronepos 
idque  per  virilem  succes- 
sionera  (quamquam  id  ad 
causam  subiciendam  minus 
attinet),  cum  sis  igitur  e 
semine  poetae  cui  procul 
dubio  statuas  dederant  lit- 
terae  si  trabeae  non  dedis- 
sent  (quod  etiam  nunc  auc- 
toris  culta  versibus  verba 
testantur),  a  quo  studia 
posterorum  ne  parum  quid- 
em,  quippe  in  hac  parte, 
degeneraverunt,  immane  nar- 
ratu  est  quantum  stupeam 
sermonis  te  German  ici  noti- 
tiam  tanta  facilitate  rapuiase. 
atqui  pueritiam  tuam  com- 
petenter  scholis  liberalibus 
memini    imbutam    et    saepe- 


Decius  Magnus  Ausonius  (310- 
395  A.D. ),  poet  and  j)rofessor  of 
Burdigala,  rose  from  the  position 
of  tutor  to  the  prince  Gratianus 
to  the  consuLate  (379).  He  be- 
came a  Christian,  but  his  Chris- 
tianity is  very  shallow. 

4.  .  .  .  The  bi'idge,  gates, 
and  aqueducts,  of  which  the 
practical  value,  through  long 
neglect  and  antiquity,  had 
decayed,  he  restored  for  the 
benefit  of  tlie  State,  and 
handed  them  back  to  it ;  and 
as  a  reward  he  was  raised  to 
the  post  of  prefect  of  the  Prge- 
torium  of  the  Gauls  by  the 
judgment  of  the  Augustus. 

An  honorific  inscription  from 
Gaul,  of  the  fourth  century. 

5.  Sidonius  to  his  friend 
Si/agrius. 

You  are  great-grandson  to 
a  consul,  and  in  the  male 
line  too  (though  this  is  some- 
what irrelevant  as  regards 
the  suggestion  of  cause) ;  you 
are  thus  sprung  from  the 
seed  of  a  poet  to  whom  be- 
yond doubt  literature  had 
raised  statues  had  not  the 
robe  of  his  office  already 
given  tliem  (a  fact  attested 
to  this  (lay  by  that  author's 
elegant  metrical  writings)  a 
poet  too  whose  descendants' 
accomplishments  in  this  con- 
nexion certainly  have  not  in 
the  least  fallen  short  of  his. 
And  so  'tis  a  monstrous  sur- 
prise to  me  that  you  have  sc 
readily  grasped  a  kiuiwledge 
of  the  German  tongue. 
Why,  T  I'enieniber  that  you 
in  your  childhood  were  prop- 


28 


HISTOKICAL   HEADER   OF    EARLY   FRENCH. 


nuniero  acritei-  eloquent- 
erque  declamasse  coram  ora- 
tore  satis  habeo  conipertum. 
atque  Laec  cum  ita  sint, 
velim  dicas  unde  subito  hau- 
serunt  pectora  tua  euphon- 
iam  geiitis  alienae,  ut  modo 
mihi  post  ferulas  lectionis 
Maronianae  postque  desud- 
atam  varicosi  Arpinatis 
opulentiain  loquacitatemque 
quasi  de  Jharilao  vetere 
novus  falco  prorum))as.  aesti- 
maii  minime  potest  quanto 
mihi  ceterisque  sit  risui  quo- 
tiens  audio  quod  te  praesente 
formidet  linguae  suae  facere 
barbarus  barbarisnmm.  ad- 
stupet  tibi  epistulas  inter- 
pretanti  curva  Germanorum 
senectus  et  negotiis  mutuis 
arbitrum  te  disceptatoremque 
desumit.       novus      Bumun- 

O 

dionum      Solon     in     legibus 
disserendis,  novus   Amphion 
in  citharis,  sed  trichordibus, 
temperandis  amaris  frequen- 
taris,  expeteris  oblectas,  eli- 
geris  adhiberis,  decernis  aud- 
ris.    et  quamquam  aeque  cor- 
l)oribus  ac  sensu  rigidi  sint 
indolatilesque,  amplectuntur 
in     te     pariter     et     discunt 
sermouem  patrium,  cor  latin- 
um.     restat   hoc   unum,    vir 
facetissime,  ut  nihilo  segnius, 
vel     cum     vacabit,     aliquid 
lectioni  operis  impendas  cus- 
todiasque      hoc,     prout     es 
eiegantissimus,  temperamen- 


erly  initiated  in  the  school- 
ing  of  a  gentleman,   and   I 
know  for  a  fact  that  you  fre- 
quently   practised    declama- 
tion  before   an    orator   with 
vigour  and  eloquence.      Such 
being  the  case,  I  beg  you  to 
tell  me  how  it  is  that  your 
heart  has   suddenly  imbibed 
the  phonetic  graces  of  a  for- 
eign people,  so  that  directly 
after  the  canings  of  a  reading 
in  Vergil,  and  after  the  toil 
expended  upon    the  varicose 
man     of     Arpinum's    wordy 
wealth,  1   find  you   bursting 
out,  so  to  speak,  a  new  hawk 
from  the   old.     .     .     .     You 
cannot      conceive      how      it 
amuses   me   and    the   others 
whenever  I  hear  that  in  your 
presence  the  barbarian  fears 
to  commit  a  barbarism  in  his 
own  tongue.   Germans  bowed 
with  age  look  with  speechless 
admiration    on    you    as   you 
translate   letters,   and   select 
you  as  arbiter  and  judge  in 
their     mutual     transactions. 
You  are  renowned  as  a  latter- 
day  Solon  of  the  Burgundians 
in  the  exposition  of  laws,  as  a 
modern  Amphion  in  modulat- 
ing the  lyre-  a  three-stringed 
one  ;   you  are  loved  and  cele- 
brated, 3'ou  are  sought  for  and 
give  pleasure,  you  are  selected 
and  summoned,  you  give  your 
verdict  and    find    a    hearing. 
And    though    alike    in    body 
and  feeling  thej'  are  lubberly 
and  defy  culture,  in  you  they 
greet    their     native     tongue 
while  learning  a  Latin  soul. 
It  only  remains  for  you,  my 
witty  sir,  to  give   with  un- 
diminished zeal,  even  in  your 
leisure,  a  little  attention   to 
reading,    and     agreeably    to 


POST-CLASSICAL   LATIN    OF   GAUL. 


29 


turn,  ut  ista  tibi  lingua 
teneatur,  ne  ridearis,  ilia 
exerceatur,  ut  rideas.  vale. 
(Sidonius  ApoUinaris,  Epist. 
V.  5.) 


your  refined  character  to 
}n'eserve  this  combination  by 
keeping  up  the  one  tongue  so 
as  not  to  be  laughed  at,  and 
by  practising  the  other  so  as 
to  have  your  laugh. 


6.  Sidonius  D.  Papae 
Eutropio. 

Postquam  foedifragam  gen- 
tem  redisse  in  sedes  suas 
comperi  neque  quicquam 
viantibus  insidiarum  parare, 
nefas  credidi  ulterius  offici- 
orum  differre  sermonem,  ne 
vester  affectus  quandam  vitio 
meo  duceret  ut  gladius  im- 
politus  de  curae  raritate 
robiginem.  unde  misso  in 
hoc  solum  negotii  gerulo 
litterarum,  quam  vobis  sit 
corpusculi  status  in  solido 
quamve  ex  animi  sententia 
res  agantur  sollicitus  in- 
quiro,  sperans  ne  semel  mihi 
amor  vester  indultus  aut 
iuteriecti  itineria  longitu- 
dine  aut  absentiae  communis 
diuturnitate  tenuetur,  quia 
bonitas  conditoris  habitati- 
onem  potius  hominum  quam 
caritatem  finalibus  claudit 
angustiis.  re.stat  ut  vestra 
beatitude  compunctorii  salu- 
britate  sermonis  avidam 
nostras  ignorantiae  pascat 
esuriem.  est  enim  tibi  ni- 
mis  Usui  ut  exhortationibus 
tuis  iiiterioris  honiinismacieni 
.''aepenumero  mysticua  adeps 


6.  Sidonius  to  the  Lord 
Bishop  Eutropius. 

When  I  learned  that  the 
perfidious  nation  had  re- 
turned to  its  own  home  and 
was  laying  no  ambush  for 
wayfarers,  I  deemed  it  sinful 
to  further  postpone  speech  of 
my  duties,  lest  from  the 
intermission  of  attention  your 
kindness  through  fault  of 
mine  should,  like  an  un- 
polished sword,  contract  a 
rust.  I  have  therefore  de- 
spatched a  courier  on  this 
sole  errand,  and  earnestly 
desire  to  know  what  is  the 
general  health  of  your  dear 
person,  and  in  what  accord- 
ance with  your  wishes  mat- 
ters are  proceeding,  hoping 
that  your  affection  once 
granted  to  me  is  not  being 
lessened  by  the  extent  of  the 
road  sejjarating  us  or  by  the 
length  of  our  common  ab- 
sence ;  for  the  grace  of  the 
Creator  bounds  by  terminal 
limitations  not  so  much  the 
love  as  the  habitation  of  men. 
It  remains  for  your  Beati- 
tude to  satisfy  with  the 
wliolesomeness  of  your  ad- 
monitory discourse  the  eager 
liunger  of  ray  ignorance  ;  for 
it  is  truly  the  case  with  you 
that  in  conseijuence  of  your 
exhortations  a  mystic  fat 
and  spiritual  suet  frequently 
fills     out     the     leanness     of 


30 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY    FRENCH. 


et  spiritalis  arvina  distendat. 
memor  iiostri  esse  dignare, 
domine  papa.     (lb.  vi.  6.) 


the  inner 
remember 
Bishop. 


man. 

me, 


Deign    to 
my     Lord 


Gaius  Sollius  Modestus  Sidon- 
ius  Apollinaris  was  born  at  Lugu- 
dunura  (Lyons)  of  a  good  family 
of  Gaulish  Christians.  He  became 
prefect  of  Rome  in  467,  and  in  472 
Bishop  of  Clermont  in  Auvergne, 
dying  in  483. 


7.  CI.  Postumus  Dardanus 
V.  inl.  et  patriciae  dignitatis, 
ex  consulari  provinciae  Vien- 
nensis,  ex  magistro  scrinii 
lib(ellorum),  ex  quaest(ore), 
ex  praef(ecto)  pret(orio)  Gall- 
(iarum),  et  Nevia  Galla  clar. 
et  inl.  fem(ina),  mater  fam- 
(ilias)  eius,  loco  cuius  nomen 
Theopoli  est  viarum  usum 
caesis  utrimque  montium  la- 
terib(us)  praestiterunt,  muros 
et  portas  dederunt,  quod  in 
agro  proprio  constitutum 
tuetioni  omnium  voluerunt 
esse  commune,  adn[i]tente 
etian  v.  inl.  com(ite)  ac  fratre 
raemorati  viri  CI.  Lepido, 
ex  consula[ri]  Germaniae 
Primae,  ex  mag(istro)  me- 
mor(iae),  ex  com(ite)  rerum 
privat(arum)  ;  ut  erga  om- 
n[i]um  salutem  eonmi  stud- 
ium  et  devotionis  public[ae] 
titulus  possi[t]  ostendi. 
(C.  I.  L.,  xii.  1 524.) 


7.  The  Honourable  Claud- 
ius Postumus  Dai'danus,  of 
patrician  rank,  past  Consular 
of  the  province  of  Vienne, 
past  Comptroller  -  General, 
past  Quaestor,  past  Prefect 
of  the  Prtietorium  of  the 
Gauls,  and  the  Honourable 
and  Noble  Nevia  Galla  his 
consort,  gave  to  the  district 
known  by  the  name  of  Theo- 
jjolis  the  enjoyment  of  road- 
ways formed  by  the  cutting 
of  both  Hanks  of  the  hills, 
and  presented  walls  and 
gates,  the  which,  situate  in 
their  private  estate  for  its 
preservation,  they  desired  to 
be  common  property  ;  where- 
in they  were  assisted  by  the 
Honourable  Claudius  Lepi- 
dus,  State  official  and  brother 
of  the  above  -  mentioned 
gentleman,  past  Consular  of 
the  First  Germany,  past 
Master  of  the  Eecords,  and 
past  Privy  Councillor ;  to 
tlie  end  that  their  zeal  for 
the  benefit  of  all  and  a 
token  of  their  devotion  to 
the  public  service  might  be 
made  manifest. 


An  inscription  of  the  fifth  cen- 
tury from  Gaul. 


POST-CLASSICAL   LATIN   OF    GAUL. 


31 


8.  "  An  nescitis  quia  tem- 
plum    dei    estis   et    spiritus 
dei  habitat  in  vobis  ?  "     ecce 
ergo  et  spiritus  deus  est  si 
habitat  tempkim,  quod  prae- 
ter  deum  nulkis    inhabitat. 
unde  inquit,    "membra  ves- 
tra    teraplum    in    vobis    est 
spii-itus  sancti  quern  habetis 
a  deo."     ergo  si  habetis  a  deo 
deum  et  tempkim  dei  estis 
et  corpus  vestrum  tem  pkim  est 
spiritus     sancti,    quocumque 
non  receptus   fuerit  spiritus 
non  capitur  deus.    igitur  cum 
talia  dicimus,  non  nobis  obir- 
ascantur     quibus      sanctum 
apiritum     persuadere    cona- 
mur  ;  qui  nisi  deus  creditur, 
ignoro  quid  de  praesente  fes- 
tivitate  dicatur  aut  quid  in 
eius  adventu  honoris  haeret- 
icus  excolat,  quem  quantum 
ad  se  est  etiam  nomine  ser- 
vitutis  inclamat ;  cum,  licet 
si  vos  fihus  kberaverit  tunc 
vere  kberi  sitis,  "  ubit  amen 
spiritus   domini   ibi   libertas 
sit."     (Avitus,  Homilies,  xi.) 

9.  Iste  sit  ille  quam  dulcis 
tam  terribilis  locus,  in  quo 
Jacob  cernens  dominum  scabs 
innixum  perque  eas  ascend- 
entes  descendentesque  angel- 
os  videns  domum  divinitatis 
intellegit.  ubi  parato  mys- 
teriis  lapide  caput  effultus 
futurorum  causis  aptavit  un- 
guentum  ;  sicut  cum  passuri 
raediatoiis  pendulum  crinem 
iustificatae      peccatricia    ob- 


8.  "  Do  ye  not  know  that 
ye  are    the   temple  of   God, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells 
in  you  ?  "     You  see  then  the 
Spirit  likewise  is  God,  if  it 
dwells  in  a  temple,  which  no 
one  but  God  inhabits.     So  it 
is  said,  "  Your   limbs   are   a 
temple    within    you   of    the 
Holy   Ghost  which  ye  have 
from    God."     Then  '  if    you 
have  God  from  God,  and  you 
are    a    temple   of    God   and 
your  body  is  a  temple  of  the 
Holy    Ghost,    God    is    only 
entertained  by  such  as  have 
received  the  Spirit.     There- 
fore when  we  speak  thus  let 
not  them  be  angry  whom  we 
seek  to  convince  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Unless  this  is  believed 
to  be  God,  I  understand  not 
what  can  be  said  of  the  pres- 
ent festival,  or  what  honour 
a   heretic   can   devise  at   its 
approach,  upon  which,  for  all 
he    can,   he   cries    out,    even 
making    accusation    of    slav- 
ery ;    but   in   truth,   though 
you  are  truly  free  if  the  Son 
have  freed  you,  yet  "  where 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  there 
dwelleth  freedom." 


9.  As  sweet  as  awful  must 
that  place  be  where  Jacob, 
beholding  the  Lord  leaning 
on  the  ladder  and  seeing  the 
angels  going  up  and  down, 
perceived  the  house  of  God. 
There  he  rested  his  head 
on  a  stone  mystically  made 
ready,  and  for  coming  events 
did  prepare  the  ointment ;  as 
when  the  wave  of  the  frag- 
rant perfume-casket  by  the 
service  of  the  justified  wo- 
man of  sin  bathed  the  hang- 


32 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


sequio  fragrantis  alabastri 
unda  perfudit,  ut  quod  lap- 
idibus  vivis  in  spiritalem 
fabricam  congruenter  neces- 
sarium  flueret  ex  inriguo  an- 
gularis  lapidis  fonte  manaret 
sicque  Abrahae  filii  per  lava- 
crum  ex  lapidibus  suscitati, 
ut  ariditatem  contagii  natur- 
alis  evadant,  odoriferi  chris- 
matis  munere  gratia  fecun- 
dante  pinguescerent.  istud 
lacob  sopitus  vidit  in  spiritu, 
expergefactus  gessit  in  signo. 
cum  nobis  inde  oratio  con- 
secrantis  inclamat,  nobis  ibi 
somninra  dormientis  invig- 
ilat.     (lb.  xvii.) 


ing  locks  of  the  Mediator 
destined  to  Passion,  so  that 
from  the  streaming  fount  of 
the  squared  stone  might  gusli 
what  from  unhewii  rocks 
flowed  in  natural  fitness  for 
spiritual  workmanship,  and 
thus  the  children  of  Abraham 
by  the  bath  might  be  awak- 
ened from  the  stones,  and  to 
escape  the  dryness  of  natural 
pollution  grow  fat  by  the 
gift  of  the  fragrant  unction 
in  fertilisinsr  grace.  This 
Jacob  when  asleep  saw  in 
the  spirit,  and  when  awak- 
ened performed  as  a  sign. 
As  thence  the  speech  of  his 
consecration  cries  out  to  us, 
so  the  dream  of  his  slumbers 
there  watches  over  us. 

Alcimus  Ecdicius  Avitus  (born 
ahout  460  A.D.)  was  Bishop  of 
Vienne.  He  died  about  tlie  year 
525. 


33 


in. 

DOMINANCE   OF   VULGAR   LATIN. 

The  following  extracts  illustrate  the  rapid  decay  of 
Latin  from  the  fifth  century  onwards  in  Gaul.  A  literary 
language  by  this  time  hardly  existed.  The  Low  Latin 
was  generally  supreme,  and  on  its  phonetic  and  syntactical 
developments  in  the  direction  of  modern  French  these 
extracts  throw  a  light. 

In  them  we  see  Latin  long  or  short  e  not  seldom  repre- 
sented by  i  —  e.g.,  se,  proficisset,  causacionis,  parentis, 
requiiscit,  confetiri,  pauperis,  rignum,  decrivi,  citherorum 
(scil.  ceterorum),  j^^'scrpui,  tenio,  iUi,  debit,  libit,  quim, 
tacit,  nomeni,  fedis,  oportit,  tinia,  vivindum,  refrigerit. 
The  confusion  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  in  Latin 
all  short  vowels  were  open  in  pronunciation  (thus  e  was 
pronounced  not  unlike  the  South-English  H),  while  the 
long  were  closed ;  and  when  the  quantities  became  un- 
certain, mistakes  were  inevitable.  For  like  reasons  we 
find  Latin  e  written  as  ae  in  strenuae,  pyi^ciecium,  quaem, 
oppraesse)'unt,  pacae,  and  diea  (for  diae).  Naturally  Latin 
ae  often  appears  as  e — e.g.,  bone. 

Similarly,  Latin  I  is  often  written,  both  in  accented  and 
unaccented  syllables,  as  e- — e.g.,  scripsemus,  manebus, 
civetate,  legebus,  inveda,  obiet,  requiescet,  nomeni,  confetiri, 
fedis,  labede,  insegnem,  genetum,  munimene,  balitesmate, 
rapnet,  nobele,  praestaf>et,  rrures,  vocavetor,  adebisci,  lecit, 

c 


34  HISTORICAL   HEADER   OF   EARLY  FRENCH. 

nilielliomenu^,  lehenfer,  fontes,  inemts,  ven/ene ;  Latin  I 
becomes  e  in  quenos.  So  too  Latin  o  often  appears  as 
'u  in  sullicitus,  Mavurtius,  efudiet,  incumptis ;  ^  -wliile  the 
converse  happens  in  tahernamla,  isiwluncola,  daltitor, 
curpus,  ioheatU,  iocali,  seo,  foenmt,  yenoarias,  locopletavif, 
vocavetor,  noncojianie,  consolatuvi,  by  coins  (for  Lat. 
cuius).  Lat.  b  is  written  u  in  scripturis,  mens,  cognuscas, 
annus,  duus,  amicus,  tesaurus. 

Latin  c  before  /,  followed  by  another  vowel,  was  con- 
fused with  ti — hence  internitio — which  was  followed  soon 
by  assibilation.  The  combinatioii  H  before  vowels  was 
assibilated  in  vulgar  Latin  even  before  the  fourth  century  ^ 
— hence  ohservasione.  As  we  often  find  Latin  ti  written 
ci  (as  in  adpreciare,  2^')'ciecium,  gracia,  causacionis,  pcdaciu, 
porciones,  iiifancia,  prudenciore,  sid)siancia,  hahetacioiiis, 
medetacionum),  we  may  attribute  to  these  spellings  a 
sibilant  sound  after  the  fifth  century. 

Changes  of  mutes  also  occur.  A  tenuis  appears  inter- 
nally as  meilia,  thus  following  a  common  rule  of  liomance 
which  already  appears  in  Low  Latin  ^  —  hence  miga, 
adebisci,  lahede  (scil.  Jap)idem).  Anomalous  are  notinas 
(scil.  nundinas),  salega  (for  salica),  puplicus  (for  ptddicus), 
adliticare  (from  litigo),  iocali  (for  iugali),  babtesmate  ; 
obto  may  be  by  false  analogy  of  ob. 

Latin  consonantal  /  (our  y)  was  in  vulgar  speech  con- 
fused with  g  before  e,  i.  Latin  ianuanus  was  vulgarly  pro- 
nounced ienuarius,  and  hence  comes  genoarias  of  our 
inscription  below.  Whether  this  represents  the  sound 
of  j  which  we  find,  e.g.,  in  Italian  Gennajo,  or  merely  a 
spirant,  is  uncertain.*     Fehr-arias  is  another  vulgarism. 

Latin  b  and  v  began  to  be  confused  from  early  in  the 
second  century ;  hence  praestabet  (scil.  pnxtestavit),  and 

^  See  Lindsay,  Latin  Language,  p.  32  f. 
'•^  Ibid.,  p.  83  f.  =*  Ibid.,  p.  74  ff. 

•*  Ibid.,  p.  49.  We  find  the  reverse  change  in  ianiculorurii  of  the 
Keichenau  glosses. 


DOMINANCE   OF    VULGAR    LATIN.  35 

vocavetor  (for  vocahitur)  in  tlie  same  inscription  (2,  11). 
Latin  x  appears  as  s  in  viset ;  compare  Ital.  visse.  Latin  c 
is  written  qu  in  loqua.  The  aspirate  is  in  decay  ;  it  may 
be  omitted  (abiturum  for  liahiturum),  or  wrongly  inserted 
{nihelliumemis,  Heliae,  Jianus,  Helisaeum,  Horosius,  hor- 
avit),  or  used  to  divide  syllables  {Samuliel,  Israheliti- 
corum)}  The  guttural  g  is  lost  before  n  in  renum  for 
regnum.  Contraction  has  taken  place  in  domnus,  the 
usual  word  for  an  earthly  lord.  Trienta  (Lat.  triginta) 
is  an  anticipation  of  the   modern  trente. 

In  inistitui,  i><peluncola,  we  see  the  prothesis  of  i  before 
s  and  a  tenuis  which  began  in  the  later  Empire,  and  is 
such  a  marked  feature  of  Eomance. 

In  syntax  the  most  marked  feature  is  the  growing 
disuse  of  the  cases.  Accusatives  are  often  used  as  nomi- 
natives, which  was  the  more  easy  as  the  final  letters  were 
to  a  large  extent  unheard  in  vulgar  speech,  and  written 
or  omitted  at  pleasure ;  and  sometimes  oblique  cases  like 
the  genitive  are  expressed  by  the  use  of  prepositions. 
From  the  rhymes  in  6,  vv.  13,  14  by  neuter  nominatives 
written  with  final  -o — e.g.,  cingolo — -and  similarly  spelt 
accusatives,  we  see  that  Latin  final  -u,  -uni,  -us  tended 
rapidly  to  become  indistinguishable. 

We  find  also  forms  like  conferrere,  tisquuJ,  and  even  in 
Gregory  of  Tours  the  barbarous  meminiat.  Deponents 
tend  generally  to  become  active,  and  the  verbs  of  the 
first  conjugation  in  6  show  a  subjunctive  identical  with 
the  indicative.  The  relative  pronoun,  too,  tends  to  decay  : 
quern  appears  as  feminine  (fem.  plur.  in  6),  and  qui  has 
the  same  gender ;  while  quod  apparently  is  masculine 
in  2  (9). 

The  participle  noncopante  for  a  passive  (7)  has  already 
some  parallels  in  archaic  Latinity. 

'  Lindsay,  p.  .'J7. 


36  HISTORICAL   EEADER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


De  Fides  Factas. — (1)  Si  quis  ingenims  aut  letus  ^ 
alteri  fidem  fecerit,  tunc  ille  cui  fides  facta  e(st)  in  xl 
noctes  aut  quomodo  illius  cum  testibns  vel  cum  illo  qui 
praeciu(m)  adpreciare  debent,  accedere  debet.  Ft  si  ei 
noluerit  fidem  facta  solvere,  mal(berg)  thalasciasco,^  h(oc) 
e(st)  sol(idos)  xv  super  debitu(m)  quod  fidem  fecerit 
culp(abilis)  iud(icetur). 

(2)  Si  adhuc  noluerit  conponere  debet  eum  ad  mallum^ 
maunire  '^  et  sic  nexti  canthichius  ^  mallare  ^  debet : 
Tiogo  te,  tluingine,''  ut  nexti  canthichus  gasacio  ^  meo 
illo  qui  mihi  lidem  fecit  et  debitum  debet :  et  nominare 
debet  quale  debitum  deljeat  unde  ei  fidem  fecerat.  Tunc 
thunginus  dicere  debet :  nexthe  ganthichio  ego  illo  in  hoc 
quod  lex  salega  ait.  Tunc  ipse  cui  fides  facta  e(st)  testare 
debet  ut  nulli  alteri  nee  solvat  nee  pignus  donet  solu- 
tionis, nisi  ante  ille  impleat  quod  ei  fidem  fecerat.  Et 
festinanter  ad  domum  illius  ilia  die  antequam  sol  coUocet^ 
cum  testibus  ambulare  debet  et  rogare  sibi  debitum  solvere. 
Si  hoc  noluerit  facere  solem  ei  collocet.  Tunc  si  solem 
collocaverit,  cxx  din(arios)  qui  f(aciunt)  sol(idos)  iii  super 
debitum  adcrescant.  Istud  usque  ad  tres  vices  p(er)  tres 
notinas  fieri  debet,  et  in  tertio  ista  omnia  facta  voluerit 
conponere,  usque  ad  ccclx  din(arios),  h(oc)  e(st)  sol(idos) 
nove  adcrescat.  Id  est  ut  p(er)  singulas  admonitiones  vel 
solem  collocatum  terni  sol(idi)  sup(er)  debitum  adcrescant. 
(Lex  Salica,  Cod.  I.,  ed.  Hessels.) 

1.  Serf. 

2.  Kern  (notes  to  Mr  Hessels'  text)  suggests  talas  gicesco  oi 
gaisco,  "claim  for  payment." 

3.  Public  assembly. 

4.  Summon  (hefore  the  mallns). 

5.  Kern  reads  ncxtich  antichius  (or  anthichius),  taking  nextich  as 
an  adverb  in  the  sense  "  very  closely  "  (compare  ON.  ncesia,  ncer), 
and  antichius  (antigim)  as  2nd  pers.  sing.  subj.  of  the  verb  an-tif/ian, 
"  enjoin,"  "  constrain  '  (compare  OS.  thigglan,  OH.Ger.  digjan,  "  de- 


DOMINANCE   OF   VULGAR  LATIN.  37 

mand").     A  little   further  appears   ncxthc  (junthichio  for  ncjctich 
antichio  (ur  anthichio,  antiijio),  the  1st  slug,  pres.  ind. 

6.  Summon  (before  the  iiiallus). 

7.  Magistrate,  judge. 

8.  Opponent,  adversary. 

9.  Solem  collocarc,  to  fix  a  day. 

This  codex,  taken  in  conjunction  with  the  other  three  which  are 
designated  in  Mr  Hessels'  edition  as  Codd.  2,  3,  and  4,  gives  a  fair 
specimen  of  the  worst  Latinity  in  use  in  the  latter  half  of  the  fifth 
century.  In  vel  cum  illo  we  should  perhaps  follow  the  reading  of 
other  codices,  cum  illis. 


Sepulchral  inscriptions : — 

1.  Hie  reqitiiscet  bone  memoriae  Eomanus  vir  religiosus 
qui  viset  annos  octoginta.  transiit  in  pace  sub  die  xiiii 
k.  octobris  pec  Yenanti  viri  clarissimi  cc.-^  (C.  I.  L.,  xii. 
2062.) 

2.  Hie  iacet  Agricia  qui  fuit  in  observasione  annis 
sedece.     (Le  Blant,  Inscriptions  chretiennes,  n.    18.) 

3.  Hie  requiiscunt  menbra  ad  duus  fratres  Gallo  et 
Fidencio  qui  foerunt  fili  Magno  CI.  et  vixerunt  in 
pac  .  .   .  xviii  al  .   .   .     (Ibid.,  n.   378.) 

4.  Hie  requiet  Auxiliuz  dihaconus  xxx  trienta.  (Ibid., 
n.  G79.) 

5.  Hie  requiiscit  bene  memoriae  Bauderisima  puella 
({ui  vixit  annus  decesepte  et  requiivit  in  pace  in  mensi 
lulio  diea  Sabato.  (Le  Blant,  Nouveau  Recueil  des  Imicr. 
chret.,  n.  2.) 

6.  Hie  requiescit  in  pace  bonememorius  Maurolenus 
quim  rapuit  mors  inveda  cuius  infanc;ia  bona  fuit  qui 
vixit  annus  plus  menus  xxiii.     (Ibid.,  n.   107.) 

7.  Hie  in  pace  requiescit  bone  memoriae  Paulus  qui 
vixit  pln[s]  menus  annos  xliiii  et  obiet  suV)  die  pride 
nouus  geuoarias  indictione  s[e]ptima  pos  consolatum  itrum 
iMavur[ti]  v.  [CI.  Cos.^]     (Ibid.,  n.  180.) 


38  HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 

8.  Ill  hoc  tuinulc  requiescet  in  pacao  boiiae  memoriae 
Maria  portans  annus  septe  et  mensis  quinque.  Notavi 
die  xviiii  Id.  febrarias.      (Ibid.,  n.  224.) 

9.  Hie  ]\Iellebaudis  reus  et  servus  Ihm  Xor  inistitui 
milii  ispeluncola  ista  ubi  iacit  indigni  .  .  .  sepultura 
mea  quern  feci  in  nomeni  dni  Ihm  Xri  q[ue]m  amavi 
in  quod  .  .  .  crededi.  v[ere  digjnum  est  confeti[ri] 
viv[um]  .  .  .  [cuius  glorija  magna  est  ubi  pax  fedis 
c[ari]tas  est.  ipse  ds  et  [ho]mo  est  et  ds  in  illo.  si 
quis  qui  non  hie  amat  adorare  dnm.  Ihm.  Xrm.  et 
distruit  opera  ista  sit  anathema  niaranatha  usquid  in 
sempiternum.     (Ibid.,  n.   247.) 

10.  Teodovaldo  labede  non  revolvatur.     (Ibid.,  n.  264.) 

11.  insegnem  genetuin,  cruees  munimene  septu[m], 
[ijnsontem,  nulla  peccati  sorde  fucatum, 
[The]udosium  parvum,  quem  pura  mente  parentes 
[op]tabaiit  sacro  fontes  babtesmate  tingui, 
[iujproba  mors  rapuet.     set  summi. rector  Olimpi 
[piajestabet  requiem  membris  ubi  nobele  signum 
[injtixum  est  cruces,  Xritpie  vocavetor  eres. 

1.  The  iuscriptiou  belongs  to  about  the  beginning  of  the  sixth 
century.  The  dating  is  incorrect.  We  should  expect  PC,  and  at 
the  end  C :  non  solum  alterum  C  post  PC  abundat,  sed  reniansit 
quoque  ex  solita  clausula  \Y.  CC.  pars  posterior,  quamquam  pro 
ipsa  hie  substitutus  est  singularis  perscriptus  viri  clarissimi,  re- 
marks Mointnsen.  See  too  Hiibner  iu  Miiller's  Handh.  d.  Mass. 
Altertitmsicisscnschaft,  2nd  ed.,  vol.  i.  [i.  681  f. 

2.  Paulus  died  the  4th  of  January  in  the  year  after  the  second 
consulate  of  Mavortius — soil.  529  a.d. 


Prosequentes  ordinem  temporum,  mixte  confuseque 
tarn  virtutes  sanctorum  quam  strages  gentium  memora- 
mus.  non  enim  inrationabiliter  accipi  puto,  se  felicem 
beatorum    vitam    inter    miserorum    memorenius    excidia, 


DOMINANCE  OF  VULGAE   LATIN.  39 

cum  idem  iion  facilitas  scripturis  seel  temporum  series 
praestitit.  nam  sullicitus  lector,  si  inquii'at  streuiiae, 
invenit  inter  illas  regum  Israheliticorum  historias  sub 
Samuhel  iustum  Fineen  interisse  sacrilegum  ac  sub 
David,  quern  Fortem  -  manii  dicunt,  Golian  alophiluni 
conruisse.  meminiat  etiam  sub  Heliae  eximii  vatis 
tempore,  qui  pluvias  cum  voluit  abstulit  et  cum  libuit 
arentibus  terris  infudit,  qui  viduae  paupertatem  oratione 
locopletavit,  quantae  populorum  strages  fuere,  quae  famis 
vel  quae  siccitas  miseram  oppraesserit  humum  ;  quae  sub 
Ezechie  tempore,  cui  Deus  ad  vitam  quindecim  annos 
auxit,  Hierusolima  mala  pertulerit.  sed  et  sub  Heli- 
saeum  prophetam,  qui  mortuos  vitae  restituit  et  alia  in 
populis  nuilta  miracula  fecit,  quantae  internitiones,  quae 
miseriae  ipsum  Israheliticum  populum  oppraesserant. 
sic  et  Eusebius  Severus  Hieronimusque  in  chronicis 
atque  Horosius  et  bella  regum  et  virtutes  martyrum 
pariter  texuerunt.  ita  ct  nos  idcircum  sic  scripsemus, 
quod  facilius  saeculorum  ordo  vel  annorum  ratio  usque 
nostra  tempora  tota  repperiatur. — Gregory,  Bisbop  of 
Tours  (538-593),  History  of  the  Franks,  Bk.  ii.,  Preface: 
in  Monumenta  Germanica,  Scriptores  Merowing.,  i.  38. 

4. 

Clementissime  Serenitati  vestrae  elegimus  aduniri  per 
foedera  ct  ilium,  qui  placet  JJomino,  inpendere  vobis 
affectum  pacate  gentis  ex  vinculo,  quod  proficisset  com- 
muniter  utrisque  partibus  expeditum  pacis  conpendium. 
quapropter  clementissime  Tranquillitati  vestrae  honore 
summi  culminis  vcstri  debito  salutis  officia  fiducialiter 
porrigentis,^  sicut  legatariis  vestris  praediximus,  ut  nos- 
tro  dirigomus,  divinitate  propitia,  implere  deliberavimus 
adeo  inlustro-  viro,  .sancto  Ennodio,  optimates  Griponem 
spatarium,  Iladanem  cubiculaiium  et  Eusebio  notario ; 
quibus    pro    certis    articulis    aliqua    vestro    principatui 


40  HISTORICAL   KEADEU    OF    EARLY    FRENCH. 

verbo  commisimus  iutimanda,  quos  integre  reserantis,^ 
ad  nos  prospere  remeantibus  illud  reddatis  eloquiis, 
quod,  inspirante  Domino,  proficiat  res  communis.  Finit. 
(Monum.  Germanica :  Epistulae,  torn.  iii.  p.  138  f.) 

1.  Apparently  uominative,  in  agreement  with  deliberavimus. 

2.  This,  with  the  following  words  down  to  notario,  is  seemingly 
meant  for  the  direct  object  of  implere. 

3.  This   and  remeantibus  seemingly   are  the    indiiect  object  of 
reddatis. 

The  letter  is  one  fiom  Childebert  IL  to  the  Emperor  Mauricius, 
and  belongs  to  the  year  584. 


5. 

Illi  prosecutor  dixit  :  "  rogo  domno  meis  omnibus 
puplicis,  ut  sicut  mandatum  istum  legebus  cognovistis 
esse  factum,  ut  dotem,  quern  per  manebus  tenio,  vobis 
praesentibus  in  foro  puplico  iobeatis  recitare."  curia 
vero  dixerunt :  "  dotem,  quem  te  dicis  per  manibus 
retenire,  illi  diaconus  et  amanuensis  Andecavis  civetate 
nobis  presentibus  accipiat  relegendum."  quo  accepto 
dixit : 

(incipit.  mandatus) 
"Domno  mibi  iocali  meo  illo.  rogo  adque  supplico 
dulcissima  gracia  vestra,  ut  ad  vicem  nieam  omnis  causa- 
cionis  nostras,  tam  in  pago  quam  et  in  palacio  seo  in 
qualibet  loqua,  accidere  faciatis,  et  illas  porciones  nostras, 
quaem  ex  alote  ^  parentum  meorum  mihi  legibus  obvenisse 
vel  obvenire  debit,  aut  iustissime  nobis  est  redebitum, 
haec  contra  parentis  mens  vel  contra  cuiuslibit  bominum 
accidere  vel  admallare  ^  seu  adliticare  faciatis ;  et  quicquid 
exinde  ad  vicem  nostram  egeris,  feceris  gesserisve,  etenim 
me  abiturum  esse  cognuscas  ratum. 

"  luratum  mandatum  Andecavis  civetate,  curia  puplica." 
(Mon.  Germ.  Legum  Sectio  V.  p.  4.) 


DOMINANCE  OF   VULGAR   LATIN.  41 

1.  Alotc  is  from  cdodes,  alodis,  or  alodum,  the  hereditary  estate 
of  the  German. 

2.  See  note  on  1.  supr. 

The  volumeiit  is  a  '  formula '  of  mandation  from  the  sixth 
century,  hence  the  use  of  illc  in  a  sense  which  we  may  translate 
by  "so-aud-so." 


Sanctorum  mcritis  beatificando  domno  et  fratri 
Importune. 

Domne  dulcissime 

Et  frater  carissime 

Importune.      Quod  recepisti, 

Tarn  dura  estimasti, 

Nos  iam  vicina  morte  de  fame  perire,  5 

Quando  talem  annonam  voluisti  largire. 

Nee  ad  pretium  nee  ad  donum 

Non  cupimus  tale  anone. 

Fecimus  inde  comentum  ^ — 

Si  Dominus  imbolat^  formentum  ! —  10 

A  foris  -^  turpis  est  crusta, 

Ab  intus  miga  ^  nimis  est  f usca, 

Aspera  est  in  palato, 

Amara  et  fetius  odoratus,^ 

Mixta  vetus  apud  novella  ,  15 

Faciunt  inde  oblata  non  bella. 

Semper  habeas  gratuni, 

Qui  tam  larga  manu  voluisti  duuatum, 

Dum  Deus  servat  tua  potestate, 

In  qua  cognovimus  tam  grande  largitatis.''         20 

Vos  vidistis  in  donio 

Quod  de  fame  nobiscum  morimur.     Homo, 

Satis  te  presumo  salutarc  " 

Et  rogo  ut  pro  nos  dignetis  orare. 

Transmisimus  tibi  de  illo  pane ;  ^  25 


4-2  HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 

Probato  si  iiulc  '*  jjotis  numducare. 

Quamdiu  vivimus,  })laiie 

Liberat  nos  Deus  de  tale  pane  ! 

Congregatio  puellave  sancta 

Refudat  tale  pasta.^*^  30 

Nostra  privata  stultitia 

Ad  te  in  summa  aniicitia 

Obto,  te  semper  valere 

Et  caritatis  tue  iiiro  ^^  tenere. 

— Mon.  Germ.  Legum  Bectio  V. 
Form.  p.  220. 

1.  Apparently  "L^af." 

2.  Subjunctive  uf  the  vulgar  involo,  to  carry  off,  steal,  &c. 

3.  "  Outside,"  a  vulgarism  like  ah  intus  for  the  simple  adverb. 
Formentum  seems  to  be  the  classical  frumcnhvm. 

4.  Scil.  mica,  "crumb." 

5.  Note  that  rhyme  proves  the  endings  of  palato  and  odoratus 
practically  identical. 

6.  Should  we  read  largitatem  or  largitate  ? 

7.  "I  take  it  on  myself  to  offer  you  greeting." 

8.  Partitive  genitive,  as  in  modern  French. 

9.  Exactly  the  modern  en  manger. 

10.  Pdte,  dough. 

11.  Probably  for  nira. 

This  is  a  satire  in  the  form  of  an  imaginary  letter  from  Bisho]) 
Frodebert  to  Bishop  Importuuus.  It  belongs  to  the  seventh 
century. 

7. 

In  nomine  sanetae  Trinitatis.  yrosiierum  saluhre  et 
f^atLs  iunmdum  est<e  (llnuscitiir  ut  de  caduca  quispiam 
saeculi  facultate  Deo  conferat  quo  peccata  fiua  valeat 
rediniere  et  abluere,  et  quid  prudenciore  consilium  ut 
homo  de  riniiidani»  rehus  con^aret  jiaradiso  et  terrena 
substancia  transferat  in  caelestia,  sicut  Dns  in  evangelio 
preclara  voce  intonat  "  tessauriciate  vobis  tesaurus  in 
caelo,  ubi  nee  fur  efudiet  nee  eruco  nil)igenat  nee  tinia 
sulcat."      Iggitur  ego  in  Dei   nomine  Cluothildis    .    .    . 


DOMINANCE   OF  VULGAK   LATIN.  43 

cogitans  qualiter  peccatorum  meorum  facinora  possem 
abstergere  et  ad  aeterna  gaiidia  pervenire,  lecit  incunip- 
tis  pauperebus  bene  tribuendo  potest  amma  adebisci 
remedium,  sed  tamen  iuxta  quod  scriptum  est  "date 
elemosena  et  omnia  niunda  sunt  vobis,  precipui  ad 
domesticis  fedei " ;  et  illud  "  facite  vobis  amicus  de 
Mammonae  iniquitatis  qui  vos  recipiant  in  aeterna  taber- 
nacola " ;  et  alibi  "  beati  pauperis  spiritum  quoniam 
ipsorum  est  rignum  caelorum " ;  nihelhonienus  bonum 
est  pro  cunr/oruni  necessetatebus  lebenter  nianum  porre- 
gere;  sed  ad  tale  bona  maxime  oportit  substancia  trans- 
agendi  conferrere,  septam  monastirie  habetacionis  constvn- 
ere  vel  de  aeterna  tabernacola  debiant  ad  beneficia  rebus 
respondere,  precipui  ubi  chorus  sanctorum  virgenum 
iugiter  medetacionum  carniena  devotamente  Dno  canun- 
tur,  in  loco  ubi  decernit  construere,  in  quorum  honore 
ditatur,  ipsorum  ante  Dno  intercessio  spiretur.  et  ideo 
in  Dei  nomine  et  in  honore  sancti  Mariae  geneiricis  Dni 
nostri  Ihesum  Christi  et  citherorum  sanctorum  quorum 
pignora  in  ipso  monastirio  habentur  inserta,  in  loco  non- 
copante  Brocaria,  situm  in  pago  Stampense,  props  de 
fiuviolo  Urbia,  insjnrante  Christo,  monastirium  puellarum 
devotamente  decrivi  fundare. 

Foundation  -  deed  of  a  convent  at  Bruyeres-le-Cliatel,  near 
Etaiiipes  (670-1).  Arch.  Nation.,  K.  2  n.  10;  Tardif,  Monn- 
iiicnU  historiqucg,  n.  19  ;  Meyer,  Recveil  d'ancicns  tcxtcs  bas-latins, 
kc,  p.  5  f.     Restorations  are  in  italics. 


8. 

Quid  dc  hominebus '  fuit  ad  portas  parades!  (piando 
nioriebatur  Adam  ?  [8eth]  et  Evam,  et  sic  fuit :  olium 
petivit  et  non  invciict.  Hoc  illis  dexit  angclus  Micael 
"  modo  non  dabitor  vobis,  set  pos  quaniquc "  milia  I> 
hanus  venerit,  plasmator  vester  natus  ex  Maria  vergene 
sanctam   ipsi  dabet   vobis  oleum   unde   unguates    curpus 


44        iiisTOiacAL  i;eadeu  of  eakly  French. 

vestrum    et    rufrigerit    karo    vestra.       Hunc    vobis    erit 
baptismo." 

Quis  viviiidum  ^  seculum  vicit  1     Elias  et  Inoc. 

Quis   in   mortem  horavit,  ad  coins  oracionem  dnb  ter 

quenos  adedit  anos?     Eciel  reges.'^ 
Quis  asinam  psiquendum  reimm  invenet  1     Saul  rex. 

— loca  Monacliorum ;  vid.  Romania,  i.  483  If,  ; 
Meyer,  Eecueil,  16  ff. 

1.  Scil.  "  what  mortal." 

2.  For  postquam. 

3.  Note  the  use  of  the  gerund,  which  has  passed  iuto  Romance. 

4.  The  king  is  Hezekiah. 

The  above  are  selections  from  the  '  loca  Monacliorum,'  or  '  Monks' 
Puzzles.'  The  use  of  accusative  for  nominative  is  strongly  marked, 
the  case-endings  hopelessly  confused. 


Cenacula,  mansimiculas  (Gen.  vi.  16).  Femur,  coxa 
vel  cingolo  (Gen.  xxiv.  2).  Cutarmces,  quacoles  (Ex. 
xvi.  13).  Scrabrones,  vuapces  (Ex.  xxiii.  28).  Bculpare, 
intaliare  (Ex.  xxviii.  9).  Poplife,  innctnre  ianiculornm 
vel  reliquorum  membroruni  (Judg.  vii.  6).  Sarcina, 
bisatia  (1  Kings  xvii.  22).  Onerati,  carcati  (2  Kings 
xvi.  1).  Mtihio  accejjeram,  impruntatum  habebam. 
lecore,  ficato  (Tob.  vi.  4).  Reruvi,  causarum  (Judith 
vi.  10).  PaUium,  drapum  (Matt.  v.  40).  Mutuari, 
prestari  (ib.  42).  Inluserunt,  deganaverunt  (Mark  xv. 
20).  Commoda,  presta  (Luke  xi.  5).  Perihet,  perportat 
(John  i.  15).  Artemon  ritalus,  niastus  navis  (Acts  xxvii.  40). 
In  commutatione,  in  concambiis  (Job  xxviii.  15).  Fex,  lias 
(Ps.  Ixxv.  8).  Pruina,  gelata  (Ps.  cxlvii.  16).  Manipulos, 
segetes,  garbas  (Ps.  cxxv.  6).  Da,  dona.  (From  the 
Reichenau  Glosses  to  the  Bible;    ]\[eyer,  Recueil.) 

The  above  are  glosses  on  the  Vulgate  Bible,  giving  in  each  case 
as  explanation  tlie  word  in  use  in  Middle  Latin,  which  hence  has 
passed  into  Romance. 


DOxMINANCE   OF  VULGAE    LATIN,  45 


10.  Karl  the  Great  (Charlemagne). 

Carolus  gratia  Dei  Rex  Francorum  et  Langobardoruni 
ac  Patricius  Eomanorum  dilecte  nobis  et  valde 
amabili  coniugo  nostrae  ill.  Reginae. 

Salutem  amabilem  tibi  in  Domino  per  hos  apices  mit- 
tere  studuimus  et  per  te  dulcissimis  filiabus  nostris  vel 
ceteris  fidelibus  nostris  tecum  commorantibus.  scientem 
tibi  facimvis  quia  gratias  Deo  sani  et  salvi  sumus.  missus 
quidem  dilecti  filii  nostri  ill.  nomine  ill.  nobis  nun- 
tiavit  de  eius  sanitate  ac  domni  apostolici  vel  de  salva- 
tione  confinium  nostrorum  illis  partibus  positis.  unde 
valde  laetificati  extitimus.  et  insuper  retulit  nobis 
qualiter  ilia  scara  ^  nostra,  que  prius  de  Italia  iussimus 
pergere  partibus  Avariae  in  ill.  confinia  resedendum, 
perrexerunt  infra  fines  ipsorum  decirao  kalendas  Sep- 
terabris.  et  inierunt  pugiiam  cum  eis.  et  dedit  eis 
Dens  omnipotens  pro  sua  misericordia  victoriam,  et 
multitudinem  de  ipsis  Avaris  interfecerunt,  in  tantuni, 
ut  dicunt,  quod  in  multis  diel)us  maior  stragis  de  ipsis 
Avaris  factum  non  fuit.  et  expoliaverunt  ipsum  luialum, 
et  sederunt  ibidem  ipsa  nocte  vel  in  crastina  usque  hora 
diei  tertia.  et  acceptis  expoliis  reversi  sunt  in  pace,  et 
centum  quinquaginta  de  ipsis  Avaris  vivos  compraehen- 
derunt,  quos  reservaverunt  ut  nostra  fiat  iussio  qualiter 
exinde  age  re  debeant. 

1.  Scara,  mod.  Ger.  Schaar  =  army. 

E.xtract  from  a  letter  from  Karl  the  Great  to  Fastrada  in  tlie 
year  791.  "  Our  son  "  is  Pippin,  King  of  Italy  ;  "  our  Apostolic 
Lord,"  Hadrian  I. 


46 


IV. 

LATIN   AND   FRENCH. 

§  1.  From  quite  early  times  there  existed  in  Home  side 
by  side  with  the  literary  or  "  classical "  Latin  a  popular 
form  of  the  language,  the  vulgar  or  "Low"  Latin,  which 
often  greatly  differed  from  it.  The  unlikeness  between 
the  two  Latins  came  to  be  greater  and  greater  as  the 
vulgar  speech  was  spread  over  the  face  of  the  earth  by 
soldiers  and  colonists  and  traders,  and  with  the  mobility 
of  a  truly  living  tongue  took  up  new  words  or  developed 
new  idioms  in  different  places ;  while  the  literary  tongife 
became  petrified,  and,  after  being  artificially  kept  alive  for 
some  centuries,  at  last  perished  utterly  in  the  triumph  of 
barbarism.  From  the  Low  Latin  spoken  by  the  lower 
classes  in  Italy,  and  introduced  into  France,  Si)ain,  Por- 
tugal, Eoumania,  &c.,  arose  the  Eomance  or  popular 
tongue,  which  is  the  basis  of  the  "  Eomance  "  languages 
(French,  Provencal,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Eoumanian,  and 
"  Churwaelsch  "). 

These  languages  preserve  many  vulgar  or  "  Low  "  words 
which  were  unknown  to  literary  Latin,  as  Fr.  achier  from 
apiaria,  oiseau  from  *  avicellus  (vulgar  Latin  of  the  first 
century  had  aviceUa),  houche  from  hucca,  cheval  from 
cahallus,  planche  from  2^^<^'^^'^<^j  oignon  from  unio ;  and 
they  have,  too,  words  which  were  lost  to  the  literary 
dialect  very  early,  and  sometimes  only  returned  into  it 


LATIX    AND    FRENCH.  47 

after  the  classical  age,  as  aider  from  adiutare  (pre- 
classical,  post  -  classical),  maigreur  from  marror  (pre- 
classical).  Again,  the  Low  Latin  on  which  they  are 
based  contained  some  primary  words  of  wdiich  no  traces 
at  all  have  survived  elsewdiere,  only  derivatives  appear- 
ing, such  as  Fr.  masse  directly  from  *  matea,  ■which  is 
itself  unknown,  but  has  left  a  derivative  in  Lat.  mateola. 
Further,  there  are  many  words  in  Middle  Latin,  passing 
thence  into  the  liomance  tongues,  Avhich  are  not  found 
earlier,  yet  must  have  existed  in  the  vulgar  latinity,  as 
auea  (Fr.  oie),  haia  (Iniie),  directum  (droit),  focus  in  the 
sense  "  fire "  (feu),  hostls  in  the  sense  "  army "  (OFr. 
oste),  masca  (masque),  troiqms  (trap). 

Thus  French  has  for  its  basis  the  vulgar  Latin,  rein- 
forced by  a  strong  contingent  of  more  classical  words 
introduced  by  the  learned.  The  former  has  suffered  very 
great,  the  latter  very  little,  phonetic  change.  The  former 
are  of  the  nature  of  home  growths,  the  latter  are  like 
exotics.  Thus  encroidev  is  a  native  French  word,  in- 
cruste>'  a  learned  importation. 

The  native  Keltic  tongue  of  France  had  given  way  to 
Latin  even  before  the  fifth  century,  though  by  no  means 
in  all  districts.  It  has  left  very  few  traces.  The  part 
played  by  the  tongue  of  the  German  invaders  was  far 
greater ;  indeed,  it  is  a  more  important  element  in  French 
than  in  Spanish  or  Italian.  The  Germans  (Goths,  Franks, 
and  Burgundians)  began  to  pour  into  the  country  in 
the  early  fifth  century ;  the  Normans  or  iS^orthmen  from 
Scandinavia  arrived  five  centuries  later.  They  intro- 
duced many  words  relating  to  war,  and  above  all  to 
the  feudal  institutions  which  they  set  up.  The  word 
"French" — i.e.,  -'Frankish" — -was  at  first  given  to  the 
native  tongue  of  the  Franks ;  w^hen  this  decayed  it  was 
applied  to  the  Romance  speech  of  the  North  (not  to  that 
of  Provence),  and  in  particular  to  the  dialect  of  the  Ilo 
de  France,  which  by  about  the   thirteenth  century  had 


48  HISTORICAL    READER    OF    EARLY    FRENCH. 

come  to  be  the  literary  language  of  all  the  country  save 
Provence.^ 

1.  This  and  the  following  paragraphs  aim  at  giving  but  the 
merest  outline  of  the  most  important  points  of  difference  between 
modern  French  and  its  ancestor  the  Latin.  Reference  should 
be  made  for  details  to  Diez,  '  Vergl.  Gramm.  d.  Romanischen 
Sprachen '  ;  Meyer  -  Liibke's  'Vergl.  Gramm.';  and  to  Brachet- 
Toyubee,  'Historical  Fr.  Gramm.,'  the  last  a  work  to  which  I  am 
specially  indebted  ;  and  to  Darmesteter,  '  Historical  Fr.  Gramm.,' 
translated  by  Mr  A.  Hartog. 

VOCALISM. 

§  2.  At  the  basis  of  the  Low  Latin,  and  consequently 
of  the  French  vocalism,  lies  a  phenomenon  Avell  known 
to  philologers.  The  classical  Latin  had  ten  pure  vowels 
— a  a,  e  e,  i  1,  o  6,  u  u — of  which  the  short  vowels  were 
open  (i.e.,  pronounced  without  lateral  contraction  of  the 
tongue),  while  the  long  were  close  (uttered  with  such  a 
contraction  of  the  tongue).  In  consequence  we  find  the 
Low  Latin,  Avhich  is  the  foundation  of  French,  confuses 
in  quality  long  close  utterances  of  a  low  ("  obscure ") 
vowel  with  short  open  utterances  of  a  slightly  higher 
("  clearer  ")  vowel ;  and  hence,  as  quantities  become  more 
uncertain,  classical 

a  becomes  Low  Latin  a. 

e,  oe,  £§,  i  II  II  e  (close). 

^    '^  II  e  (open). 

It  i. 

II  o  (close). 

It  o  (open). 

II  u  (close). 

II  0  (long  open  sound). 

§  3.   Latin  A. 

L  A  accented,  (a)  in  open  ^  accented  syllables  regularly 
becomes  e  in  French,  as  chanter,  cantcire ;  feve,  fuham ; 
(h)   in   closed,    accented   syllables    it  remains,   as  quatre, 


e,  £6 

1 

0,  ii 

0 

Vl 

au 

LATIN   AND   FEENCH.  49 

qudttuor  (qiiaftor) ;  eheval,  cabdUum ;  (c)  in  open  ac- 
cented syllables  before  nasals  it  appears  as  ai — e.g.,  sain, 
sdnum ;  essaim,  exdmen ;  {d)  in  accented  syllables  before 
semi- vocalic  ^■^  it  becomes  ai,  even  though  the  i  be  pre- 
ceded by  a  consonant,  as  niaire,  mdior  ;  hai,  hadium  ;  and 
this  change  occurs  also  before  Latin  consonants  which  in 
Eomance  have  become  i  (see  below,  §§19,  20),  the  only 
exception  being  (e)  cases  where  there  is  a  consonant  be- 
tween a  and  i  which  is  affected  by  tlie  i,  or  permits  it  to 
become  consonantal,  the  a  hence  remaining — e.g.,  place, 
pJdieam  (vulgarly  jMtiam) ;  sache,  sdpiam  ;  champagne, 
Campdniam.  In  (/)  accented  open  syllables  after  semi- 
vocalic  i  of  Latin  or  Eomance  origin  (see  above)  it  becomes 
ie,  ^pitie,pietdtem;  rente,  renegdtum;  and  {g)  when  it  has 
this  Latin  or  Romance  semi-vocalic  i  before  and  after  (§§  19, 
20)  it  becomes  *  or  y,  as  Lagnij,  Latiniacmn  ;  git,  iacet. 

II.  A  unaccented  in  a  final  syllable,  or  the  syllable 
following  the  secondary  accent,  becomes  mute  e,  as  honne, 
honavi ;  orplielin,  urphaninum. 

III.  Before  the  accent,  a  (a)  becomes  e  if  in  the  initial 
syllable  and  preceded  by  c,  as  cheml,  cahdllum,  unless 
this  syllable  be  closed  or  followed  by  r  or  I,  as  chateau, 
castellwn ;  (b)  it  regularly  remains  otherwise,  as  panier, 
pandrmra ;  avoir,  habere;  chafiter,  cantdre,^  unless  (c) 
the  next  syllable  contains  semi-vocalic  i,  or  a  consonant 
follows  which  in  Eomance  becomes  /,  in  which  case  a 
becomes  ai,  as  aider,  adiutdre ;  raison,  rationem ;  fait, 
factum. 

1.  An  open  syllable  is  one  in  which  the  vowel  is  followed  by  a 
single  consonant  or  by  the  groups  tr,  dr,  pr,  hr,  or  jis  (when^^n 
early  vanished).  Such  openness  is  to  be  distinguished  from  the 
openness  of  vowels,   on  which  see  above,   §  2. 

2.  That  is,  an  i  before  any  other  vowel.  In  the  vulgar  speech, 
which  is  the  basis  of  French,  such  an  I  was  pronounced  conson- 
antally  as  y.  Furtliermore,  an  e  of  classical  Latin  in  the  same 
position  was  vulgarly  pronounced  also  as  y.  The  same  phonetic 
rdle  aa  that  of  this  y  is  played  by  the  i  arising  from  the  loss  of  the 

D 


50  HISTORICAL   READER   OF    EARLY    FRENCH. 

consonants  c  and  fj  in  Romance,  on  which  nee  §  19  ii.  b,  r,  d,  iii. 
a  ;  §  20  ii .  b,  c,  iii.  a. 

3.  There  are,  however,  many  cases  of  c  for  a  in  this  position,  as 
chetif,  captivimi,  &c. 

§  4.    LaU7l  E. 

I.  Under  the  accent  this  e  (a  close  sound)  becomes  (a) 
01  in  open  syllables,  as  soil',  seram,  unless  (i)  a  nasal 
follows,  when  it  is  changed  to  ei,  as  frein,  frfnwn,  or 
unless  (c)  it  is  preceded  by  a  palatal,  when  it  becomes  i, 
as  cire,  ceram.  In  all  other  cases — that  is,  whenever  it 
occurs  in  closed  syllables — it  generally  {d)  remains,  as 
sens,  sensum ;  when  (e)  followed  by  consonants  becoming 
i  in  Eomance  it  appears  both  in  open  and  close  syllables 
as  oi,  as  roi,  regem  ;  croitre,  crescere. 

II.  Before  the  accent,  e  remains  as  e  —  ejj.,  devoir, 
dehere.  Before  the  Eomance  t  due  to  Latin  consonants 
it  becomes  oi,  as  royal,  regdlem 

§  5.  Latin  E. 

I.  Under  accent  this  open  sound  becomes  («)  in  open 
syllables  ie,  as  pierre,  jjc'tram ;  licvre,  leporem ;  rien, 
rem ;  (b)  if,  however,  the  next  syllable  contains  semi- 
vocalic  i  or  i  of  Eomance  origin  the  e  becomes  i,  as 
pi'ix,  pretium ;  lit,  legit.  But  (c)  in  originally  closed 
syllables  it  remains — -fer,  ferrum  ;  tete,  testam.  For  its 
treatment  in  secondarily  closed  syllables,  see  §  15  end, 
note. 

II.  Before  acxent,  e  (a)  remains  as  e,  as  eveqtie,  epis- 
copum,  unless  (&)  a  Latin  or  Eomance  semi-vocalic  i 
follows,  .en  the  e  ap})ears  as  oi  or  oy  by  combination, 
as§poz'sso/i,  messionem  ;  moyen,  medidnmn  ;  noyer,  necdre. 
Sometimes  (c)  under  the  influence  of  neighbouring  palatal 
vowels  or  consonants,  &c.,  it  appears  as  i,  as  ici,  eccehic  ; 
issue,  exiitam. 

§  6.   Latin  AE. 

This  sound  (a),  when  in  Low  Latin   the   accent  sue- 


LATIN    AND    FRENCH.  51 

ceeded  in  keeping  its  length,  was  treated  like  e,  as  proie, 
prdedma ;  haleine,  halldenarn ;  (b)  even  liowever  when 
under  the  accent  it  sometimes  appears  to  have  been 
short,  and  was  then  treated  like  e,  as  del,  caelum; 
Steele,  sdeclum.  In  other  cases  it  generally  shared  the 
fate  of  e,  sometimes,  for  instance,  appearing  before  the 
accent  as  ^  (ciment,  caemenium). 

§  7.  Latin  W. 

This  sound  coincided  in  Low  Latin  generally  with  e — 
thus  j^eiiie  [poenam). 

§  8.  Latin  I. 

(a)  Whether  under  or  before  accent,  this  sound  regularly 
remains  in  French,  as  nid,  nidum  ;  rpine,  spinam ;  fille, 
filiam ;  vilain,  villdnum ;  but  (/>)  when  followed  by 
accented  i  it  is  dissimilated  to  e,  as  derin,  divinum. 

§  9.  Latin  1. 

This  shared  the  fate  of  e  (q.v.)     Thus — 

I.  Under  accent,  (a)  foi,  fidem ;  (h)  sein,  sinum  ;  (f) 
loisir,  lieere ;   (d)  elle,  ill  am;   (e)  noir,  nigrum} 

II.  Before  the  accent — menu,  mimitum  ;  2Jloyer,  pilicdre. 

1.  It  appears  often  as  e  if  followed  both  by  i  (Latin  semi-vowel, 
or  a  product  by  Romance  laws  from  consonants)  and  n  or  I,  as  conseil, 
consilium  ;  oreille,  auric{u)lam. 

i      *        O"^ 

§  10.  Latin  0.       ^^'^     ^V^'^ 

I.  Under  accent,  U  becomes  {(i)  in  open  syllables  eu  or 
feu,  as  oeuf,  uvum  ;  jJlcMve,  ploro,  unless  (h)  a  nasal  follows 
which  preserves  o,  as  noin,  vumen ;  p)ersonne,  personiim. 
If  ('•)  followed  both  by  a  nasal  or  other  sound  and  a 
Latin  or  Eomance  semi-vocalic  i,  o  becomes  oi,  as  gloire, 
gloriam  ;  temoin,  testimonium  ;  loin,  h'mgum  ;  voh;  vucem, 
except  {(l)  in  the  case  where  the  group  is  followed  by 
a  vowel   other  than  that  of  final  -u)n,  in  which  case  o 


v' 


52     HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 

remains,  as  cujogne,  cicuniam.  In  closed  syllables  (e)  the 
o  becomes  ou,  as  cour,  cvrtem,  except  (/)  before  nasals, 
which  preserA^e  o,  as  pont,  pontem. 

II.  Before  accent,  u  (a)  regularly  becomes  ou,  as  epouser, 
sponsdre ;  nouer,  noddre ;  Coutances,  Constantias,  unless 
(J))  a  nasal  follows  which  preserves  o,  as  nonimer,  nom- 
indre,  or  unless  (c)  the  next  syllable  contains  semi-vocalic 
«',  or  i  of  Eomance  origin,  in  which  case  o  becomes  oi,  as 
toison,  tonsiunem. 

§  11,  Latin  6. 

I.  Under  accent,  (a)  in  open  syllables  6  becomes  eu  or 
mu,  and,  when  followed  by  I  with  a  semi-vocalic  *  of  Latin 
or  Romance  origin,  becomes  eu,  as  hoeiif,  huvem ;  seuil, 
solium ;  mil,  ocidum ;  (h)  in  open  syllables  it  is  kept 
before  nasals,  as  bon,  honum ;  (c)  in  closed  syllables  it 
is  kept,  as  corps,  corpus,  unless  it  comes  (d)  before  I, 
which  gives  ou,  as  moudre,  m6l(e)re.  Again,  (e)  before 
r  or  any  other  sound  but  I,  followed  by  a  semi-vocalic  ?', 
or  i  of  Romance  origin,  it  becomes  ui,  as  cuir,  corium  ; 
hui,  Iwdie ;  huit,  octo. 

II.  Before  accent,  6  (a)  remains  in  closed  syllables,  or 
in  open  syllables  followed  by  a  single  nasal,  as  mortel, 
mortdlem ;  sonner,  sondre ;  it  (fj)  becomes  ou  in  other 
open  syllables,  as  moidin,  molinum ;  (c)  with  the  semi- 
vocalic  i  arising  from  Latin  c  or  g  it  combines  to  form  the 
diphthong  oi,  as  foyer,  focdrium;  prier  (OFr.  proiei-), 
precdre. 

8  12.  Latin  U. 

This  (a)  remains  u  in  French  both  under  accent  and 
before  it,  except  (i'^)  when  followed  by  the  semi-vocalic 
i,  or  i  of  Romance  origin,  which  gives  ui,  as  pertuis, 
j)ertiisiuhi ;  aiguiser,  *  acutidre  ;  fruit,  fructum. 


LATIN   AND    FRENCH.  53 

§  13.  Latin  U. 

This  sound  coincided  in  colouring  with  a,  and  so  shared 
its  fortunes.     Hence — 

I.  Under  accent,  (a)  in  open  syllables  it  is  eu  or  reii,  as 
gueule,  gulam  ;  jeune,  uivenem,  except  (h)  when  preserved 
by  a  nasal,  as  sommes,  sdmus.  (c)  Before  nasals  and 
other  sounds  followed  by  semi-vocalic  i,  Latin  or  Eomance, 
it  becomes  oi,  as  angoisse,  angilstlam ;  croix,  crucem  ; 
with  (r?)  the  same  exceptions  as  o,  as  vergogne,  vei'eciin- 
diam ;  and  in  other  closed  syllables  (e)  it  becomes  ou, 
as  houcJie,  hicrxcm,  except  (/)  before  nasals,  Avhich  keep 
o,  as  omhre,  umhram. 

II.  Before  accent,  (a)  it  becomes  ou,  as  souvent,  mhinde  ; 
poidain,  pulldnwn ;  except  {h)  before  nasals,  as  sommer, 
summdre ;  or  (c)  before  semi-vocalic  ^,  Latin  or  Eomance, 
which  gives  oi,  as  oignon,  *  unionem. 

§  14.  Latin  Au. 

This  [a)  generally  remains  as  open  o,  as  chose,  caumm  ; 
oreille,  auric{u)lam ;  but  {h)  followed  by  semi-vocalic  i, 
Latin  or  Eomance,  it  forms  a  diphthong,  as  joie,  gdudia  ; 
joyeux,  gaudivsum ;  oie,  ducam  (scil.  avicam ;  cf.  avicella, 
Ital.  uccello), 

§  15.  From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  the  vowel  of 
the  syllable  which  in  Latin  bears  the  main  accent  of  the 
word  is  regularly  preserved  from  disappearance  during  the 
change  of  the  word  into  its  French  form.  The  syllables 
other  than  those  bearing  the  main  accent  have  either 
a  secondary  accent  or  none  at  all.  They  fall  into  two 
classes  according  as  they  occur  (1)  before  the  main 
accent,  or  (2)  after  it.  If  (1)  they  are  before  it,  the 
rule  is  (a)  that  initial  syllables  preserve  their  vowel  in 
some  form,  as  cheval  from  cabdllum ;  but  (A)  if  not 
initial   they  lose  their  vowel,   as   haute  from   bonitdtem, 


54  HISTORICAL   KEADEK   OF   EAIILY    FEENCH, 

unless  (r-)  the  vowel  is  a,  whicli  becomes  mnte  e,  as 
orphelin  from  orphaninum,  or  unless  {d)  the  vowel  is 
preceded  by  a  group  of  consonants  requiring  its  sonance, 
or  followed  by  such  a  group,  in  which  case  it  remains 
as  e,  as  fourterelle  from  turfurellam,  gouverner  from 
(juberndre,  or  unless  (e)  it  is  followed  by  a  consonant  and 
semi-vocalic  i  coming  just  before  the  main  accent,  Avhich 
keeps  tlie  vowel  in  the  form  of  i,  as  ijavillon  from 
papilionem. 

When  (2)  the  syllal)le  is  later  in  the  word  than  that 
bearing  the  main  accent,  the  rule  is  that  [a)  vowels  of 
final  syllables  are  lost,  as  fier  from  ferum,  unless  {b)  the 
vowel  be  a,  whicli  remains  as  mute  e,  as  chaudc  from 
cdl{i)dam,  or  unless  (c;)  the  loss  of  the  vowel  would  leave 
an  unpronounceable  group  of  consonants,  in  which  case  it 
becomes  mute  e,  as  peupJe  from  2>6p{u)lum ;  while  in  the 
last  syllable  but  one  {d)  the  vowel  regularly  vanishes — a 
change  already  anticipated  in  popular  Latin — as  chavd 
from  cdl{i)dum} 

1.  In  this  case  au  e  ill  the  j^revious  syllable  appears  iii  French  as 
ie,  as  teji{i)dum,  tiedc. 

§  16.  Latin  Liquids. 

I.  Both  r  and  I  of  Latin  remain  regularly  in  French- 
when  initial,  as  roi,  rer/ein ;  lit,  ledum. 

II.  Liternally  (a)  they  also  remain,  as  vendi-e,  vendere  ; 
couronne,  coronmn  ;  porte,  ])ortam  ;  empMr,  imptlei'e;  valeur,. 
valorem  ;  except  {h)  in  the  case  of  I  between  a  vowel  and 
a  consonant,^  Avhich  was  lost  Avhen  the  vowel  was  I  or  z7, . 
and  became  u  after  other  vowels,  as  p>uce  iiovn  pUl(^i)rem, 
poumon  from  pulmonem.     The  r  and  I  (c)  in  final  syllables, , 
whether  they  are  originally  final  or  come  to  be  final  by 
secondary  loss  of  a  vowel,  persist  in  French,  as  coeur,  cor ; 
sel,  sal;  venir,  venire;  nul,  nullum,    [d)  Latin  rv  remains  as 
rr  or  r ;  rs,  following  the  tendency  of  Low  Latin,  some- 


LATIN   AND    FRENCH.  55 

times  becomes  s,  as  r/ieae  from  chesne,  *  quercinum .  The 
rr  arising  through  the  loss  of  an  intermediate  consonant 
and  vowel  becomes  rdr,  as  tordre,  tur((iue)re.  A  like 
cliange  takes  place  before  the  similarly  arising  groups  Ir, 
mr,  m;  ml,  as  poudre  from  jjoldre,  2ml{ve)rem ;  nombi-e, 
niim{e)rum ;  craindre,  trem{e)re ;  comhie,  cum{u)lum,  &c. 
Latin  /,  followed  by  semi-vocalic  i  (Latin  or  Eomance), 
or  preceded  by  a  palatal  consonant,  becomes  liquid 
(mouill'^,  as  Jiile,  filiam  ;  ceil,  oc(u)lum.  Latin  II  usually 
remains,  as  helle,  bellam. 

IIL  Finally,  r  and  I  persist,  whether  they  are  originally 
final  or  only  come  to  be  so  by  secondary  loss  of  a  follow- 
ing vowel,  as  aL'ur,  cor;  sel,  sal;  venir,  venire;  nul, 
nullum;  fer,  ferrum  (rr  becoming  r).  For  dos  from 
dossum,  dorsum,  see  above, 

1.  By  consonant  I  shall  designate  both  consonants  and  nasals, 
unless  the  distinction  is  expressly  made :  thus  I  here  account  the 
first  m  of  pvZmoncm  as  consonant. 

§  17.  Latin  M. 

This  remains  in  French  (I.)  when  initial  and  also  (IT.) 
when  internal,  but  only  (a)  after  another  non  -  vocalic 
sound,  between  two  vowels,  and  before  p,  //,  as  mer, 
mare ;  pauriie,  jmlmam ;  ami,  amicum  ;  emplir,  implere. 
But  (ft)  when  a  following  vowel  is  lost  after  single  m  in 
Low  Latin,  m  becomes  n  before  palatal  and  dental  con- 
sonants, as  sente,  sem(i)tam ;  ronce,  7-unt.(i)ce7n ;  (c)  m'n 
thus  arising  becomes  m,  as  dame,  dom{i)nam ;  (d)  mW 
and  m'l  become  mhr,  mhl  (see  §  16,  end).  Further,  (e) 
original  mn  becomes  mm,  as  dommage,  damnaticum  ;  and 
(/)  m  with  a  Latin  semi-vocalic  i  following  it  becomes 
dental,  so  that  we  get  the  group  ncj,  as  singe,  simiam ; 
changer,  cambiare. 

IT  I.  As  the  last  sound  of  a  word  m  was  early  lost  in 
Latin  itself,  and  so  never  came  into  French;  exceptions 


5.6;  IIISTOIIICAL   READER  OF   EAKLY   FRENCH. 

are  a  few  monosyllables,  which  show  n  for  w/,  as  Hen, 
rem;  mon,  meum  or  vulgar  vmm.  In  Eomance  where 
it  has  secondarily  come  to  be  final,  it  remains,  or  is 
written  n,  as  7i07n,  nomen ;  /aim,  famcm;   on,  homo. 

§  18.  Latin  N. 

This  usually  remains  (I.)  initially  and  (II.)  internaU'iff 
as  (a)  nom.,  nomen;  tournefr,  tornare ;  epine,  spinam ; 
vent,  ventum ;  hranche,  hrancam ;  ange,  angelum  ;  except 
{h)  before  s,  where  it  was  lost  already  in  Low  Latin,  as 
epoibse,  spo{n)sam.,  and  (c)  before  semi -vocalic  ?",  either 
original  or  from  classical  e  before  another  vowel,  in 
which  case  the  n  is  mouillS  and  written  gn,  as  seigneur, 
seniorem ;    ligne,    lineam.       On   French   ndr   see   above,, 

§  16,  ii. 

III.  In  secondarily  final  syllables,  (a)  n  remains  after 
vowels,  as  sain,  sanum ;  but  (b)  is  lost  after  consonants,, 
as  chair,  carnem ;  jour,  diurnu'in ;  an,  annum. 

Like  m,  n  nasalises  a  preceding  vowel  both  when  final 
and  when  followed  by  a  consonant. 

§  19.  Latin  C. 

I.  Initially.  This  {a)  before  o  or  u  remains,  as  coupe, 
cuppam;  the  few  cases  of  g  for  c,  as  gond,  contum,  are 
already  Low  Latin ;  (&)  before  a  it  becomes  the  spirant 
ch,  as  chanter,  cantare  ;  cheval,  cahallum ;  (c)  before  e  or 
i  it  appears  as  sibilant  c,  as  cite,  civitatem ;  (d)  before 
r  or  Z  it  remains,  as  craie,  cretam  ;  clef,  clavem,  appearing 
only  as  <7  in  a  few  cases  where  the  change  was  already 
Low  Latin,  as  grille  for  craticulam. 

II.  Ldernally.  (a)  Before  o  or  m  (i)  it  remains  if 
preceded  by  a  consonant,  as  ecu,  scutum,;  (ii)  if  preceded 
by  a  it  becomes  g,  and  usually  too  turns  a  into  ai,  as 
aigu,  acutum  ;  and  (iii)  if  preceded  by  any  other  vowel 
it  disappears,  as  sur  (OFr,  seilr),  securum. 


LATIN   AND   FRENCH.  57 

When  (b)  before  a,  if  (i)  it  follows  a  vowel  that  is  not 
lost  by  the  phonetic  laws  of  Low  Latin  and  Romance,  it 
becomes  semi-vocalic  i  after  a,  e,  i,  and  either  changes  to 
/  or  is  quite  lost  after  o,  u,  as  payer,  pacare  ;  foyer,  foca- 
rium ;  rJiarrue,  carrucaiii ;  but  (ii)  after  consonants,  no 
matter  whether  the  contact  is  original  to  Latin  or  due 
to  a  loss  of  an  unaccented  vowel  in  Eomance  times,  it 
becomes  cli  in  Romance  finals,  as  mouche,  museum,  and 
elsewhere  ch  or  spirant  (j  (the  latter  only  where  the  con- 
tact is  due  to  Eomance  loss  of  vowel),  as  seche,  siccam  ; 
manche,  man{i)cam  ;  pecliei;  piscare  ;  coucher,  coU{o)care  ; 
clerge,  cler{i)catum. 

Again,  (c)  when  before  e,  i,  (i)  if  it  follows  a  vowel,  it 
appears  as  s,  and  adds  i  to  the  preceding  vowel,  as  taisanf, 
tacentem ;  gesir,  iacei-e ;  (ii)  if,  when  following  a  vowel, 
it  come  before  unaccented  e,.i,  it  survives  only  as  i  if  the 
e  or  i  were  lost  before  the  e  could  become  s,  but  remains 
as  s  and  also  adds  an  i  to  the  preceding  vowel  if  the 
unaccented  e  or  i  did  not  vanish  until  c  had  become  s — 
thus  dire,  dic{e)re  ;  faire,  fac{e)re  ;  but|:'Za^^  {Qi¥r.  pdaist), 
flacet ;  nuit  (OFr.  nuist),  nocet ;  and  (iii)  when  c  is 
followed  by  semi-vocalic  i  and  a  vowel  it  becomes  under 
all  circumstances  sibilant  c,  or  ss,  as  ma^on,  macionem  ; 
fassions  (OFr.  fassons),  faciamus;  where  again  (iv)  the 
c  before  e  or  i  is  preceded  by  a  consonant  it  becomes 
sibilant  c  or  ss,  further  adding  i  to  the  preceding  vowel  if 
the  preceding  consonant  be  ^'j  as  irierci,  7)iercedem;  vais- 
seau,  vascellum. 

When  {d)  c  comes  (i)  before  r  it  remains  if  preceded 
by  n,  but  elsewhere  cither  becomes  g  with  addition  of 
i  to  the  previous  vowel  or  else  remains  simply  as  i — thus 
vainc.re,  vinc{e)re  ;  aigre,  acrem  ;  luire,  luc(e)re  ;  when  (ii) 
before  /,  it  remains  if  preceded  by  n,  but  vanishes  after 
e,  as  onde,  avunc{u)lum  ;  meter  (OFr.  mesler),  misc{u)lare ; 
and  it  becomes  g  if  before  the  accent  and  after  a  vowel, 
and   i  (with  the  I  mouille)  if  after  the  accent,  as  eglise, 


58  HISTORICAL   EEADEPv   OF    EARLY    FRENCH. 

ecdesiuin ;  maiZ/e,  mac{^H)lam.  Lastly,  (iii)  tlic  groups 
ct  and  ;/:  {i.e.,  rs)  both  yicLl  an  i  in  French,  the  s  ot  x 
remaining  as  .s',  as,  or  .c,  as  fait,  factum  ;  saint,  sanctum  ; 
aisselle,  axillavi ;  so/./;antc,  sexaginta. 

IIL  Finally  (i.e.,  as  first  consonant  in  the  last  syllal)lc, 
of  which  tlie  following  vowel  was  dropped  in  Eomance), 
if  («)  before  original  o  or  u  (i)  it  becomes  i  after  a,  e,  i, 
as  Gamhrai,  Cameracuvi ;  ami,  amicum. ;  (ii)  it  is  quite 
lost  after  ?f,  as  fetu,  festucum ;  (iii)  it  remains  after  n 
or  r,  as  arc,  arcum  :  (iv)  in  the  Romance  group  fc  it 
becomes  spirant  g  after  vowels  and  cli  after  consonants, 
as  sauvage,  silva{ti)cum ;  porclie,  port(i)cum- ;  (v)  cc  be- 
comes c,  as  sec,  siccum ;  (vi)  sc  becomes  s,  with  ^  added 
to  the  preceding  vowel,  as  bois,  hoscum. 

(b)  Before  Latin  e  or  i  (i)  it  becomes,  after  a  vowel, 
s  or  X,  with  addition  of  /  to  the  preceding  vowel,  as 
paix,  pacem ;  (ii)  after  d  it  becomes  z,  as  douze,  duo- 
die)cim,  and  after  other  consonants  sibi'lant  c  or  s,  as 
imnse,  pant{i)cem ;  puce,  pul{i)cem  ;  and  (iii)  c  followed 
by  Latin  semi-vocalic  i  appears  as  s,  as  soulas,  ^olacium 
(in  OFr.  also  sibilant  c  and  z). 

[The  c  absolutely  final  in  classical  Latin  (a)  becomes 
i  after  a,  e,  or  i,  as  OFr.  di,  die  ;  OFr.  fai,  fac ;  ni,  nee  ; 
but  (h)  sometimes  remains  after  o,  as  avec,  ah  hoc.'\ 

§  20.   Latin  G. 

I.  Initially  the  g  (a)  before  o,  u,  r,  or  I  remains,  as 
gout,  gustum ;  goiijon,  goJnoneni ;  gros,  grossum ;  ghnre, 
gloriam ;  but  {h)  before  a,  e,  or  i  becomes  the  spirant 
g  ox  j,  as  jamhe,  gamham ;  geant,  gigantem. 

II.  hdernally  (a)  after  a  consonant  it  remains  before 
o  or  ?/,  but  becomes  spirant  before  a,  e,  or  ?',  as  Bourgogne, 
Burgundiam ;  argent,  argentum ;  (Jj)  between  two  Latin 
vowels  it  is  (i)  changed  to  semi-vocalic  i  when  the  vowels 
are  a,  c,  or  ?",  as  plaie,  plagam  (in  reine  from  reginam.,  &c., 
this  i  is  absorbed  by  the  following  ?") ;  but  (ii)  when  one 


LATIN   AND    FKEKCH.  59 

or  l;oth  of  the  vowels  is  o  or  u  the  g  is  quite  lost,  as 
rue,  ru'jam. 

(<■)  In  (i)  the  group  (/r  the  r/  is  either  changed  to  t 
or  wholly  lost,  as  flairer,  flagrare  ;  j^iaindre,  2il(ing{e))-e  ; 
iMerin,  ijeregrinum ;  in  (ii)  gl  the  g  becomes  ?',  as  veiller, 
vig{i)lare,  unless  n  precedes,  which  keeps  g,  as  ongle, 
ung(n)Iam ;  (iii)  g  followed  in  Romance  by  t  or  d  be- 
comes *',  as  froid,  frig(i)dnm ;  (iv)  the  Latin  gn  either  is 
still  written  (i.e.,  the  g  is  pronounced  as  semi-vocalic  ?', 
Avhile  the  n  is  mouille  before  it),  as  daigncv,  dignare ;  or 
the  g  becomes  i,  a  g  sometimes  being  still  Avritten  after 
the  n,  as  etcdn,  stagnum  ;  poing,  piignum. 

III.  Finally — i.e.,  in  Eomance  finals  —  {a)  g  becomes  i 
after  vowels,  as  roi,  regem ;  and  {h)  after  consonants  is 
still  written,  but  only  pronounced  when  the  next  word 
begins  with  a  vowel,  as  long,  longum. 

§  21.  Latin  Q. 

This  (I.)  initially  remains  as  guttural  c  or  as  q,  as 
'(juel,  qualem ;  cadre,  quadrum.  (II.)  Internally  it  either 
(a)  becomes  guttural  g,  sometimes  also  producing  i,  as 
ega.l,  aequalem ;  Aigues,  aqua>< ;  or  else  (b)  the  q  is  lost, 
but  traces  remain  in  an  i,  while  the  labial  semi-vowel  u 
■accompanying  q  remains  as  v,  as  OFr.  ive,  equam. 

§  22.  Latin  T. 

I.  Initially  this  sound  remains,  as  trois,  tres. 

II.  Internally  (a)  after  a  consonant  t  generally  remains, 
as  jiorte,  portani  ;  matin,  mat{it)tinum, ;  while  after  h,  after 
the  palatal  r  or  g,  and  after  semi-vocalic  i,  it  becomes  d,  as 
■conde,  cul){i)tnm  ;  aider,  ai{u)tare  ;  (h)  between  vowels  it 
is  lost,  as  c/umteur,  cantatorem ;  ai'rnee,  armatam ;  (r) 
before  r,  after  vowels  it  becomes  rr  or  r,  and  after  con- 
sonants remains,  as,  frere,  fratrem  ;  huitre,  ostream  ;  before 
7,  ])alatals,  or  nasals  it  is  lost,  as  rnle,  rot(u)lum  ;  porclie, 
po)i(i)aim ;  rone,  ret{i)nani.     (d)  The  group  t  and  semi- 


60  HISTORICAL    KEADER   OF    EARLY    FRENCH. 

vocalic  /  [i.e.,  Latin  /  or  e  before  vowels)  becomes  (i) 
voiced  ts-,  with  addition  of  i  to  the  preceding  vowel 
if  it  comes  directly  after  a  vowel  and'  precedes  the 
accent,  as  poison,  potionem ;  but  (ii)  simply  breathed 
s  (written  ss  or  c)  if  it  is  directly  after  a  vowel  and 
follows  the  accent,  as  i^lace,  pjJaieam  ;  and  (iii)  it  suffers 
the  same  change  if  it  follows  a  consonant,  as  noces, 
niipfias. 

III.  Finally,  when  beginning  syllables  which  lost  their 
vowel  in  Eomance,  it  («)  remains  after  consonants,  as 
sept,  se2)tem,  but  {li)  is  lost  after  vowels,  as  ecu,  scutum ; 
(c)  t  with  semi-vocalic  ^'  in  the  same  position  becomes 
voiced  .<;  (unsounded),  and  adds  i  to  the  preceding  vowel, 
as  palais,  palatium. 

The  absolutely  final  t  of  Latin  words  remains  also  after 
consonants,  as  tieut,  ten(e)t. 

§  23.  Latin  D. 

I.  Initially  this  («)  remains,  as  dire,  dicere ;  but  [h) 
if  with  semi-vocalic  i,  the  result  isj,  as  jour,  diurnum. 

II.  Internally  (a)  if  after  a  consonant,  it  remains,  as 
also  does  the  group  dr,  as  chaude,  cal{i)dam ;  perdre, 
perd{e)re ;  (b)  between  two  vowels  it  vanishes,  as  nue, 
nudam ;  (c)  dr  after  a  vowel  changes  to  r  or  rr,  dl 
(arising  from  loss  of  a  vowel)  to  /  or  II ;  but  {d)  under 
all  circumstances  d  vanishes  when  composition  or  the  loss 
of  a  vowel  causes  it  to  be  directly  followed  by  t,  s,  n,  m, 
palatal  c  and  v,  as  rente,  rend(^i)tarii ;  assez,  adsatis  ; 
Rhone,  Rod{a)num ;  manyer,  mand(ii)care ;  avenir,  ad- 
venire;  (e)  d  with  Latin  semi-vocalic  i  after  consonants 
becomes  spirant  y,  as  verger,  vir{i)darium,  but  after  n 
they  vanish  after  making  the  n  mouille  (written  gn),  as 
Bourgogne,  Buryundiam ;  whereas  (/)  after  vowels  the 
d  vanishes,  as  ylaievl,  yladiolum. 

III.  Finally  (i.e.,  when  made  the  last  sound  of  the  word 
by  Eomance  laws)  it  {a)  becomes  t  or  remains  as  d  after 


LATIN   AND   FRENCH.  61 

consonants,  as  ^lert,  viridem ;  froid,  frig{i)dum;  but  {b) 
vanishes  after  vowels,  though  sometimes  still  written, 
as  merci,  mercedem.  (c)  D  with  semi-vocalic  i  is  treated 
in  the  same  way  as  when  medial,  as  hai,  hadium ;  orge, 
Jwrdeum. 

§  24.   Latin  P. 

I.  Initialhj  it  remains,  as  pis,  peius. 

II.  Internally  (a)  after  a  consonant  p  or  j"'  remain,  as 
does  pi  under  all  circumstances,  as  Champagne,  Cam- 
paniam ;  peuple,  pop[u)lum  ;  powpre,  purp{v.)ram.  (b) 
Between  vowels  j)  becomes  v,  as  cheveu,  capillum ;  (c) 
before  r  it  becomes  v,  as  chevre,  capram ;  (d)  before  t 
or  d  it  vanishes,  as  acheter,  accaptare ;  and  before  .s 
it  assimilates,  as  chdsse  and  caisse,  capsam.  (e)  The  group 
of  p  and  Latin  semi-vocalic  i  appears  (i)  as  spirant  g  if 
before  the  accent,  as  pigeoji,  pip)i6nem  ;  and  (ii)  as  spirant 
ch  if  after  the  accent,  as  sache,  sdpiam. 

III.  Finally  (in  Romance  finals)  it  (a)  remains  after 
consonants,  as  champ,  campwn  ;  but  {IS)  becomes  /  after 
vowels,  as  clief,  *  capum. 

§  25.  Latin  B. 

I.  Initially  it  remains,  as  bien,  bene. 

II.  Internally  (a)  b  and  h'  remain  after  consonants, 
hi  under  all  circumstances,  as  jambe,  garnbam ;  ombre, 
umh-am  ;  table,  tab(ii,)lam  ;  (6)  between  vowels  b  becomes 
V,  as  cheval,  cahallum  ;  (c)  6r  after  vowels  becomes  vr,  as 
lim-e,  librum  ;  (d)  before  t,  nasals,  and  v  the  b  disappears  or 
is  assimilated  under  all  circumstances,  as  dette,  deb(i)tam  ; 
douter,  dub{i)tare ;  before  s  it  phonetically  disappeared, 
but  has  been  largely  restored  l)y  grammarians,  as  absoudre 
(OFr.  asoldre),  absolvere  ;  (e)  the  group  b  and  semi-vocalic 
i  becomes  spirant  g,  as  rhanger,  camhiare. 

III.  Finally  (in  Romance  finals),  it  (a)  is  still  written 


62  HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 

after  consonants,  as  plo)nb,  phmibum ;  but  (l^)  becomes/ 
after  vowels,  as  //•(/,  Irahp.m 

^  2G.  Latin  F.     . 

Both  initially  and.  internally  this  is  preserved  in  i!>ench, 
ixsfoi,fJdem;  enfer,  infernum  ;  orfraie,  ossifragam.  la  it 
is  included  the  Greek  ph. 

§  27.  Latin  V. 

I.  Liitially  this  usually  remains,  as  voir,  videre. 

II.  hitefrnally  (a)  after  consonants  it  remains,  as  mauve,, 
malvam.  (b)  Before  consonants  (i)  it  disappears  before  y,  t,. 
or  s,  as  nager,  nav(i)gare ;  cite,  civ(i)tatem ;  and  similarly 
(ii)  it  vanishes  after  I  before  r,  as  ahsoudre  (OFr.  asoldre),. 
ahsolv(e)re ;  but  (iii)  after  vowels  it  remains  before  r, 
as  vivre,  viv[e)re.  (c)  Between  vowels  v  (i)  sometimes  re- 
mains, as  nouveau,  novellum  ;  and  (ii)  sometimes  vanishes, 
as  paon,  pavonem.  (d)  The  group  v  and  Latin  semi-vocalic 
i  appear  as  j  or  spirant  g,  as  neige,  niveam ;  Dijon, 
Divioiiem. 

III.  Finally  (in  secondarily  final  syllables)  it  becomes 
/,  as  ceuf,  ovum. 

§  28.  Latin  S. 

I.  Liitially  (a)  this  usually  remains,  as  servir,  servire ; 
but  (&)  Low  Latin  developed  a  short  vowel  before  the 
initial  groups,-^,  ^  sjj,  d,  mi,  which  appears  in  French 
as  e,  while  the,  c,  p,  t,  or  m  regularly  disappeared,  as 
ecu,  scutum ;  epee,  sp)atam ;  etain,  stannum ;  emeraude, 
smaragdum. 

II.  Internally  (a)  after  consonants  s  is  usually  kept,  as 
fausse,  falsam;  (b)  between  vowels  it  appears  as  voiced 
s  (our  z),  as  chose,  causam ;  (c)  before  consonants  it  has 
disappeared,  the  Eomance  groups  sV,  ssV,  and  sc'r  de- 
veloping dentals  before  the  loss  of  the  s — thus  hate, 
hospiteni ;    coudre,    co(ii)i>(^ue)re ;    croitre,    cresc{e)re ;    (d) 


LATIN    AND    FRENCH.  63 

before  Latin  semi-vocalic  i,  s  becomes  voiced  (our  z)  and 
ss  remains,  in  either  case  the  i  being  taken  up  into 
the  preceding  vowel,  as  viaison,  ma[n)sionem ;  moisson, 
messionem. 

III.  Finally  (in  secondary  finality)  s  is  written,  but 
is  mute,  and  S6'  appears  as  s — thus  cas,  caswn ;  <jras, 
crassum. 

§  29.  Lati7i  Z. 

I.  Initially  this  appears  as  spirant  g  (or  j),  as  jaloux, 
zelosum  ;  gingemhre,  zingiber. 

II.  Medially  it  becomes  (a)  voiced  s,  as  in  the  ending 
-iser  from  -izare,  or  (h)  spirant  g  oij,  as  jujube,  zizypMim. 

§  30.  Latin  Semi-vocalic  I. 

I.  Initially  the  semi -vocalic  (or  consonantal)  i,  still 
vulgarly  written  _;',  becomes  spirant  g  or  j,  as  juge, 
iudicem ;  gesir,  iacere. 

II.  Internally  between  vowels  it  generally  combines 
with  the  preceding  vowel,  as  maire,  maior.  For  its  treat- 
ment elsewhere  compare  the  preceding  paragraphs. 

§  31.  Latin  H. 

As  in  Latin  itself,  French  h  has  almost  ceased  to 
exist.  In  most  cases  it  is  written  but  mute,  as  I'heure 
from  horaiu ;  and  often  it  is  not  even  written,  as  orge, 
hordeum.  In  a  few  cases  it  still  is  faintly  audible,  and 
some  of  these  cases  are  words  wliich  in  Latin  were 
without  the  letter,  as  le  liaxd  from  altum. 

§  32.  Declension. 

Masculine  Suhxtantives  and  Adjectives. — Owing  to  the 
breakdown  of  the  case-system  in  Low  Latin  the  cases  in 
use  came  to  be  almost  solely  the  nominative  and  accusa- 
tive.    Here  the  analogy  of  the  masculines  of  the  second 


64  HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY    FRENCH. 

declension  influenced  all  the  others.     Firstly  the  scheme 
in  Latin — 

Nom.  sing,  bonus  liber.  Nom.  j)Iu.  boni  libri. 

Ace.  bonum  librum.     Ace.  bonos  libros. 

• — led  to  OFr.  (eleventh  to  twelfth  century)  ^ — 

Nom.  siiig.  bons  livre.  Nom.  plu.  bon  livre. 

Ace.  bon  livre.  Ace.  bons  livres. 

— and  even  in  words  of  other  declensions,  as  leo,  pania, 
OFr.  gave — 

Nom.  sing,  pains,  leons.  Nom.  phi,  pain,  leon. 

Ace.  pain,  leon.  Ace.  pains,  leons. 

Analogy  produced  as  general  scheme  by  the  end  of  the 
twelfth  century — 

Nom.  sing,  bons    livres,  Nom.  plu.  bon    livre, 

pains,  leons.  pain,  leon. 

Ace.  bon  livre,  pain,  Ace.  bons      livres, 

leon.  pains,  leons. 

The  original  nominative  only  survived  in  a  few  excep- 
tional cases,  as — 

Nom.  sing,  cuens    (Latin       Nom.  plu.  comte.  ^ 

comes). 
Ace.  comte.  Ace.  comtes. 

And  these  too  -  ultimately  fell  in  with  the  scheme  which 

'  Exceptions  are  the  words  whose  root  in  Latin  ended  in  s,  or  a 
letter  or  letters  giving  s,  x,  or  z  in  OFr. :  all  such,  as  mois  {mensem), 
paix  (pacem),  palais  (palatium),  temps  (tempiis),  were  always  inde- 
clinable in  French. 

^  A  few  exceptions  still  survive.  Some  words  have  kept  both 
the  nominative  and  accusative,  as  sire  (senior),  by  seigneur  (seniorem), 
on  (homo),  homme  (hominem).  Others  have  the  nominative  only,  as 
fds  (fiU.vs),  but  OFr.  fil  (filium) ;  traitrc  (traditor),  but  OF. 
traiteur  (traditorem) ;   Charles  (Carolus) ;  Jacques  (Jacobus),   &c. 


LATIN    AND    FEENCH.  65 

gave  s  throughout  in  the  nominative  singular.  By  the 
end  of  the  fourteenth  century,  however,  almost  all  traces 
of  declension  had  vanished,  and  the  accusative  was  used 
throughout  as  nowadays. 

Feminine  Substantives  and  Adjectives. — The  scheme  in 
OFr.  was — 

Nam.  sing,  rose,  main,  mort.     Num.    plu.     roses,     mains, 

morts. 

Ace.  rose,  main,  mort.     Ace.  roses,     mains, 

morts. 

By  the  twelfth  century  analogy  has  caused  the  following 
declension : — 

Nom.  sing.  mers.  Nom,  plu.  mers. 

Ace.  mer.  Ace.  mers. 

§  33.  Gender. — The  Latin  neuter  has  wholly  vanished. 
Either  (a)  neuters  became  masculine,  or  (&)  the  final 
-a  of  the  plural  nominative  has  led  to  their  confusion 
with  feminines.  Hence  (a)  le  toit  from  tectum,  which 
was  confused  with  the  masculine  accusative ;  and  {h) 
la  feuille  from  folia,  which  was  confused  with  feminine 
singular  in  -a.^ 


"D"- 


§  34.  Article.  —  The  definite  article  arose  from  the 
vulgar  use  of  ille,  lience  the  scheme  of  OFr. — 

Masc%iJi)ic. 

Nom.  sing,  [illc)  li.  Nom.  plu.  (illi)  li. 

Ace.  (ilium)  le.  Ace.  (illos)  les. 

'  Traces  survive  of  the  Latin  law  under  which  certain  adjectives 
of  the  third  declension  had  the  same  foi'm  for  masculine  and  fem- 
inine. French  of  the  thirteenth  century  said  "  une  (jrand  femme," 
Latin  f/ranrlis,  r/rrmrlem.  The  modern  grande  fcrnme  is  Vjy  false 
analogy.     We  still  find  traces  in,  c.f/.,  grand'chose,  grand'mcre,  &c. 

E 


66 


HISTOKICAL   READER    OF   EARLY    FRENCH. 


Feminine. 


Nom.  sing.  (ilJa)  la. 
Ace.  (illam)  la. 


Nom.  -phi.  (ilJae)  les. 
Ace.  {illax)  les. 


By  composition  with  prepositions  arose  du  (del),  au  (al), 
the  now  lost  e7il,  des  (dels),  aux  (als),  es. 

The  indefinite  article  similarly  arose  from  the  popular 
use  of  the  numeral  U7ius ;  hence  OFr.  nom.  sing,  uns ; 
ace.  un.        ^t\,;;,    >  •c\,   ;,_ 

§  35.  Comx>arison  of  Adjectives  has  gradually  come  to  he 
almost  purely  analytic — e.g.,  plus  chaud  for  calidiorem. 
Few  traces  survive  of  the  synthetic  comparison,  as  in 
moindre  {minor),  though  they  are  less  rare  in  OFr.,  as 
hellezor  (bellatiorem),  pesme  (j^essimam). 

Conjugation. — In  passing  into  French  the  passive  voice 
of  Latin  was  lost,  and  deponents  became  active.  A  peri- 
phrasis was  used  to  form  the  future  and  conditional 
tense,  hence,  e.g.,  ehanterai,  chanterais,  from  cantare 
habeo  and  cantare  habebam.  The  perfect  was  expressed 
by  the  compound  cantafum  habeo,  j'ai  chante.  Thus 
generally  we  find  the  scheme — 


Pres.  ind. 
Imp.  ind. 

Pret.  ind. 

Pres.  subj. 
Imp.  subj. 

Pres.  imper, 


chante,  canto, 
chantais,     can- 

tabam. 
chantai,      ean- 

iavi. 
chante,  cantem. 
chantasse,   can- 

tassem.. 
chante,  canta. 


Pres.  inf.  chanter,  cantare. 

Gerund  cliantant,  can- 
tando. 

Pres.  part,  chantant,  cantan- 
tem,. 

Past  part,  chante,  cantatum. 

Fut.  ind,  ehanterai,  can- 
tare  habeo. 

Gondii  chanterais,  can- 
tare  habebam. 


These,  with  the  conditional  past  j'aurais  chante,  the  past 


LATIN   AND   FRENCH.  67 

anterior  feus  cliante,  and  the  perfect  fai  chante,  are  the 
French  representatives  of  Latin  conjugation. 

The  persons  are  partly  irregular.  (1)  The  -s  of  the 
1st  sing,  of  so  many  verbs  is  due  to  the  analogy  of  verbs 
like  fais,  facio,  whose  -s  is  regular ;  hence  vois,  finis, 
Sic,  for  older  voi,  &c.  (2)  The  -s-  of  the  2nd  sing.  pret. 
is  for  -st,  Latin  -sti.  (3)  The  -ons  of  Ist  plu.  is  from 
-oms,  which  is  due  to  the  ending  of  OFr.  soms  {sommes), 
Latin  sumus. 


68 


EAELY    FRENCH. 

ILLUSTRATIVE    PASSAGES. 
Strasburg  Oaths, 

These  oaths  are,  after  the  Eeichenau  Glosses,  the  earliest 
monument  of  the  French  language  we  possess.  They 
were  taken  at  Strasburg,  in  the  year  842  a.d.,  by  Ludwig 
the  German  to  Karl  the  Bald,  and  by  Karl's  army  to 
Ludwig  the  German,  and  are  preserved  by  Nithard, 
grandson  of  Charlemagne,  in  his  History  (book  iii. 
chap.  5).  Nithard's  work  was  composed  about  the  year 
843,  but  the  only  manuscript  of  it  extant  dates  from  the 
end  of  the  tenth  or  beginning  of  the  eleventh  century. 

In  this  MS.  (now  in  the  Bib.  Nat.  in  Paris)  the  text 
of  the  oaths  is  probably  not  in  its  original  form.  It 
evidently  contains  faults  of  transcription,  and  is  full  of 
Latinisms.  This  may  be  owing  to  the  copyist  having 
been  accustomed  to  transcribe  Latin  only,  or  it  may  be 
that  the  MS.  from  which  he  took  his  copy  was  a  faulty 
one.  Professor  Koschwitz  remarks  in  his  Commentary 
that  it  is,  indeed,  possible  that  the  original  of  Nithard 
may  have  contained  errors,  as,  in  his  time,  it  was  unusual 
to  write  in  the  popular  dialects,  and  thus  it  might  be  of 
uncertain  orthography  and  contain  Latinisms.  With 
regard  to  the  Latinisms,  Diez  conjectures  that  the  oaths 
may  have  been  originally  composed  in  Latin,  and  trans- 


STEASBURG   OATHS. 


69 


lated  into  the  popular  tongue.  In  this  way  he  explains 
the  absence,  in  the  oaths,  of  the  article,  which  was  already 
in  use  in  the  language,  and  such  constructions  as  pro  deo 
amur,  in  quant,  in  o  quid,  &c. 

To  which  particular  dialect  the  oaths  belong  it  is 
difficult  to  determine.  Eaynouard  regards  them  as  being 
in  Romance — i.e.,  for  him  Provencal — but  Diez  rejects 
this  view,  pointing  out  the  marked  French  character- 
istics of  the  words.  Other  more  recent  critics  have 
found  that  the  oaths  present  the  closest  resemblance 
with  the  later  dialects  of  the  south-west  of  France, 
as  far  as  our  knowledge  of  these  extends. 

Oath  of  Ludwig  the  German. 


Pro  ^  Deo  amur  et  pro 
christian  poblo  -  et  nostro 
commun  salvament,  d'ist  di 
en  avaut,  in  quant  Deus 
savir  et  podir  me  dvniat,  si  •' 
salvarai  eo  *  cist  meon  fradre 
Karlo  et  in  adjudha  et  in 
cadhuna  ^  cosa,  si  cum  cm  ^ 
per  dreit  son  fradra  salvar 
dift,^  in  o^  quid'*  il  mi  ^'^ 
altresi  fazet  ;  et  ab  Ludber 
nul  plaid  "  nunquam  ^^  prin- 
drai  qui  meon  vol  ^^  cist 
meon  fradre "  Karle  in 
damno  .sit. 


For  the  love  of  God  and 
for  the  salvation  of  the  Chi  is- 
tian  people  and  of  ourselves, 
from  tliis  day  forward,  in  so 
far  as  God  grants  me  know- 
ledge and  power,  I  shall  save 
this  my  brother  Charles,  and 
.shall  help  him  in  every- 
thing, just  as  one  ought,  liy 
right,  to  save  his  brother, 
on  condition  that  he  do 
(save)  me  likewise  ;  and  with 
Lothair  I  shall  make  no 
agreement  that,  by  my  will, 
may  be  injurious  to  this  my 
brother  Charles. 


1  Pro  may  possibly  have  been  por  in  the  original.  Pro  was  at  that 
time  a  Latinism. 

-  christian  iiohlo,  gen.  dependent  on  salvament. 

3  St,  Lat.  sic,  emphatic  part.,  much  used  in  Old  French. 

■•  eo,  also  io  (see  Oath  II.),  formed  by  dropping  g  of  Lat.  ego. 

5  cadhuna,  Gr.  Kara  [una).     Cp.  Spanish  coda,  cadauna. 

^  am,  Lat.  homo,  Fr.  o?i. 

^  di/t,  Lat.  debet.     Another  reading  is  dist.  ^  o,  Lat.  hoc. 

'  quid  =  qiic,  the  d  being  prob.  inserted  to  avoid  the  hiatus. 

^"  mi,  ace.  (not  dat.)  after /a,~c^,  which  here  is  in  place  oi  salvar. 

n  2>l<'id,  ] jnt.  placilum. 

'2  A  i.atinism  for  w«J!77<«.  '*  Adverbial  accus. 

'■•  cist  meon  fradre,  dat. ,  the  case-particle  being  left  out,  as  was 
usu.al  at  this  period. 


"70  HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 

Oath  of  the  Soldiers  of  Karl  the  Bald. 

Si  Lodhuwigs  i  sagrament,  If  Ludwig  keeps  the  oath 

que  sou  f  radre  Karlo  -  jurat,''  which  he  swore  to  liis  brother 

couservat,    et    Karlus    meos  Charles,  aud  if    Cliarles    uiy 

sendra  ■*  de  suo  *  part  non  los  lord,  for  his  part,  do  not  keep 

tanit,"   si    io^   returuar   non  it,  if  I  cannot  turn  him  from 

Tint*  pois,  ne  io,  ne  neuls"  it,    neither   I,    no)'   any   one 

cui  1"  eo  returuar  int  pois,  in  that  I  can  turn  from  it,  shall 

nulla  adjuil ha  contra  Lodhu-  aid  him    in  any  way  (lit.  I 

wig  nuu  li  iv  er.'^  shall  not  be  to  him  there  in 

any  aid)  against  Ludwig. 


St  Eulalia. 

This  poem,  which  was  modelled  on  a  Latin  hymn  and 
written  in  assonanced^^  verse,  belongs  to  the  ninth  century. 
The  MS.  was  discovered  in  1837  in  the  Library  of  Val- 
enciennes. It  had  previously  belonged  to  the  Abbey  of 
St  Amand,  where  the  poem  is  said  to  have  been  com- 
posed. The  subject-matter  refers  to  the  sufferings  of  a 
maiden,  Eulalia,  who  would  not  abjure  the  Christian 
faith,  in  spite  of  threats  or  promises,  and  was  cast  into 
the  fire.  The  story  is  apocryphal,  and  does  not  appear 
to  be  based  directly  upon  the  legends  of  either  of  the 
two  known  Saints  Eulalia.  It  is  meant  to  depict  the 
triumph  of  Christianity  over  paganism. 

As  in  the  Strasburg  Oaths,  the  number  of  Latinisms 

1  Lodhuivigs,  nom.  case.  ^  j)at.  case. 

3  jurat,  perf.  tense.  ■•  seridra,  fr.  Lat.  senior,  Fr.  seigneur. 

5  Probably  copyist's  error  for  sua. 

6  The  most  obscure  passage  in  the  oaths.  Diaz  explains  los  as  lo 
with  enclitic  reflex  s{e).  The  MS.  has  n  lostanit.  P.  Meyer  reads 
fnmit  for  stanit,  wliich  word  would  correspond  to  the  forhrihhit  of 
the  German  oath  of  Ludwig's  soldiers.  See  Koschwitz,  Commentary, 
p.  42. 

7  io.     See  note  to  eo  (Oath  I.)  *  int.=en. 

8  neuls,  Lat.  ne  uUus.  ^'^  cui,  direct  obj. 

11  iv  er,  according  to  J)iez—ibi  cro.  Iv  is  prob.  an  old  form  of  y. 
Others  take  iv  to  be  a  form  of  io,  ego. 

12  Assonance  consists  in  the  homophony  of  the  last  accented  vowel, 
witliout  having  rr^ard  (except  in  the  case  of  an  and  e?i)  to  the  con- 
sonants that  may  follow. 


ST   EULALIA. 


71 


in  the  text  is  striking.  This  may,  however,  be  explained 
by  the  Latin  hymn  upon  which  the  work  was  modelled ; 
possibly  also  by  the  inexperience  of  the  scribe  in  writing 
French  words. 

The  dialect  of  the  poem  is  generally  admitted  to  be 
that  of  the  north-east  of  France. 

The  versification  has  been  the  subject  of  much 
discussion  by  scholars  (see  Koschwitz,  Commentary, 
p.  101). 


Buona  pulcella  ^  fut  Eulalia 
Bel  aui'et^  corps,  bellezour^ 

anima. 
Voldrent  la  veintre  *  li  Deo ' 

inimi, 
Voldrent    la    faire     diaule^ 

servir. 
Elle   non  ^  eskoltet  les  mals 

conselliers, 
qu'elle     Deo     raneiet,     chi  ^ 

maent  ^  sus  en  ciel, 

Ne  por  or  ned '"  argent  ne 


parameuz 


11 


por  manatee  regiel  ^^  ne  preie- 

ment. 
Niule  1'  cose  non  la  pouret  ^* 

omque  pleier  ^^ 


A  good  maiden  was  Eulalia. 
She  had  a  fine  body, a  soul 

more  beautiful. 
The  enemies  of  God  wished 

to  conquer  her. 
They  wished   to    make    her 

serve  the  devil. 
She  did  not  hearken  to  the 

evil  counsellors, 
that  she   should   deny   God, 

who     dwells     in     Heaven 

above, 
neither   for   gold    nor  silver 

nor  raiment, 
for  royal  threat  nor  entreaty. 

Nothing  could  ever  sway  her 


^  pulcella,  *pullicella,  dim.  oipuella. 

'  auret,  plpf.   indie.  (Lat.   habuerat)  with   sense  of  imperf.      The 
plpf.  disappeared  in  Fr.  at  a  very  early  date. 
'  hellczour,  comparative  (Lat.  bellatiorem). 

*  veintre,  Lat.  vincere.  '  Deo  is  gen.  dependent  on  inimi. 

*  diaule,  dat.  after  servir. 

">  MS.  has  nont.     Some  have  taken  this  to  be  n'out,  forming  the 
compound  tense  n'out  eskoltet. 

8  chi,  variation  in  orthography  of  qui,  ch  being  hard. 

*  maent,  for  maint,  3  sing.  pres.  of  manoir,  to  dwelL 
1"  ned,  used  before  vowel  for  ne. 

11  parameuz,  obi.  pi.  oi parament. 

12  regiel,  prol).   Lat.  regalem,  royal.      Others  take  regiel  as  a  sub- 
stanlive=re^«^  in  the  sense  of  blandishment. 

13  Niule  non,  double  neg.  =nulle  chose  ne. 

!•  pouret,  plpf.  with  sense  of  imperf.  i''  pleier— ploier. 


72 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


^  la  polle  sempre  iion  amast 
lo  Deo  menestier.^ 

E     poro  ^     f  ut     presentede 
Maximiien,* 

chi  rex  eret  a  eels  dis  some 

])aL5iens. 
II  li  enortet,^  dont  lei  nou- 

que*^  chielt/ 

qued^    elle    fuiet^    lo    nom 

chrestiien. 
Eir   enti"  adunet"    lo  suoii 

element :  ^^ 
melz    sostendreiet    les    em- 

pedementz  ^^ 
Qu'elle  perdesse  sa  virginitet ; 

poros  ^*  f  aret  ^^  morte  a  grand 

lionestet. 
Enz  16  enl  fou  la   getterent, 

come  arde  ^^  tost : 

elle   colpes   non   auret,  poro 

nos  1^  coist.i* 
A  czo^*'  nos  voldret  concreidre 

li  rex  pagiens ; 


that  the  maiden  should   not 

love  always  the  service  of 

God, 
and      therefore       she      was 

brought    before     Maximi- 

anus, 
wiio  was  in  those  days  king 

ovei'  the  pagans. 
He   exhorts   her,   for   which 

it   in    no  way  matters   to 

her, 
that  she  should  forsake  the 

Christian  name. 
She   gathers    therefrom   her 

strength  : 
She  would  rather  suffer  tor- 
tures 
(Than)  that  she  should  lose 

her  vii'ginity ; 
Therefore  she  died  with  great 

honour. 
Into  the  fire  they  cast  her  as 

(if)     she     would     quickly 

burn  : 
She  had  no  blame,  therefore 

she  did  not  get  burned. 
In  that  the  pagan  king  would 

not  trust  ; 


1  Supply  here  que,  2  i^  d^q  menestier=le  metier  de  Dieu. 

3  poro=pro  hoc.  ■  *  Maximiien,  dat. 

^  inortet,  inhortare,  with  dat.  In  mod.  French  exhorter  requires 
accus. 

8  nonque,  Lat.  nunqiiam,  is  used  in  the  Oaths  in  sense  of  "never." 
Here  the  meaning  is  "not  at  all." 

^  3  sing.  pres.  of  chaloir,  to  concern.     Cp.  adj.  nonchalant. 

8  q^led,  d  euphonic.     Cp.  quid  in  Strasburg  Oaths,  I.  line  5. 

9  fuiet,  3  sing.  pres.  subj.  oifuir.  10  ent,  Lat.  inde. 
^1  adunet,  Lat.  adunare  =  OFr.  aUner. 

12  element.  The  word  prob.  siguifies  "that  in  which  .she  lives"— 
i.e.,  her  source  of  strength.  In  Ducange  elementa  is  given  =  polus  et 
cibus. 

"  empedemcntz,  lit.  hindrances.  i*  poros=poro  se. 

15  furet,  j)l2)f.  for  iniperf. 

16  J'Jnz,  Lat.  inttis.     enl=en  lo. 

1^  arde,  3  sing.  pres.  subj.  of  ardoir.     In  intrans.  sense. 

1^  nos=non  se. 

19  coist^  sing.  perf.  of  coire  (cuirc).     Lat.  coxit. 

■-'"  czo  {go)=ecce  hoc,  refur.s  to  fire. 


VIE    DE   SAINT    L^GEE. 


73 


ad  ^    uiie    spede    li    roveret  ^ 

tolir  lo  chief.^ 
La  domnizelle  celle  kose  iion 

contredist, 
volt'*    lo    seule^    lazsier,    si 

ruovet  Krist, 
In  figure   de  colomb   volat  ^ 

a  ciel. 
tuit  Oram "  que  por  nos  deg- 

net*  preier 
Qued  auuisset  ^  de  nos  Chris- 

tus  mercit 
post  la  mort,  et  a  lui  nos  laist 

venir 
Par  souue  dementia. 


with  a  sword  be  ordered  her 

head  to  be  taken  off. 
The   damsel    this   thing   did 

not  gainsay, 
She  wished  to  quit  the  world, 

she  prays  to  Christ, 
In  the  shape  of  a  dove  she 

flew  to  heaven. 
Let  us  all  pray  that  she  may 

deign  to  intercede  for  us 
that     Christ     might      have 

mercy  upon  us 
after  death,  and  let  us  come 

to  him 
by  his  clemency. 


Vie  de  Saint  Leger. 

This  poem,  which  belongs  to  the  middle  of  the  tenth 
century,  contains  forty  stanzas  of  six  lines  each,  written 
in  assonanced  verse.  It  may  be  regarded  as  the  first  real 
effort  at  literary  work  in  the  language.-'^°  The  subject- 
matter  is  based  upon  a  life  of  the  holy  martyr  Avritten  in 
Latin  by  Ursinus. 

The  MS.,  which  is  preserved  in  the  library  of  Clermont- 
Ferrand,  contains  also  another  poem,  entitled  "  La  Passion 
du  Christ "  (see  G.  Paris,  Les  j)lus  anciens  monuments). 

The  present  poem  appears  to  be  the  translation  of  a 
text  previously  written  in  the  Bourguignon  dialect.     The 


1  ad,  euphonic  d.  *  roveret,  plpf.  of  rover,  Lat.  rogare. 

'  chief,  Lat.  capxd  {ch  pronounced  hard). 

^  volt,  3  sing.  perf.  of  voloir.  ^  seule,  Lat.  secidmn. 

'  volat,  3  sing.  perf.  ^  oram,  a  Lat.  form  {oramtis). 

^  degnet,  3  sing.  pres.  suhj.  of  degnier  (deignier). 

"  auuisset,  plpf.  subj.  The  plpf.  sulij.  in  Latin  formed  the  imperf. 
suhj.  in  French. 

1"  Lanson  says,  in  his  History  of  French  Literatxire  (p.  2),  "  Ce 
n'est  ripn  ou  c'est  peu  de  chose,  que  cette  vie  de  St  Lrger  :  un  mince 
filet  de  narration,  naive,  limpide,  presque  plate  et  presque  gracieuse  en 
sa  iirocision  si'che.  Mais  c'est  le  premier  essai  de  cette  intense  in- 
vention litti'-raire  que  dix  si('cles  u'ont  pas  sans  doute  encore  e]niisde  : 
et  surtout,  il  n'y  a  pas  h.  s'y  tromper,  c'est  quelque  chose  dejh,  de  hien 
fran(;ais." 


74  HISTOKICAT.  READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 

numerous  words  of  Provengal  formation  may  be  accounted 
for  by  the  transcriber  having  been  a  Provengal. 

Verse  1. 

Domine  deu  i  devemps  '^  lau-  We  ought  to  praise  the  Lord 

der  God, 

Et  a  SOS  ^sancz  honor  porter  ;  And     to     his     saints    bring 

honour ; 

In   su'  amor   cantomps   dels  In  his  love  let  us  sing  of  the 

■  sanz  saint 

Que  por  lui  augrent*  granz  Who     for     him     had    great 

aanz  ; ''  troubles  ; 

Et    or  est  temps   et   si   est  And  now  'tis  time  and  indeed 

biens  'tis  well 

Que   nos   cantumps  de   sant  That  we  sing  of  Saint  Leger. 

Lethgier. 

Verses  36-40. 

Tuit  li  omne  ^  de  ciel  pais  All  the  people  of  that  country 

Trestuit  ^       apresdrent  '^      a      All    set    about    coming    (to 

venir ;  him) ; 

Et  sancz  Lethgiers  lis "  pre-      And   St   Leger  preached   to 

diat,!''  them, 

Domine-Deu"  il  les  lucrat.  He  won  them  to  the  Lord. 

Rendet  ciel  fruit  spiritiel  He   yielded    to  Heaven    the 

spiritual  fruits 
QuaeDeusliavretperdonat.^2      Which  God  had  bestowed  on 

him. 

Et  Evvruins,^^  cum  il  I'audit,       And  Ebroin,  when  he  heard 

it. 
Credere  nel  pot ^*  an tro^'^  quel       Could  not  believe    it   before 
vidji"  he  saw  it. 

1  Domine  deu,  regarded  as  a  compound  word. 

-  devemps,   devons.      The   personal   j^ron.   is  omitted   (see  Darm., 
p.  618). 

3  sos=ses.  *  augrent,  plpf.  ind.  of  avoir. 

5  aanz,  obi.  pi.  of  aan,  ahan  (cp.  Span.  afan). 

*  omne=homm.es. 

7  Trestuit,  trans-*totti.     Trans  gives  augmentative  force. 

^  Another  reading  is  lai  presdrent  (iliac prenseriint). 

5  lis  =  les.  1"  3  sing,  jjerf.  of  2)rcdicr,  L.  praedicare. 

11  Domine-Deu,  dat. 

12  perdonat,  p.p.  perdoner  {pardonner),  signifying  "to  present  with." 

13  The  Count  Ebroin,  who  had  retired  to  a  cloister,  because  he  could 
not  get  the  crown  for  Theodoric,  brother  of  Chilijeric. 

I''  credere  nel  p)ot  =  ne  put  le  croire. 

1^  antro  rpie  (\js.i.  intra).     Mod.  FT.,jusqu'dcegue.  i"  vid,  vit. 


VIE   DE    SAINT   LEGEE.  75 

Cil  1  biens   qu'el    fist   cil  ^   li       The  good  that  he  did  grieved 

jjesat,  him. 

Oocideie  lo  commandat,  He  ordered  him  to  be  slain, 

Quatr'omnes  i  tramist  armez        Four     men     he     despatched 

there  armed 
Que  Ini  ^  alessunt  decoller.  Who  should  go  to  behead  him. 

Li    tres    vindrent    a    Sanct      The  three  came  to  St  Leger, 

Lethgier, 
Jus  ^  se  giterent  a  sos  pez.  Down   they  cast  themselves 

at  his  feet. 
De   lor  pechietz  que  avrent      For   their  sins    which   they 

faiz  had  done 

II  los  absols  *  et  perdonet.  He   absolved   and   pardoned 

them. 
Li  quarz,''  uns  fel,  nom  auf      The  fourth,  a  felon,  his  name 

Vadart,  was  Vadart, 

Ab  un  espieth  ^  lo  decollat.  With  a  spear  cut  off  his  head. 

Et     cum     il     I'aud**     toUut      And  when  he  had  taken  off 

10  queu,^  his  head, 

Lo  ^°   corps    estera  '^    sobrels       The  body  remained  upon  its 

piez  ;  feet  ; 

Cio  fud    loux  12  dis   que  non       It  was  a  long  time  that  it  did 

cadit.  not  fall. 

Lai^^    s'aprosmat    que  ^^    lui      He    who   (had)   struck   him 

firid  :  approached  : 

EntroP'talia^^lospezdejus,'''      Until  he  cut  away  its  feet 

below, 
Lo  corps  (e)stera  sempre  sus.      The     body     remained     still 

standing. 

1  cil  biens  .  .  .  cil.  The  first  cil  is  equivalent  to  cc,  the  second  to 
celui. 

2  lui.  Lui  in  OFr.  was  used,  not  merel)'  in  an  indirect  sense, 
but  also,  as  here,  in  a  direct  sense. 

3  Jus,  Lat.  deorsum,  Ital.  gi^. 

*  ahsols,  3  sing.  perf.  of  {abs)  assoldre. 

'  quarz.  The  Lat.  forms  quartus,  quarta,  existed  in  Fr.  until  the 
seventeenth  century  :  un  quart  voleur  survient  (La  Fontaine,  i.  13). 
Cp.  unefievre  quarte. 

s  aut  =  eut. 

^  espieth,  prob.  from  Germanic  root  spit  (not  !/)&',  svord). 

*  I'aut  should  be  li  aut.     The  elision  in  the  dat.  is  inadmissible, 
8  (/ite?f  =  chief  (Lat.  caput).  i"  Lo  for  li. 

11  estera,  plpf.  of  ester  [steterat)  witli  perf.  meaning. 

1-  lonx  dis,  lit.  lo7i(j  days,  here  signifies  a  lo7ig  time  generally. 

13  Lai  (Lat.  iliac),  Id,  ^*  que,  here  equivalent  to  celui  qui. 

1'  Kntrol  =  rvtro  li,  En/ra  (Lat.  intra). 

1*  taliu,  3  sing.  perf.  of  taller  (taillier).         i^  di^us,  cp.  Ital.  di  giU. 


76 


HISTORICAL  HEADER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH, 


Del  corps  asaz  I'avez  audit, 

Et    dels  flaiels  ^    que   granz 

sustiut. 
L'anima     reciut-     Domiiie- 

Deus  ; 
Als  altres  sanz  en  vai  en  eel  : 

Tl  nos  aind  ^  ob  ^  ciel  senior-'' 
Por  cui  sustint  tels  passions  ! 


You  have  heard  enough  of 
the  body  (of  St  L^ger), 

And  of  the  great  tortures 
which  he  suffered. 

His  soul  the  Lord  God  re- 
ceived ; 

It  went  (lit.,  goes)  away  to 
heaven  to  the  other  .saints  : 

Let  him  aid  us  with  that  lord 

For  Whom  he  suffered  such 
tortures  ! 


ELEVENTH   CENTURY. 
Life  op  St  Alexis. 

The  text  is  that  of  M.  Constans,  Paris,  1890.  Extracts 
in  Toynbee,  iv.  Thi.s  poem  is  in  stanzas  of  five  asson- 
anced  lines  of  ten  syllables.  It  belongs  to  the  second 
half  of  the  eleventh  century,  and  is  based  upon  a  Latin 
life  of  St  Alexis,  composed  somewhere  to  the  west  of 
Paris,  probably  in  Normandy.  The  author  was,  in  all 
probability,  Thibaiit  de  Vernon,   Canon  of  Eonen. 

Alexis,  the  son  of  the  emperor's  standard-bearer,  deserts 
his  wife  on  the  eve  of  their  marriage-day,  to  live  the  life 
of  a  mendicant.  After  seventeen  years  he  returns  to  his 
father's  palace,  where  he  lives  seventeen  years  unrecog- 
nised. He  passes  for  a  beggar.  He  leaves  at  his  death 
a  written  statement  which  none  but  the  Pope  can  take 
from  him.     This  statement  reveals  his  secret. 


78.  Quant  ot^  li  pedre"  90  que  dit 

at  hi  chartre, 
Ad  ambes  mains  deront   sa 

blanche  barbe  : 
"  E  !  lilz,"  dist  il,  "  com  dol- 

oros  message ! 


When  his  father  hears  what 

the  letter  said, 
With   both   hands   he   tears 

his  white  beard  : 
"  Alas,   ray   son  ! "   cried    lie, 

"  what  a  sad  luessatre  ! 


'^flaiels,  'L&i.Jlagelluin.  "  rcciut,  3  sing.  perf.  rccrvoir  [regoivre). 

3  aiud  (Lat.  adjtctet),  3  s.  pres.  subj,  •*  oh,  Lat.  apud. 

^  senior,  seignor,  seigneur.  ^  ot  =  {audit),  3  sing.  pres.  oHr. 

''  2>sdre :  the  hard  medial  dental  t  of  patrnti  ajipears  here  as  the 
soft  dental  d.  It  does  not  disappear  entirely  till  the  end  of  tlie 
eleventh  century. 


LIFE  OF   ST   ALEXIS. 


77 


Vis     atendeie    qued    a    mei 

repaid  rasses, 
Par    Deu    mercit    que    turn 

reconfortasses." 

79.  A  halte  voix  prist  li  pedre 

a  crider  : 
"  Filz    Alexis,    quels    duels 

m'est  presentez  ! 
Malvaise  guarde  t'ai  fait  soz 

mon  degret. 
A  !  las,^  pecliables,  com  par^ 

fui  avoglez  ! 
Tant   I'ai   vedut,  si    nel    poi 

aviser  ! 


80.  "Filz  Alexis,  de  ta  dolente 


81. 


medr 


•e 


I  3 


Tantes    dulors    at    por     tei 

endurcdes, 
E  tantes  fains  e  tantes  seiz* 

passedes, 
E  tantes  lairmes  por  le  tuen 

cors  ploredes  ! 
Cist  duels  I'avrat  encui   par 

acorede. 

"  O  fdz,  cui  ierent  raes  granz 

ereditez, 
Mes   larges    terres    dont    jo 

aveie  assez, 
Mi  grant  palais  en  Rome  )a 

citet  ] 
Empor  tei,  filz,  m'en  esteie'' 

penez : 
Puis"  mon   dec6s   en  fusses 

onorez. 


T  hoped  that  you  would  re- 
turn alive  to  me, 

By  God's  grace  you  would 
comfort  me  anew  !  " 

With  voice  aloud  his  sire 
began  to  cry: 

"  Son  Alexis,  what  sorrow  is 
come  on  me  ! 

I  have  ill  guarded  thee  be- 
neath my  steps. 

Alas,  sinner  !  how  have  I 
been  blinded  ! 

So  often  have  I  seen  hini, 
and  have  not  been  able  to 
recognise  him. 

*'  Son  Alexis,  O  for  thy  sor- 
rowing mother  ! 

For  thee  hath  she  endured  so 
many  woes, 

And  so  much  hunger  and 
thirst  hath  borne. 

And  so  many  tears  for  thee 
hath  she  wept ; 

This  grief  will  to-day  have 
broken  her  heart. 


"O  son,   to  whom  will   pass 

my  great  inheritance, 
My  large  estates,  of  which  I 

had  full  many, 
My  great  palace  in  the  city 

of  Rome  ? 
For   thee,    my    son,    I    gave 

myself  this  care  : 
After  my  death   thou   hadst 

had  the  lordshij). 

1  las,  the  adjective  (wliicli  appears  as  lasse  in  the  feniiiiine),  has 
become  invariable  in  the  Mod.   Vv.  helas. 

2  par  {per),  an  intensive  particle.  Cp.  'perdiscere,  \ie,rfectus.  It 
survives  in  Mod.   Fr.  in  such  phra.^es  as  "par  trop  fort." 

2  de  ta  dolente  medre,  an  elliptical  e.xclamation  :  the  full  expression 
would  be  something  like  "  0  the  grief  of  "  your  mourning  motlier.  Cp. 
Gk.  usage. 

■•  sm=Lat.  *  sites.  The  singular  was  sei  or  soi.  The /of  sot/"  dates 
only  from  the  fifteenth  century  :  cp.  fief = feodum.  It  probably  was 
inserted  on  the  analogy  of  such  words  as  cerf,  clef,  chef,  &c. 

^  esleie,  imperf.  from  ester  (stare). 

6  Puis,  ijrep.=^os/,  *2)ots,  *2mcs,  pois,  and  puis.    Vide  Tonybee,  s.v. 


78 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


82. 


83. 


"  Blanc  fii  le  chief  e  la  barbe 

ai  chanude  ; 
Ma  grant  onor  aveie  retennde 

Empor    tei,    filz,    mais    n'en 

aveies  cure. 
Si     ('rant     dolor     ui     m'est 

apareiide  ! 
Filz,  la  toe  dneme  seit  el  ciul 

absolnde ! 

"  Tei  covenist '  helnie  e  bronie 

a  poi'ter, 
Espede     ceindre     come     toi 

altre  ^  per. 
Ta  grant  niaisni^de  dousses 

governer, 
Le     gonfanor.  ^     I'emperedor 

porter 
Com  fist  tes  pedre  e  li  tuens 

parentez.* 


84. 


grant 


"  A   tei   dolor  et  a  si 

poverte,^ 
Filz,  t'ies  deduiz  par  ali^nes 

terres, 
E  d'icel  bien   qui  toz  doiist 

tuens  estre, 
Pou  en  perneies  ®  en  ta  povre 

herberge  ;  ^ 
Se  Deu  ploust,  sire  en  dousses 

estre." 


"  Wliite  is  my  head  and  hoary 
is  my  beard  ; 

My  lai-ge  estates  T  had  des- 
tined 

For  thee,  my  son,  but  thou 
didst  heed  me  not. 

What  great  grief  hath  ap- 
peared to  me  to-day  ! 

Son,  be  thy  soul  in  pai'adise 
pardoned  I 

"  For  thee  were  it  seemly  to 
wear  helm  and  hauberk, 

And  gird  on  thy  sword  like 
thy  other  peers. 

Thou  shouldst  have  ruled  thy 
great  household, 

And  carry  the  empert)r's 
standard 

As  <]id  thy  sire  and  thy  kins- 
folk. 

"To  such  grief  and  to  such 
great  poverty, 

Son,  hast  thou  lowered  thy- 
self in  foreign  lands  ; 

And  from  this  fortune,  which 
should  all  be  thine, 

Little  didst  thou  take  in  thy 
poor  abode  ; 

Had  it  pleased  God,  thou 
shouldst  be  lord  of  it." 


1  convcnir  was  frequently  constructed  with  a  instead  of  de  before 
an  iulin.  Several  other  words  were  similarly  constructed  ;  such  were 
commander,  desirer,  oidilier.     covenist  is  3  sing,  imperf.  subj. 

*  alirc,  coupled  with  per,  is  pleonastic.  The  plural  nom.  of  the 
third  declension  was  by  analogy  assimilated  to  that  of  the  second  ;  so 
thsX  pares  has  been  treated  as  muri,  and  forms  its  plural  joej-  instead  of 
pers.     toi  \s  worn.  ■^\.  =  tes. 

*  govfanon  (O.H.Ger.  (/wmZ/awo). 

■*  parentez  :  the  masculine  gender  shows  that  this  word  comes  from 
parentatum,  not  irom.  parentatem.     The  word  is  nom.  sing. 

5  poverte,  formed  from  a  Low  Latin  word  *pauperla ;  cp.  tempesie 
=  *tempesta.     Paupertatem  gives  the  regular  form,  povrete. 

*  perneies,  2  sing,  imperf.  irom  prendre. 

7  herberge,  from  the  M.H.Ger.  herihSrga  (army-shelter),  whence 
heberger.  This  word  has  a  doublet,  auberge,  OFr.  alberge,  formed 
from  the  O.H.Ger.  form  of  the  sanio  word,  hariberga.  Cj).  Darms., 
p.  563. 


CHANSON   DE   KOLAND. 


79 


85.  De  la  dolor  que  demenat  li 

pedre 
Grant   fut   la  noise,   si   I'en- 

tendit  la  medre. 
La  vint  corant '  com  fenime 

forsenede 
Batant  ses   palnies,   cridant, 

eschavelede: 
Veit  mort    son    fil,   a  terra 

chiet  pasmede. 

86.  Qui   done   la   vit   son   grant 

duel  demener, 
Son    piz^    debattre    et    son 

cors  degeter, 
Ses  crins  detraii-e  e  son  vis 

maiseler,^ 
E   son   ruort    fil    baisier    et 

aeoler, 
N'i    out   si   dur  ne   I'estoiist 

plorer. 

87.  Trait  ses  chavels  e  debat  sa 

peitrine, 
A  grant  duel  met  la  soe  charn 

medisme : 
"  E,  filz,"  dist  ele,  "  com  m'ous 

enhadide?^ 
E  jo,  dolente,  com   par   fui 

avoglide  ! 
Nel  conoisseie  plus  qu'f)nques 

nel  vedisse." 


Of  the  grief  which  the  father 

showed 
Mighty  was  the  sound  ;  ay, 

the  mother  heard  it. 
She    came    running    like    a 

woman  distraught, 
Beating    her    hands,    crying 

aloud,  dishevelled  ; 
Saw  her  son  dead,  to  earth 

she  fainting  fell. 

Whoever  then  saw  her  mani- 
fest her  great  grief. 

Beat  her   breast  and  throw 
her  body  back. 

Tear    forth    her     hair     and 
bruise  her  face, 

And    kiss   and  embrace  her 
dead  son. 

None  was  so  hard  but  that 
he  must  needs  weep. 
f 

She  tears  forth  her  hair  and 

smites  her  breast, 
And  puts  her  own  flesh  to 

torture. 
"Ah,  son,"  cries  she,  "how 

thou  didst  hate  me  ! 
And  I,  sorrowing  one,  how  I 

was  blinded  ! 
I  should  know  thee  no  more 

than  had  I  ne'er  seen  thee." 


Chanson  de  Roland. 

The  "  Chanson  de  Roland  "  in  its  present  form  belongs 
to  the  latter  half  of  the  eleventh  century.  It  was  pub- 
lished for  the  first  time  by  F.  Michel  in  1837  from  the 
MS.  in  the  Bodleian  Library  at  Oxford.     This  MS.  was 

1  corant  {  =  currencIo),  a  neuter  gerundive.  In  Mori.  Fr.  the  xisage 
is  to  say  en  courant ;  though  traces  of  the  old  use  remain  in  d(m- 
nant.  dormant,  generalement  parlani,  chemin  faisant.  Ci>.  Darnis. ,  p. 
768. 

2  piz=pectus,  Mod.  Fr.  le  pis. 
2  maiseler=mctcellare, 

*  com  m'ous  enfuulide  ?     How  hadst  thou  come  to  hate  me  ? 


80  HISTOKICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 

the  work  of  an  Anglo-Norman  copyist,  who  was,  doubt- 
less, inexperienced  and  careless  in  his  work,  as  he  often 
neglected  both  the  rules  of  grammar  and  the  laws  of 
versification.  Moreover,  he  has  left  a  number  of  blanks 
and  unfinished  lines.  The  text  Avhich  he  copied  be- 
longed, in  all  probability,  to  the  Norman  dialect,  of 
which  a  marked  characteristic  is  the  employment  of  e 
and  M,  where  in  standard  French  o  and  oi  are  used. 
The  Oxford  MS.,  which  is  the  earliest  and  most  valuable 
one,  belongs  to  the  twelfth  century ;  other  MS.  are  found 
at  Paris  (thirteenth  century),  Chateauroux  (thirteenth 
century),  Venice  (thirteenth  century),  Lyons  (fourteenth 
century),  and  Cambridge  (fifteenth  century,  incomplete). 
These  form  the  so-called  "remaniements."  ^ 

The  "  Chanson  de  Eoland  "  is  a  chanson  de  geste^  which, 
although  we  here  possess  it  in  the  oldest  epic  setting,  had 
its  origin  in  a  still  earlier  ballad  form.  It  was  the  mould- 
ing together  of  popular  songs,  connected  with  Eoncevaux 
and  Roland,  which  ultimately  resulted  in  the  long  poem  of 
the  eleventh  century.  What  was  the  exact  nature  of  these 
primitive  songs  is  a  matter  of  uncertainty.  Some  have 
thought  they  were  epic  poems,  others  cantilenes?  The  latter 
supposition  is  the  more  likely  one.      M.  G.  Paris  thinks 

1  The  "  remaniements "  are  tlie  rearrangements  of  the  old  text, 
which  took  place  gradually.  First  came  the  modifying  of  the  ver- 
sification, altering  the  assonances  and  replacing  them  by  rhymes. 
Originally  the  verses  were  intended  to  be  recited  or  snng  by  the 
jongleurs  to  a  company  who  could  not  read,  and  to  whose  ear  the 
assonance  would  appeal.  But  later,  after  the  twelfth  century,  when 
education  became  more  general,  it  was  necessary  to  address  oneself 
more  to  the  eye  than  to  the  ear.  This  led  to  taking  liberties  with  the 
text— adding  lines  for  the  sake  of  the  rhyme,  suppressing  others  which 
were  regarded  as  needless,  and  sometimes  interpolating  portions  of  the 
"  remanieur's  "  own  composition. 

2  The  word  geste  (in  Lat.  gesta,  neut.  plur.,  which  became  a  fem. 
subst.)  has  the  meaning  of  history.  A  chanson  de  geste  is  therefore  a 
song  having  as  its  subject  historical  facts.  A  cycle  is  a  group  of  epic 
traditions. 

3  The  caniilenes  were  sliort,  simple  pieces  sung  by  the  people.  The 
ejncs  were  more  elaborate,  and  were  recited  by  the  jongleurs. 


/ 


CHANSON   DE  ROLAND.  81 

that  they  were  epic  songs  of  Brittany  (of  which  province 
Roland  was  the  count — Conite  de  la  Marche  de  Bretagne), 
and  that  the  "  Chanson,"  even  as  we  now  have  it,  shows 
traces  of  Breton  influence  (Extraits,  Introd.,  p.  x). 

It  is  undoubted  that  the  legendary  element  has  largely 
entered  into  the  composition  of  the  poem.  Taking  as  the 
basis  of  the  story  the  historical  account  of  the  massacre  at 
Eoncevaux  in  August  778  of  the  rear-guard  of  Charle- 
magne's army  (related  by  Eginhard  in  his  V-ita  Karoli  and 
in  the  Annals  of  Angilhert),  we  find  mixed  up  with  this 
the  invasion  of  the  Saracens  and  the  revolts  of  the  Gas- 
cons, the  invention  of  a  traitor  (Ganelon),  by  whom  it  was 
supposed  the  French  had  been  betrayed,  the  assignment  of 
the  victory  to  the  Saracens,  in  place  of  the  Gascons,  the 
story  of  the  reprisals  of  Charlemagne,  and,  finally,  the  inter- 
polation of  the  characters  of  GeofFroy  of  Anjou  and  Richard 
of  Normandy,  who  died  at  the  end  of  the  tenth  century. 

"The  Roland,"  says  M.  Gautier,  "is  a  trilogy.  The 
treachery  of  Ganelon  is  the  first  act ;  the  death  of  Roland 
the  central  point ;  and  the  punishment  of  the  traitors  is 
the  cUnoument."  The  style  in  which  it  is  written  is 
simplicity  itself ;  it  is  natural  and  unadorned,  even  dull 
at  times  in  its  plainness.  But  the  work  is  imbued 
throughout  with  a  lofty  Christian  and  patriotic  spirit. 
The  type  of  the  Christian  leader  is  Charlemagne,  whose 
struggles  with  the  infidel  it  depicts.  Love  of  God  and 
the  mother-country  is  the  pervading  theme. 

The  "  Chanson  de  Roland,"  like  other  early  poems,  is 
written  in  a.ssonanced  verse  (see  note  12,  p.  70),  mostly 
decasyllabic,  though  lines  of  eight  and  sometimes  twelve 
syllables  are  also  employed.  The  poem  is  composed  of 
tirades  or  laisses  of  unequal  length,  but  having  on  an 
average  fifteen  lines. 


82     HISTOEICAL  EEADEK  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 

Preliminnries  of  the  Baffle. 

Charlemagne  is  crossing  the  Pyrenees,  and  the  rear- 
guard is  still  in  Spain  under  the  leadership  of  Eoland, 
Olivier,  and  ten  other  peers.  The  Saracens,  upon  the 
advice  of  the  traitor  Ganelon,  advance  with  immense 
forces  to  attack  him  in  the  defiles  of  Roncevaux.  Olivier, 
from  an  emmence,  has  seen  their  approach,  and  is  alarmed 
at  their  numhers. 

Dist   Oliviers :     "  Paien    ont  Olivier  says:    "The   infidels 

grant  esforz  ;  have  great  force  ; 

De  noz  Franceis  m'i  semblet '  Of     our    Frenchmen     there 

aveir  i)Ou'.  seems  to  nie  to  be  few. 

Compaing-      Rodlanz,     car^  Friend   Roland,   sound  then 

sonez  vosti-e  corn  :  your  horn  : 

Si  Todrat  Charles,    si   retor-  Charles  will  hear  it,  the  army 

nerat  I'ost."  ^  will  return." 

Eespont  Rodlanz  :  "Jo  fereie  Roland    replies:    "T    would 

que  fols  :  ^  act  like  a  fool  : 

En  dolce  France  en  perdreie  In  sweet  France  I  should  lose 

men  los."  thereby  my  fame. 

Rempres^  ferrai  de  Durendal  ^  Forthwith  I  shall  deal  mighty 

granz  culs  :  blows  with  Durendal  : 

Sanglenz   en   ierf   li   branz  The    blade    will    be    blood- 

entresque  i"  a  Tor.  stained    therefrom    up    to 

(the  hilt  of)  gold. 

Felon  imienmarii  i  vindrent  The  infidel  traitors  to  their 

as  ^2  porz  :  woe  came  to  the  mountain 

passes  : 

Jo    vos    plevis,^^    tuit    sont  I  swear  to  you,  all  are  doomed 

jugiet  a  mort."  to  death." 

1  m'l  semblet  aveir,  in  Mod,  Fr.  me  semble  y  avoir. 

■■^  Compaing—co7npagnon.  Comjxdng  (cji.  the  familiar  word  copain) 
is  from  companio,  cmnpagnon  from  companion  em. 

2  car  has  an  expletive  force  like  done  (see  also  line  11). 
■*  ost,  Lat.  hostem. 

5  Jo  fereie  que  fols— je  ferais  ce  qu'unfonferait,  an  elliptical  usage. 

6  los,  Lat.  laus.  7  semjrres,  in  sense  of  forthwith. 

8  Durendal.     The   sword   of  Rolan.d.     That  of  Cliarlemagne  was 
called  .Joiose.     The  custom  of  giving  a  name  to  a  sword  was  very  com- 
mon in  old  epic  literature.     The  sword  was  the  distinctive  mark  of  the 
chevalier,  and  was  regarded  as  a  person,  a  living  being.    Cp.  Excalibur. 
^  iert,  3  sing.  fut.  of  estre.  lo  e7itres  que,  in-trans-quod. 

11  mar,  from  Lat.  mala  liora.     Cp.  ouer,  bona  hora. 
'2  as,  als,  aux. 
13  plevls,  of  uncertain  etymology.     Korting  gives  Goth.  jjZasAvan. 


CHANSON   DE   ROLAND. 


83 


"  Compaing    Rocllanz,     I'oli- 

fant 1  car  sonez  ; 
Si  I'odrat  Charles,  ferat  Tost 

retorner, 
Socorrat   iios  li   reis  o^   son 

barnet."  ^ 
Respont      Rodlaiiz  :       "  Ne 

placet^  Dauiedeii 
Que  mi  parent  por  mei  seient 

l)lasmet, 
Ne   France  dolce"'  ja"  chie- 

def  en  viltet. 
Ainz*  i  ferrai  de  Durendal 

assez, 
Ma  bone  espede  que  ai  ceinte 

al  costet  : 
Tot  en  vedrez  lo  brant  en- 

sanglentet. 
Felon  paien  mar  i  sent  as- 

semblet : 
Jo    vos    plevis,    tuit  sont   a 

mort  livret." 


"Friend  Roland,  sound  then 
the  olifant  ; 

(!harles  will  hear  it,  and  will 
make  the  army  return, 

The  king  will  help  us  with 
his  barons." 

Roland  replies:  "God  for- 
bid 

That  my  family  should  be 
blamed  for  me, 

Or  that  sweet  France  should 
ever  fall  into  disgrace. 

Rather  will  1  strike  home 
with  Durendal, 

My  good  sword  which  I  have 
girt  to  my  side  : 

All  the  blade  of  it  will  you 
see  blood-stained. 

The  infidel  traitors  are  as- 
sembled to  their  sorrow  : 

T  swear  to  you,  all  are  given 
over  to  death." 


"  Compaing  Rodlanz,  sonez 
vostre  olifant. 

Si  I'odrat  Charles  qui  est  as 
jjorz  passanz  ; 

Jo  vos  plevis,  ja  retorneront 
Franc." 

"Ne  placet  Dieu,"  90  li  re- 
spont Rodlanz, 

"  Que  90"  seit  dit  de  nul  ome 
vivant 

Ja  por  paiens  que  jo  seie  cor- 
nanz  !  ^^ 

Ja  "  ii'en  avront  reproche  mi 
parent. 

1  olifant,  Lat.  elepkantem — i.e.,  ivory  (horn). 

'-  o  (ob),  Lat.  apiul  with  sense  of  avec,  which  has  replaced  it  in 
mod.  Fr.  3  lanut,  Lat.  hanmatum, 

*  placet,  3  slug.  pres.  subj.  of  (plaisir)  plaire,  Lat.  placere, 
•>  France  dolce.    About  the  place  of  adjectives,  see  Darm.,  chap.  viil. 
"  ja,  Lat.  jayn,  u.sed  in  OFr.  with  various  significations. 
^  chiedct,  3  sing.  pres.  subj.  of  (chedeir)  cheoir. 
8  ainz,  anteis,  pop.  Lat.  for  antea.     Cp.  Ital.  anzi. 
8  go  introduces  the  subordinate  clause,  que  jo  seie. 
'"  cornanz,  pres.  part,  of  corner  taken  substantively. 
^^  Ja  .  .  .  ne— jamais. 


"  Friend  Roland,  sound  your 

olifant. 
Charles  who  is   passing  the 

detiles  will  hear  it : 
I  swear  to  you,  the  French 

will  return." 
"God  forbid,"  replies  Roland 

to  him, 
"That  that  be  said  by  any 

living  man 
That  for  fear  of  the  infidels 

I  should  ever  be  sounding 

my  horn  ! 
My  family  shall  never  have 

that  reproach. 


84 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


Qviant  jo  serai  en  la  hataille 

grant, 
Et  jo  ferrai  e  mil  cols  et  set 

cenz, 
De    Durendal    vedrez  I'acier 

sanglent. 
Franceis  sont  bon,  si  ferront 

vassal  men  t.^ 
Ja  cil  d'Espaigne  n'avront  de 


niort  gnarant 


"  2 


Dist  Oliviers :  "D'i9o  ne  sai  jo 

blasme. 
Jo    ai    vedut    les   Sarrazins 

d'Espaigne  : 
Covert  en  sont  li  val  et  les 

montaignes, 
E  li  larriz  -^  et  trestotes  ''  les 

plaignes. 
Gi^anz   sont  les   oz  ^  de  cele 

gent  estrange  : 
Nos     i    avoms    molt    petite 

compaigne." 
Respont      Rodlanz  :      "  Mes 

talenz"  en  est  graindre/ 
Ne     placet     Dieu      ne      ses 

saintisines  angeles  ^ 
Que  ja  jDor  mei  perdet  sa  valor 

France  ! 
Mielz  vueil  morir  qu'a  hon- 

tage  3  remaifjne  :  "* 
For    bien   ferir    I'emperedre 

nos  aimet." 


When  I  am  in  the  thick  of 

battle, 
And    deal   a   thousand    and 

seven  hundred  blows, 
You   shall   see   the   steel   of 

Durendal  blood-stained. 
The  French  are  brave,  they 

will  strike  bravely. 
These  men  of  Spain  will  never 

escape  death." 

Said  Olivier  :  "  In  that  I  do 

not  see  any  disgrace. 
I  have  seen  the  Saracens  of 

Sjjain  : 
The   valleys  and  mountains 

are  covered  with  them, 
And  the  landes  and  all   the 

plains. 
Great  are  the  armies  of  that 

foreign  people  : 
We  have  here  a  very  small 

company." 
Roland  replies  :  "  My  ardour 

is  the  greater  for  it, 
God  and  his  most  holy  angels 

forbid 
That  ever  through  me  France 

should  lose  her  merit  ! 
Rather  would  I  die  than  live 

with  dishonour : 
For    striking   well    the   em- 
peror loves  us." 


Quant    Rodlanz    veit  "    que  When  Roland  sees  that  there 

bataille  serat,  will  be  battle, 

Plus  se  fait  tiers  que  lions  ne  He    becomes    prouder    than 

lieparz  ;  lion  or  leopard  ; 

1  vassalment,  worthily  of  a  kniglit,  bravely. 

"  guarant,  garant  (Germanic  warjan),  lit.,  will  never  have  security 
from  .  ,  . 

3  larriz,  late  Lat.  larricium  (cp.  Ger.  leer),  waste  land. 

■1  trestotes,  Lat.  trans  totus.  s  oz,  pi.  o{  ost  (hostem). 

*  talenz,  Lat.  talentum,  disposition. 

'^  graindre,    G.    Paris   reads    "Mes    talenz    en    engraignet "    (Lat. 
ingrandiare). 

8  angeles,  with  accent  on  first  syllable.         »  a  hontage=avec  honte. 
^"  reinaigne,  snbj.  as  in  Lat.  potins  quam  revianeam. 
11  veil,  3  sing.  pres.  of  veoir. 


CHANSON   DE   ROLAND. 


85 


Franceis       escriet,       Olivier 

apelat 
"  Sire  compaing,   amis,   iiel  ^ 

dire  -  ja. 
Li  emperedre  qui  Franceis-^ 

nos  laissat 
Itels"*  vint  milie  en   mist  a 

une  part, 
Son  escientre,**  nen  i  out  un 

codart. 
Per  son  seignor  deit  cm  sofrir 

granz  mals, 
Et  endurer  et  forz  freiz  et 

granz  chalz, 
Sin^    deit    om    perdre     del 

sane  et  de  la  charn. 
Fier''  de  ta  lance,  et  jo  de 

Durendal, 
Ma  bone  espede  que  li  reis 

me  donat  ; 
Se  jo  i  muir,  dire  puet  qui 

I'avrat, 
Que     ele     fut     a     nobilie  ^ 

vassal  !  "  ^ 

D'altre  part  est  I'arcevesques 

Turpins. 
Son  cheval  brochet,!''  et  mon- 

tet  un  larriz  ; 
Franceis  apelet,    un   sermon 

lor  at  dit : 
"  Seignor  bai'on,  Charles  nos 

laissat  ci :  ^^ 
For   nostre   rei   devoms   nos 

bien  morir. 


He  calls  to   the  French,   he 

addresses  Olivier  : 
"  Sir,  companion,  friend,  say 

this  no  more. 
The    emperor    who    left    us 

Frenclnnen 
Set  aside  these  twenty  thou- 
sand of  them, 
As  he  knows,  there  was  not 

a  coward  amongst  them. 
For  one's  lord  one  ought  to 

suflfer  great  woes, 
And  endure  both  severe  cold 

and  great  heat. 
For   him   one  ought  to  lose 

blood  and  flesh. 
Strike  with  thy  lance  and  I 

with  Durendal, 
My    good    sword    that    the 

king  gave  me ; 
If  I  die,  the  man  who  gets  it 

may  say 
That  it  belonged  to  a  noble 

knight  ! " 

On  the  other  side  is  the  arch- 
bishop Turpin. 

He  spurs  on  his  horse,  and 
goes  up  an  open  space  ; 

He  addresses  the  French,  he 
gave  them  a  sermon  : 

"  Lords,  barons,  Charles  left 
us  here  : 

Our  duty  is  to  die  for  our 
king. 


1  nel—ne  lo.  ^  dire,  inlin.  for  imper.     See  Darm.,  p.  710. 

•*  Franceis.     G.  Paris  reads  here  ga  enz,  here  in. 

■*  Itels—tels,  used  here  demonstratively. 

5  Son  escienire,  ace.  absolute.  Lat.  scienter,  confused  with  the 
gerundive  escient  (Lat.  sciente),  which  was  used  like  other  gerundives 
with  a  determinative.     Cp.  d  mon  escient,  still  used. 

®  sin,  si  en.     Si  is  expletive  ;  en  stands  for  j;cir  son  seignor. 

''  Fier,  imper.  oiferir. 

8  nobilie,  a  learned  word  with  the  accent  on  the  second  syllable. 

*  vassal,  late  Lat.  vassallum,  from  vassus  (dependent),  prob.  Keltic 
givas.     Cp.  Ger.  Iv.rsche. 

'"  brocket,  from  Keltic  stem  brace,  shaqi-iioiuted.  Cp.  Ital.  brocco, 
sharp  piece  of  wood. 


11 


ci=ta. 


86 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


Crestientet  aidiez  ji  sosteiiir. 
]5ataille  avrez,  vos  en   estes 

tuit  fit,i 
Car    a    vos    uelz   vedez    les 

Sarrazins. 
( 'laiuez  ^  vos  colpes,  si  preicz 

Dieu  mercit  :  ^ 
Assoldi'ai      vos       per       voz 

anemes  ^  guaiir  ; 
Se  vos  morez,  vos  estrez  saint 

niartir, 
Sieges    avi'ez    el  ^    graignor  ® 

jxiredis." 

Franceis  descendent,  a  terie 

se  sont  mis, 
E  I'arcevesques  de  Dieu  ''  les 

benedist,** 
Por   penitence   les  comandet 

feiir. 

Franceis    se    drecent,    si    se 

metent  sour  ])iez. 
Bien    sont   assolt,''   quite    de 

lor  pecliiez  : 
E  I'arcevesques  de  Dieu  les 


at  seigniez.1" 


Puis    sont    montet    sour 

coranz  destriers. '^ 
Adobet^^     gont    a    lei^^ 

chevaliers 
E  de  bataille  sont  tuit  ajiar 

eilliet. 


lor 
de 


1  Iclp  to  uphold  Christianity. 
You  will  have  battle,  you  are 

all  sure  of  it, 
For  you  see  with  your  eyes 

the  Saracens. 
Confess  aloud  your  sins,  pi'ay 

for  pardon  to  God  : 
I  shall  absolve  you  for  the 

protection  of  your  souls  ; 
If  you  die,  you  shall  be  holy 

martyrs. 
You   shall   have   your  place 

of    sojourn   in    the    gi-eat 

paradise." 
The  Frenchmen  alight ;  they 

have  knelt  down, 
And  the   archbishop  blesses 

them  in  the  name  of  God, 
For  penance,  he  orders  them 

to  strike. 

The    Frenchmen  arise,   they 

get  upon  their  feet. 
They    are     absolved,     freed 

from  their  sins  ; 
And  the  archbishop  in   the 

name  of  God  has  blessed 

them  with  his  hand. 
Tlien    they    mounted     their 

swift  chargers. 
They   are    equipped   in    the 

manner  of  knights 
And  are    all    prepared    for 

battle. 


in- 


1  Jit,  Lat.  Jidjijn,  iiom.  phir. 

-  damez,  imp.  of  darner.     Cp.  Ital.  diiamare. 

^  mercit,  Lat.  mercedem. 

■*  anemes  has  accent  on  the  a  and  counts  as  two  syllables  only. 

^  el— en  lo. 

"  graignor,    Lat.     grandiorem.      The    conipar.    is    here   used 
augmentative  sense. 

'  de  Dieu — i.e.,  de  la  part  de. 

8  benedist,  3  sing.  pres.  of  benedir,  a  word  of  learned  formation. 

"  assolt.     G.  Paris  and  others  read  assols. 
.    1"  seigniez,  Lat,  signare. 

"  destriers,  chargers  (Lat.   dexlrarium,    from   dextra,   because  the 
liorse  was  led  by  the  riglit  hand). 

1-'  adobet   (Anglo-Sax.    dubban,    to    strike).       Not    from    adoptare 
(Ducauge).  is  lei^  Lat,  legem,  law ;  here  custom. 


CHANSON   DE  ROLAND.  87 

Death  of  Roland. 

The  battle  has  been  a  terrible  one ;  all  the  Frenchmen 
have  perished ;  but  the  infidels,  hearing  the  horns  of 
Charlemagne's  army,  have  fled.  Of  the  two  last  of  the 
valiant  troop,  Turpin  and  Koland,  the  former  has  already- 
expired  :  Koland  himself  feels  that  his  last  hour  has 
come. 

Co  ^    sent    Rodlanz    que     la  Roland   feels    that   death   is 

mort  si  ^  I'argudet,^  pressing  him  hard, 

Met    sei*  sour    piez,    quan-  He   gets  on  his  feet,  as  far 

qu'il^  puet  s'esvertudet ;  ^  as   he   can  he  gathers  his 

strength  ; 

De  son    visage    la    color   at  He  has  lost  the  colour  from 

perdude.  his  face. 

Tient     Durendal,     s'espede  ''  He      holds      Durendal,     his 

tote  nude  ;  sword,  all  bare ; 

Dedevant  ^  lui  at  une  piedre  Before  him  he  has  a  brown 

brune,  stone, 

Dis  cols  i  fiert  par  duel  ^  et  Ten  blows  he  strikes  on   it 

par  rancune  :  from  grief  and  rage  : 

Croist  1"  li  aciers,  ne  fraint  ue  The  steel  gi^ates,  (but)  neither 

ne  s'esgrumet ;  ^^  breaks  nor  chips  ; 

Et    dist    li    corns  :     "  Sainte  And  the  count  said  :  "  Holy 

Marie,  aiude  '^  Mary,  help  ! 

E  !  Durendal,  bone,  si  mare  O    Durendal  !  good  (sword), 

fustes  !  how  unfortunate  you  have 

been  ! 

Quant   jo   mei   pert,   de   vos  Since  I  am  lost,  I  can   take 

nen  ^^  ai  mais  cure.  care  of  you  no  longer. 

1  fo.  In  OFr.  fo  was  frequently  used  before  que  with  the  verbs 
croire,  suvoir,  scntir,  voir,  kc,  to  introduce  a  subordinate  proposition. 

2  si.     G.  Paris  reads  "  fort  I'argudet." 

3  argudet,  Lat.  argutare,  to  talk  vehemently  and,  by  extension,  to 
hasten,  to  press. 

*  met  sei.  Sei  (in  north,  dialects  for  soi)  could  in  OFr.  be  placed 
after  the  verb.     Cp.  Span,  sepone,  ponese.    (See  Darm.,  p.  844.) 

5  quanqice,  quant  que. 
s  s'esvertudet,  from  Lat.  ex  virtutem. 

7  s'espede.  Became  after  twelfth  century  son  e{s)pe(d)e.  (See 
Darm.,  p.  302.) 

*  Dedevant  (de-de-abante). 

'  duel,  from  dulere  ;  mod.  douleur. 

!'>  croist,  3  sing.  pres.  of  (croissir) ;  Lat,  corxiscire  {coruscare). 
11  s'esgrumet,  Lat.  *eo:r)rvmare.  i^  aiude,  imper.  of  aidier. 

13  neti,  used  before  vowels  for  tie. 


88 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


Tantes    batailles    eii    cliaiu]j 

en  1  ai  vencudes, 
Et   tantes  terres   larges    es- 

combatudes, 
Que    Charles    tient,     qui    la 

barbe  at  chenude  !  ^ 
A  mon  vivant^  ne  me  serez 

tolude. 
Ne  vos  ait  om  qui  por  altie 

s'en  f  uiet !  * 
Molt  bons  vassals  vos  at  lone 

terns  tenude  : 
Ja  mais  n'iert  tels  en  France 

la  solude."  * 
Rodlanz  ferit  en  une  pierre 

bise  :  ^ 
Plus  en  abat  que  jo  ne  vos 

sai  dire  ; 
L'espede  croist,  ne  froisset  ne 

ne  briset/ 
Contre  le   ciel   a  mont^  est 

ressortide. 
Quant  veit  li  corns  que  ne  la 

fraindraf  mie/" 
Molt  dolcement  la  plainst  a 

sei  medisme  : 
"E  !  Durendal,  com  ies  bele 

et  saintisme  ! 
En  I'orie^^  pont'^  assez  i  at 

reliques,'^ 
Un  dent  saint  Pierre  ^*  e  del 

sane  saint  Basilie, 


So  many  battles  in  the  field  I 

have  gained  with  you, 
And   so   many   broad    lands 

have  I  conquered, 
Which    Charles    holds,    who 

has  the  snowy  beard  ! 
Whilst  I  live  you  shall  not 

be  taken  from  me. 
May  no  man   have  you  who 

flees  before  another  ! 
A  very  good  knight  has  long 

possessed  you  : 
Never  shall  there  be  such  a 

one  in  France  the  free." 
Roland  strikes  with  it  a  dark 

stone  ; 
He  knocks  with  it  more  than 

I  can  tell  you  ; 
The  sword  grates,  it  does  not 

crack  nor  break, 
It    sprang    up  towards   the 

sky. 
When  the  count  sees  that  he 

will  not  break  it  at  all. 
Very  softly  he  pities  it  to 

himself  : 
"  O  Durendal  !   how   beauti- 
ful and  holy  you  are  ! 
In  the  golden  pommel  there 

are  many  relics, 
A  tooth  of  St  Peter  and  some 

blood  of  St  Basil, 


1  en  ai  vencudes,  en  means  "  with  you."    (For  use  of  en  applied  to 
persons,  seeDarm.,  p.  637.) 

*  chenude,  Lat.  emiutam. 

'  a  mon  vivant,  a  equivalent  to  2>cndant. 

*  s'en  fuiet,  now  written  one  word — s'enfuit. 
^  solude.     G.  Paris  reads  here  i'assolude. 

*  bise,  this  epithet  is  frequent  to  denote  granite  or  other  hard 
stone,  &c.     Here  it  signifies  simply  hard  stone  (see  line  5,  p.  87). 

'■  froisset,  hriset.     The  use  of  active  verbs  in  a  neuter  sense  was 
formerly  more  frequent  than  now. 

8  a  mont  =  ad  montem.     Cj).  modern  en  amont. 
8  fraindrat,  3  sing.  fut.  oi fraindre. 
1**  mie,  neg.  part.  =  mica.  "  orie,  Lat.  aureum. 

12  2}ont,  punt,  Lat.  2}omum. 

13  reliques.      The   custom  of  preserving  relics  in  the   pommels  of 
swords  was  common. 

1*  dent  Saint  Pierre,     de  ondtted  in  OFr.     (See  Darni.,  p.  401.) 


CHANSON    DE   ROLAND. 


89 


E   des   chevels  luoii 
saint  Denisie, 

Del    vestement    i 
Marie. 


seignor 
at   sainte 


II  nen^  est  dreit 


te  baillisseut 
De     crestiiens 

servide.^ 
Molt    larges    terres 


que  paieu 

devez     estre 

de    vos 

qui    la 


And  some  liair  of   my   lord 

St  Denis, 
Some  clothing  there  is  of  St 

Mary. 
It  is  not  right  that  infidels 

should  possess  you  ; 
(It    is)    by    Christians    you 

ought  to  be  used. 
Very  broad  lands  shall  I  have 

conquered  by  you, 
Which  Charles  holds,  Charles 

of  the  flowing  beard  : 
And  by  them  the  emperor  is 

both  mighty  and  rich, 
Let  no   man  have  you,  who 

does  deeds  of  cowardice  ! 
God,  do   not   let   France  be 

dishonoured  by  it ! " 

Roland  feels  that  death  over- 
comes him, 
It  is  descending  from  his  head 

to  his  heart. 
Beneath  a  pine-tree  he  went 

in  haste, 
Upon  the  green  grass  he  lay 

face  downwards. 
Beneath    him    he    puts    his 

sword  and  the  olifant. 
He  turned  his  head  towards 

the  infidel  people  : 
He  did  it  because  he  wishes 

truly 

1  nen  est.     See  note  13,  p.  8Z. 

2  haillissent,  Lat.  bajulare ;  Ital.  halire.     First,  to  bear  a  burden, 
then,  to  attend  to  a  child,  then,  to  manage^  possess  (cp.  Eng.  bailirt). 

2  servide,  according  to  G.  Paris,  honoured. 

*  avrai  conquises,  a  not  unusual  mode  of  expression.     The  thought 
is  carried  forward  to  the  future. 

5  codardie,  from  caiida  (dropping  of  the  tail  from  fear). 
"  honide.     Cp.  Ger.  hdhnen. 

7  devers,  Lat.  de  versus. 

8  li  descent — i.  e. ,  elle  lui  descend. 
8  dessoz,  Lat.  de  subtus. 

1"  colchiez=couche. 

11  adenz,  Lat.  ad  denies — i.e.,  on  his  teeth. 

12  s'espede.    See  note  7,  p.  87. 

1'  olifant,  Lat.  elephantcm,  ivory  (horn). 
1*  Pvr  fo  que = par  ce  que. 
15  veirem,ent=vraiment. 


avrai  conquises,* 
Que    Charles    tient, 

barbe  at  floiide  : 
Et  I'emperedre  en  est  et  ber 

et  riches. 
Ne    vos   ait    om    qui    facet 

codardie  !  ^ 
Dieus,  ne  laissier  que  France 

en  seit  honide  ! "  ® 

Co  sent  Eodlanz  que  la  mort 

I'entreprent, 
Devers  "  la  teste  sour  lo  cuer 

li  descent.* 
Dessoz^   uu   pin    i    est    alez 

corant, 
Sour   I'erbe   vert  si  est  col- 

chiez  ^^  adenz,ii 
Dessoz  lui  met  s'espede  ^^  et 

rolifant.13 
Tornat  sa  teste  vers  la  paiene 

gent : 
Por  90  ^'*  I'at  fait  que  il  vuelt 

veii'ement  ^-^ 


90 


HISTOllICAL  READER   OF   EARLY  FRENCH. 


That    Charles     and    all    his 

peojjle  may  say 
That  the  noble  count  died  a 

conqueroi'. 
lie  confesses  aloud   his  sins 

over  and  over  again, 
For  his  sins  he  stretches  out 

the  glove  to  God. 

The  Count  Roland  laid  him- 
self under  a  pine-tree, 

Towards  Spain  from  it  he 
turned  his  face. 

The   remembrance   of  many 


things  came  over  hin) 
lands  that 


he, 
con- 


Que  Charles  diet  ^    et    tres- 

tote  sa  gent, 
Li    gentilz    coms,    qu'il    est 

niorz  conquerant. 
Claiinet  sa  colpe  et  meniit  - 

et  soveiit, 
Por  ses  pechiez  Dieu  poro 

frit  ^  lo  guant. 

Li    coms    Rodlanz    se    jut  ^ 

dessoz  un  pin, 
Envers  Espaigne  en  at  tornet 

son  vis. 
De     plusors     choses     a     re- 

membrer  ^  li  prist  ; " 
De  tantes  terres  come  li  ber 

a  conquis, 

De  dolce  France,  des  omes  de 

son  lign, 
De  Charlemagne,  son  seignor, 

quil  '  nodrit, 
E  des  Franceis  dont  il  esteit 

si  fiz.^ 
Ne  puet  muder"  ne  plort ''' 

et  ne  sospirt ; 
Mais  lui  medesme  "  ne  vuelt 

metre  en  oblit :  ^^ 
Clairaet    sa    colpe,    si    i)i'iiit 

Dieu  mercit : 
"Veire*^  paterne,!*   qui   on- 

ques  ne  mentis,i^ 

1  diet,  Lat.  dicat. 

2  menut,  Lat.  minutum.     Cp.  Span,  d  menudo. 

3  porofrit,  j^or  {i)ro)  and  offerire  for  offerre. 
■*  jut,  3  sing.  perf.  gesir. 

5  remembrer  de,  generally  used  actively,  remembrer  uiie  chose,  or 
se  reinenibrer  de. 

^  li  prist,  imj^ers.  il  lui  prit, 

7  quilz=qui  le. 

8  esteit  sifiz.     G.  Paris  reads  est  si  cheriz. 
8  muder,  Lat.  mutare.     Cp.  Span,  mudar. 

'f*  ne  plort,  &c.      Note  ellipsis  of  qw  before  subordinate  clause, 
subj.  ol plorer. 
G.  Paris  reads  sei  medesme. 

^3  Veirc=vrai. 
•paterna  (see   Ducange).      Prop,  representation  of 
God  the  Father,  a  word  of  learned  formation. 
1*  mentis,  2  sing.  perf.  of  mentir. 


Of   so  many 

the    valiant   one,  has 

quered, 
Of  sweet  France,  of  the  men 

of  his  lineage, 
Of    Charlemagne,    his    lord, 

who  brought  him  up ; 
And   of  the   Frenchmen,  of 

whom  he  was  so  sure. 
He  cannot  help  weeping  and 

sighing  ; 
But  he  does  not  wish  to  make 

himself  forgotten  : 
He  confesses  aloud  his  sins, 

prays  God  for  mercy  : 
"  O  true  Father,  who  never 

lied, 


Plort,  3  sing.  pres. 

11  lui  medesme. 

12  oblit=oubli. 
!■*  2}aterne,   Lat. 


CHARLEMAGNE'S    PILGRIMAGE. 


91 


Saint  Lazaron  de  mort  res- 

surrexis, 
E  Daniel  des  lions  guaresis,^ 

Guaris  de  niei   I'aneme^    de 

toz  perilz, 
Por   les   pecliiez  que   en  ma 

vide  fis  ! " 
Son  destre  guant  ^  a  Dieu  en 

porofiit, 
Et  de  sa  main  sainz  CTabriels 

I'at  pris. 
Dessour  *    son   braz    teneit  ^ 

lo  chief  enclin  : 
Jointes  ses  mains  est  alez  a 

sa  fin. 
Dieus  li  tramist  ^  son  angele 

cherubin 
E  saint  Michiel  de  la  mer  del 

peril ; '' 
Ensemble   od  els  sainz  Ga- 
briels i  vint : 
L'aneme   del   comte   portent 

en  pareis. 


Who  raised  St  Lazarus  from 

the  dead, 
And  protected  Daniel  from 

the  lions, 
Keep  my  soul  from  all  perils, 

For  the  sins  I  have  done  in 

my  life  ! " 
He  holds  out  his  right  glove 

to  God, 
And  by  his  hand  St  Gabriel 

has  taken  him. 
Upon   his  arm  he   kept  his 

head  bent : 
With  clasped  hands  is  gone 

to  his  end. 
God    sent    him    his    cherub 

angel 
And   St   Michael    from   the 

sea  of  peril ; 
Together     with      them      St 

Gabriel  came  : 
The  soul  of  the  count  they 

bear  to  Paradise. 


Charlemagne's  Pilgrimage. 

This  poem  dates  from  the  eleventh  century.  Its  sub- 
ject is  the  pilgrimage  of  Charlemagne  to  the  East,  whence 
he  brought  back  the  sacred  relics  of  the  Passion.  "  Our 
old  heroic  poetry,"  says  G.  Paris  {Poesie  du  moyen  Age, 
p.  126),  "has  found  no  finer  means  of  representing  the 
almost  sacred  majesty  of  Charles  and  his  peers  than  this 

1  guaresis,  2  sing.  perf.  of  grmrir. 

-  de  mei  l'aneme,  inversiou  uot  unusual  hi  OFr. 

3  guant— offrir  son  gant  signified,  according  to  tlic  idea  of  feudal 
times,  the  abandoning  oneself  entirely,  speaking  of  a  vassal  to  his 
■seigneur. 

••  Dessour,  Lat.  de  supra. 

6  teneit,  3  sing.  impf.  of  tenir. 

6  tramist,  3  sing.  perf.  of  tramettre  (transmittere). 

7  &t  Michael  de  la  mer  del  peril.  Reference  to  the  Mont  St 
Michel  Ml  2)rriculu  maris,  which  was  founded  in  the  eightli  century 
near  the  borders  of  Brittany.  This  is  regarded  as  a  reason  for  the 
poem  being  of  Breton  origin. 


92 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


scene  in  the  cliuich  at  Jerusalem,  when  they  take  the 
place  of  Jesus  and  his  twelve  apostles.  IS'othing  sym- 
bolises more  grandly  and  more  simply  the  part  assigned 
by  popular  admiration  to  the  hero  who  was  later  to  bear 
the  name  of  St  Charlemagne." 

The  first  part  of  the  poem  is  wholly  serious,  but  in  the 
second  part,  which  recounts  the  visit  of  Charlemagne  to 
Constantinople,  the  comic  element  is  introduced.  The 
author  did  not  wish  to  cause  laughter  at  the  expense 
of  Charlemagne,  but  rather  to  ridicule  King  Hugo  and 
the  Greeks.  He  has,  in  fact,  taken  an  Eastern  tale  and 
worked  it  in  with  the  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land. 
The  poem  was  rearranged  (remame)  in  the  fourteenth 
century,  and  forms  part  of  the  poem  of  Galien  (see 
Koschwitz,  Kaiis  des  grossen  Reise  nach  Jerusalem  u. 
Konstantinoj^el). 

The  name  of  the  author  is  not  known.  The  dialect  of 
the  poem  is  that  of  the  Isle  de  France,  and  it  is  written 
in  assonanced  verse  in  lines  of  twelve  syllables,  of  which 
it  is  the  earliest  known  example. 


Charlemagne  and  the  Twelve  Peers  in  the  Church 
OF  Jerusalem. 


Molt  est  genz  ^  Ji  presenz  que 
li  reis  Charles  of  ret. 

Entrat   en    un    mostier'   de 
niarbre  peint  a  volte.^ 

La  eiiz  *  at'^  un  alter  de  sainte 

paternostre  ; 
Deus  i  chantat  la  messe,  si" 

firent  li  apostle  ; 
Et   les  doze  chaieres   i  soiit 

totes  encore  ; 


Very  beautiful  is  the  present 
which  the  King  Charles 
offers. 

into   a   church 
with    painted 


He    entered 

of    marble 

vaults. 
There  within  is  an  altar  of 

holy  devotion  ; 
God  had  chanted  mass  there, 

as  had  the  apostles  ; 
And  the  twelve  stalls  are  all 

there  still ; 


1  genz,  Lat.  gentilem. 

"  mostier,  Lat.  monasterium.     Here  iu  general  sense  oi  church. 

2  2)eint  a  voUe=aux  voUtcs  2Jeinles. 

*  enz,  Lat.  ini'us.  5  at=il  y  a. 

8  &i,  Lat,  sic.     Here  simply  a  connecting  particle. 


CHARLEMAGNE  S  PILGRIMAGE. 


93 


La  trezime  est  en  mi  ^  bien 
seelee  et  close. 

Et  Charles  i  enti  at ;  bien  out 
al  cuer  grant  joie  ; 

Com  il  vit  la  chaiere,  icele 
part  ^  s'aprochet. 

L'eraperedre  s'assist,^  un 
petit  se  reposet,^ 

Li  doze  per  as*  altres,  en- 
viron et  en  coste. 


sist   nuls   om 

7 


Ainz''  nen  "  1 

ne  onques  puis '  encore 
Molt  fut  liez  *  li  reis  Charles 

de  eele  grant  beltet : 
Vit  de  cleres  colors  lo  mostier 

peinturet, 
De  martirs  et  de  virgenes " 

et  de  granz  majestez, 
Et  les  corz  de  la  lune  et  les 

festes  anvels, 
Et  les  levrieres  cori'e  ^**  et  les 

peissons  par  mer. 
Charles   out  tier   lo  vis,"  si 

out  lo  chief  '-  levet, 
Uns  Judeus  i  entrat,  qui  bien 

I'out  esguardet ;  *^ 
Com    il    vit    lo    rei  Charle, 

comen9at  a  trembler : 
Tant  out   fier  lo  visage,  ne 

I'osat  esguarder,** 


The  third  is  in  the  middle, 

carefully    sealed    up    and 

closed. 
And  Charles  entered  thither  ; 

he  had   great    joy   in   his 

heart ; 
When  he  saw  the   stall,   he 

approaches  on  that  side. 
The   emperor  sat  him  down 

there,  and  rests  a  while. 
The  twelve  peers  enter  the 

others,  around  and  at  his 

side. 
Before  this  no  man  sat  there, 

nor  ever  since. 
Fnll  joyful  was  King  Charles 

for  this  great  beauty  : 
He  1  leheld  the  church  painted 

with  bright  colours, 
Of  martyrs  and  virgins  and 

of  great  saints  ; 
And  the  horns  of  the  moon 

and  the  yearly  festivals, 
A  lid  the  greyhounds  running, 

and  the  fishes  in  the  sea. 
Charles  had  a  proud  face,  he 

held  his  head  high, 
A   Jew  entered   there,    who 

looked  at  him  fixedly  ; 
As  he  saw  the  King  Charles, 

he  began  to  tremble  : 
He  had  so  terrible  a  face,  he 

dared  not  regard  him, 


1  en  ini=au  milieu. 

2  icele  part,  used  without  prep.    Cp.  aller  quelqtie  part. 

s  assist,  perf. ;  reposet,  pres.  The  historical  pre.sent  i.s  u.scd  con- 
currently with  the  simple  perf.  and  the  periphrastic  perf.  ;  they  are 
iiii-xed  often  even  in  the  same  sentence. 

*  as  (als),  aux.  '  ainz,  ayiteis,  pop.  Lat.  for  antea=ante  ea. 

8  nen,  for  ne  before  the  following  vowel. 

'  puis  —  depiiis.  ^  liez,  Lat.  laelum. 

^  virgenes,  accent  on  first  syllable.  (Cp.  dngeles,  "  Ch.  de  R.," 
p.  84.) 

•«  corre,  liat.  currere.  Used  even  in  eighteenth  century  ;  Voltaire 
has  corre  fortune. 

11  vis,  Lat.  visum.  '2  chief,  Lat.  caput  (ch  hard). 

13  out  esguardet,  plpf.  with  perf.  meaning. 

1*  esguarder  (esgarder),  ex-yarder,  from  O.H.G.  warta.  Cp.  Ital. 
sg  liar  dare. 


94 


HISTORICAT-  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


A  pou  que  il  ne  cliiedet/ 
fuiant  s'eu  est  toniez 

Et  si  nioutet  d'eslais''^  toz 
les  iiiarbrins  ^  degrez, 

Et  vint  al  patriarche,  pris* 
li  en  a  parler  : 


"Alez,  sire,   al   mostier   por 

les  fonz  aprester  ; 
Orendieit"  nie  ferai  baptizier 

et  lever. 

Doze  comtes  vi  ore "  en   eel 

mostier  entrer, 
Avuec  els  lo  trezinie,  one  ne 

vi  si  formet/ 

Par  lo  mien  escientre,*^  90 
est  medesmes  Deus  ; 

11^  et  li  doze  a[)ostle  vos 
vienent  visiter." 

Quant  I'ot  li  patriarclies,  si 
s'en  vait  conreer 


10 


He  is  near  falling,  he  turns 

him  in  Hight 
And   ascends  with  a  bound 

all  the  marble  steps, 
And   came   to  the  ])ati'iarch 

and  began  to  sp(>alv  to  him 

of  it: 
"  Go,   sire,  to  the  church  to 

prepare  the  fonts  ; 
Straightway  I  will  have  my- 
self baptised  and  lield  up 

(over  the  font). 
Twelve  counts  I  saw  but  now 

enter  into  this  church, 
With  them  the   thirteenth  ; 

never     saw    I    aught     so 

shapely. 
By    my    conscience,    this    is 

very  God  ; 
He  and  the  twelve  apostles 

come  to  visit  you." 
Soon  as  the  patriarch  hears 

this,  he  goes  off  to  prepare 

himself  ; 
And   commanded   his  clerks 

(to  get  them)  arrayed   iu 

albs  ; 
He  makes  them  put  on  their 

vestments   and   don    their 

hoods. 
In  full  procession  went  he  to 

the  king. 
The   emperor   rose    to    meet 

him, 
And  took  off  his  crown  ;  he 

bowed  to  him  profoundly. 

1  chiedet,  3  sing.  pres.  ind.  of  cheoir  (Lat.  eadit). 

-  d'eslais=d'un  elan.  3  marhiins=marmorimim. 

^  pris=prist,  3  sing.  perf.  *  orendreit=or-en-droU. 

^  ore,  Lat.  horam,  just  now. 

"^  forinet,  p.p.  employed  here  in  the  neuter. 

8  escientre.     See  note  5,  p.  85. 

y  7Z=Mod.  Fr.  lui  (see  Darm.,  p.  624). 

10  conreer,   from   *conredare,   from  Germanic   radjnn.      Cp. 
rjudit. 

11  areez,  from  *arredare.  1-  encontre,  here  is  prep. 
13  chapel,  chapeau,  any  head-covering  ;  here  "  crown." 
!■*  parfont=per/undum  {profundum). 
15  clinet,  diner,  ]\Iod.  Fr.  sHnrliner. 


Et  out  mandet 
albes  areez,!^ 


ses  clers  en 


II  les  fait  revestir 
afubler. 


et  chapes 


A  grant  procession  en  est  al 

rei  alez. 
Li  emperedre  s'est  encontre  ^'^ 

lui  levez 
Et   out   trait   son    chapel  ; '" 

parfont  ^*  li  at  clinet.^'* 


RU38. 


CHAELEM AGNES   PILGRIMAGE. 


95 


Vont  sei  entrebaisier,  noveles 
demander, 

Et  dist  li  patriarches:  "  Dont 
estes,  sire,  nez '? 

Onques  nen  *  osat  oni  en  cest 

mostier  entrer, 
Se  ne  li  comaudai  o  ne  li  oi 

rovet."  ^ 
"Sire,  jo  ai  non^  Charles,  si 

sui  de  France  nez  ; 
Doze  reis  ai  conquis  par  force 

et  par  barnet,* 

Lo  trezime  vois  querre  ^  dont 
ai  oit  parler.* 

Vin      en*'     Jerusalem      por 

I'amistet  de  Deu, 
La   croiz  et   le  sepulcre  sui 

venuz  aorer." 
Et  dist  li  patriarches :  "  Sire, 

molt  estes  ber,'^ 
Sis  as*  en  la  chaiere  ou  sist 

medesmes  Deus  ; 
Aies  non  Charles  Maignes  sor 

toz  reis  coronez." 


They   go    to    embrace    each 

other,  to  ask  news  (each  of 

the  other). 
And    quoth    the   patriarch  : 

"  Whence  are  you,  sire,  by 

birth  ^ 
Never  dared  man  enter  into 

this  church 
Unless  I  commanded  liim  or 

asked  him." 
"  Sire,  I  am  C!harles  by  name, 

in  France  I  was  born  ; 
Twelve    kings    have    I    con- 
quered by  strength  and  by 

valour, 
I  am  going  to  seek  the  thix"- 

teenth,    of   whom    I    have 

heard  speak. 
I  came  to  Jerusalem  for  the 

love  of  God, 
I  came  to  adore  the  ci^oss  and 

the  sepulchre." 
And     the     patriarch     said  : 

"  Sire,  right  noble  are  ye ! 
Thou  hast  sat  on  the  chair 

where  God  himself  sat ; 
Have   as   name  Charles   tlie 

Great,    crowned    over    all 


1  Tien.     See  note  13,  p.  87. 

2  rovet,  Lat.  rogare.     In  OFr.  it  governs  dative. 

3  non=^no77i. 

■•  barnet,   Lat.   haronatum.     Here,  in   abstract   sense,   quality  of  a 
aron. 

5  vois  querre,  vais  chercher. 
8  en,  for  d  (see  Darm.,  p.  803). 

7  her,  bar,  baro{7i),  brave,  noble.     Cp.  Span,  varon. 

8  as,  estes.     The  poetic  language  of  the  middle  ages  often  mixed 
the  use  of  toi  and  vous. 


*  The  reference  is  to  Hugo,  King  of  Constantinople.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  poem  Charlemagne  is  described  as  having  placed  his 
crown  on  his  head,  and  girded  on  his  sword.  lie  then  asks  his  consort 
if  she  knows  of  any  one  under  lieaven  who  knows  more  gracefully  than 
himself  to  wear  crown  or  sword.  She  claims  to  know  one.  Charlemagne 
is  angry,  and  compels  her  to  disclose  the  name  of  his  rival,  threatening 
to  decapitate  her  if  she  proves  to  have  spoken  untruly.  She  mentions 
the  name  of  King  Hugo;  and  thus  it  comes  aljout  that  ('harleniagne 
starts  for  Jerusalem  to  look  for  his  rival. 


96 


HISTOKICAI,  READER   OF  EAKT.Y    FRENCH. 


Extract  from   the   Second  Part  op  the  'Voyage  de 
Charlemagne  a  Jerusalem  et  a  Constantinople.' 

Charlemagne,  returning  with  his  harons  from  Jerusalem, 
passes  by  Constantinople,  wishing  -to  see  the  king  (see 
note,  p.  95).  Approaching  the  city,  he  sees  Hugo 
engaged  in  ploughing  : — 


Li  reis  tint  sa  cliarrue  por 

son  jorn  espleitier,^ 
E  vint  i  Charlemaignes  tot  * 

un  antif  ^  sentier  ; 
Vit   lo  paile*   tendut  e  I'or 

reflambeier.'^ 

Lo   rei"   Hugon    saludet    lo 

Fort  tres  volentiers. 
Li  reis  reguardet  (Jliarle,  veit 

lo  contenant  tier, 
Les  braz  gros  et  quadrez,^  lo 

cors  graisle  e  delgiet.® 
"  Sire,  Dieus  vos  guarisaet  ! 

De  quei  me  conoiasiez  1 " 
Respont  li  emperedre  :    "  lo 

sui  de  France  chies.^ 
lo   ai    nom    Charlemaignes  ; 

Rodlanz  si  est  mes  ni6s.'" 

Vieng  de  Jerusalem,  si  m'en 

vueil  repaidrier  ;  '* 
Vos  et  vostre  baniage  ^"  vueil 

vedeir  volentiers." 


The  king  held  his  plough  to 

accomplish  his  daily  task, 
And  there  came  Charlemagne 

along  an  old  yjath  ; 
He    saw     the     silken    clolh 

stretched     and     the     gold 

glitter  ; 
He  salutes  the  King  Hugo 

the  Strong  right  willingly. 
The   king   looks   at  Charles, 

sees  his  proud  countenance, 
His  arms  big  and  broad,  his 

body  slender  and  fine  ; 
"  Sire,     God     protect     you  ! 

How  know  you  me  ? " 
The  emperor  replied  :  "  I  am 

of  France  the  head. 
I  have  the  name  of  Charle- 
magne ;      Roland     is     my 

nephew. 
I    come   from   Jerusalem,    I 

wish  to  return  home  ; 
You  and  your  nobles  1  wish 

greatly  to  see." 


I  espleitier='La.t.  *expHcit{um)iare ;  Mod.  Fr.  exploiter. 
"  tot,  here  used  iu  seute  of  along. 

3  antif=\jVii.  antiquum. 

■*  paile  —  ha.i.  paUium. 

5  I'or  refl.  The  plough  was  of  gold  ;  the  king  was  on  a  raised  seat 
drawn  by  two  mules.  This  seat  was  covered  by  the  silken  cloth 
{pallium). 

«  Lo  rei,  object,  case.  "  quadrez-carres. 

8  graisle=grelc.     Delgicl=La.t.  delicatus.     Cp.  Span,  delgadn. 

"  chies= chief  {hat.  cajjut). 

10  mes =Lat.  nepos. 

II  repaidrier =re-patriare. 

12  barnage  =  '[jPit.  *haronalicum. 


CHARLEMAGNE'S   PILGRIMAGE. 


97 


E  dist  Hugue  li  Forz  :  "  Bien 
at  set  anz  e  niielz^ 

Qu'en  ai  odit  parler  estranges 

soldeiers  '^ 
Qued^  issi  grant  barnage  nen 

ait  nuls  reis  soz  del. 

Un  an  vos  retendrai,  se  estre 

i  voliiez  ; 
Tant   vos   donrai  aveir,*  or, 

argent  e  denievs 

Tant  en  porteront  Franc  com 
en  voldront  chargier, 

Or  desjoindrai  mes  bnes  por 
la  vostre  amistiet." 


And  Hugo  the  Strong  said  : 

"  Full  seven  years  it  is  and 

more 
That  I   have   heard   foreign 

soldiers  speak  of  you 
That     not     a     king     under 

heaven     has    so    great    a 

nobility. 
I  shall  keep  you  a  year,  if 

you  will  stop  ; 
I    shall   give    you   so   much 

riches,     gold,    silver,    and 

money 
So    much   will    the    French 

carry  away  as   they  wish 

to  take, 
Now  shall   I   unharness  my 

oxen  out  of  friendship  for 

you." 


Charlemagne  enters  the  royal  palace  and  views  its 
beauties.  In  the  evening  the  king  offers  him  supper. 
Charlemagne  sits  at  table  with  his  barons.  Wine  and 
rich  viands  are  served  in  abundance.  Afterwards  the 
Frenchmen  betake  themselves  to  rest,  and  begin  to  make 
their  gahs  (jests)  each  in  turn. 


Franceis  furent  as  ^  cambres, 
s'unt "  beut  del  claret,^ 

E  dist  li  uns  a  I'altre  "  veez 

cum  grand  ^  beltet ! 
Veez  cvim  gent  palais  e  cum 

fort  richetet ! 
Plolisf*  al  rei  de  glorie,  de 

sainte  majestet, 
Carlemaigne,  misire,'^*   I'oiiHt 

ja  racatet " 


The    French    were     in    the 

rooms,    they    have    drunk 

of  the  claret, 
And  the  one  said  to  the  other 

"  see  what  great  beauty  ! 
See  what  a  fine   palace  and 

what  great  riches  ! 
If    it    pleased    the   king   of 

glory,  of  holy  majesty, 
Charlemagne,    ray    lord,    he 

would  already  have  gained 


1  e  mielz,  lit.,  and  better. 

2  soldeiers  =  \jaX.  *solidatarius,  fron\  solidus. 

3  qued=que — the  d  is  euphonic  ;  nen=ne — n  euphonic. 
••  amir = avoir  subst. 

5  as  — en  les.  *  s'unt=si  nnt. 

7  claret.     This  was  wine  mixed  with  honey  and  spices. 

*  cicin  grand = quelle  grande. 

'■'  plodst,  3  sing.  imp.  subj.  of  plaire. 

10  misire=monseigneur.  ''  racatet =rache(S. 

Q 


98 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


U  cunquis  par  ses  armes  en 

batalie  campel  !  * 
E      lur      dist     Carlemaignes 

"Bien  dei  avaiit  gaber.^ 

Li  reis  Hugue  li  Forz  nen^ 

at  nul  bacheler 
De   tute    sa    maisniee,*  tant 

seit  forz  e  membrez,^ 
Ait  ^  vestut   dous  halbert^  e 

dous  helmes  fermez, 

Si  seit  sour  un  destrier  corant 

et  sojornet ;  "^ 
Li  reis  me  prest^  s'espee  al 

poin  ^  d'or  adobet, 

Si  ferrai  sour  les  helmes  ou 
il  iereiit  ^'^  plus  cler, 

Trencherai  les  halbers  et  les 
helmes  gemmez, 

Le  feltre  "  avoec  la  sele  del 
destrier  sojornet. 

Le  brant  ^^  ferrai  en   terre  ; 

se  jo  le  lais  aler, 
Ja  u'en  iert  mais  retraiz  par 

nul  home  charnel '' 
Tres  qu'il  seit  plune  hanste  ^^ 

de  terre  desterrez." 
"Par  Deu,"  90  dist  I'escolte, 

"  forz  estes  et  membrez  : 
Que  fols  fist  ^^  li  reis  Hugue, 

quant  vos  prestat  ostel."  ^^ 


Or  conquered  it  by  his  arms 

in  pitched  battle  ! 
And    Charlemagne    said    to 

them  "  I  must  indeed  first 

joke. 
The  King  Hugo  the  Strong 

has  not  a  young  warrior 
In  all  his  household,  however 

strong  and  lusty  he  be, 
Though  he  have  put  on  two 

hauberks   and   two  closed 

helms, 
And  be  he  seated  on  a  swift 

and  vigorous  steed  ; 
If  the  king  lend  me  his  sword 

adorned   with   the   golden 

handle, 
I   shall  strike  on  the  helms 

where  tliey  are  brightest, 
I  shall  cleave  the  hauberks 

and    the    helms     studded 

with  gems, 
(And)  the  covering  with  the 

saddle     of     the    powerful 

steed. 
The  blade  I  shall  strike  into 

the  earth  ;  if  1  let  it  go, 
It  shall  never  more  be  with- 
drawn by  any  mortal  man. 
Till  there  be   a   full    lance- 
length  of  earth  dug  out." 
"  By  God,"  said  the  listener, 

"  you  are  strong  and  lusty  : 
King  Hugo  has  acted  like  a 

madman,  when  he  offered 

you  hospitality." 

1  campel =du  champ.  ^  gaber,  from  old  Norse  gabb,  jest. 

2  nen,  n  euphonic  before  vowel. 
•»  mais7iiee=La,t.  manaionatam. 

*  viembrez='LsX.  membr{um)-atum. 

6  ait.     Supplj'  before  ait,  seit,  prest  the  conj.  que  (  =  suppose  que). 
">  sojornet,  rested— i.e.,  vigorous.     Still  found  in  this  sense  in  the 
dialect  of  Normandy. 

8  prest,  3  sing.  pres.  Bubj.  oi-prester.  »  ^oift=Lat.  pugnum. 

10  il  ierent=ils  seront.  ^^  feltre=feutre,  saddle-cloth. 

12  brant,  from  Germanic  root  brand.     Cp.  Eng.  brandish. 

13  charnel  =  La.i.  carnalem.  "  hansie=La,t.  hastam,  lance-shaft. 
15  que  fols  fist,  elliptical, /C  ce  queferait  unfou,  see  note  5,  p.  82. 

1"  ostel=La.t.  hospitale. 


MYST^RE   d'ADAM.  99 


Myst£re  d'Adam.^ 

The  oldest  form  of  dramatic  poetry  in  France  is  the 
Myste)-y,  which  was  a  development  of  the  trope,  or 
rhymed  and  dialogued  hymn,  which,  from  the  tenth 
century,  was  introduced  at  religious  services  at  Christmas 
and  Easter.  The  Adam  is  the  earliest  piece  of  this 
nature.  It  was  composed  in  England  in  the  twelfth 
century,  and  was  performed  outside  the  church — in  the 
porch — as  is  shown  by  the  details  and  directions  about 
scenery,  &c.,  which  are  given  in  the  MS.  The  dialect  is 
Anglo-Norman. 

The  play  consists  really  of  three  pieces — The  Eall  of 
Adam  and  Eve,  The  Death  of  Abel,  and  The  Pro- 
phets who  announce  the  coming  of  the  Saviour. 

This  piece  possesses  considerable  literary  value.  The 
language  is  simple  and  full  of  pathos,  the  scene  of  the 
seduction  of  Eve  by  Satan  being  one  of  the  finest  passages 
in  the  religious  dramatic  literature  of  the  middle  ages. 

Satan  entices  Eve. 

Satan.  Tu    es    feiblete   et  S.  Thou  art  a  weak   and 

tendre  chose  tender  thing, 

Et  es  plus  fresche  que  n'est  And  art  more  fresh  than  is 

rose,  a  rose, 

Tu     es     plus     blanche     que  Thou  art   more  white   than 

cristal,2  crystal. 

Que  neif  '  qui  chiet  sor  gkce  Than  snow  which  falls  on  ice 

en  val.  in  a  valley. 

Mai  cuple  en  ^  fist  11  Criatur,  The  Creator  made  a  bad  pair 

of  ye; 

1  Or  "Jeu  d'Adam."  The  term  "jeu"  or  "play"  comprised  both 
the  religious  pieces  {MysUres  and  Miracles)  and  the  secular  ones 
{Farces  or  Sotties). 

2  cristal.  Here  the  declension  is  sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  the 
rhyme. 

3  neif  ='Ls.i,  nivem. 

•»  en.    See  note  1,  p.  88. 


100    HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 

Tu  es  trop  tendre  et  il '  troj)       Tliou  art  too  tender  and  he 

dur  ;  too  hard  ; 

Mais  neporqnant  -  tu  es  phis       But  in  spite  of  all  thou  ai  t 

sage  ;  nioi'e  wise  ; 

En   grant   sens   as   mis    t<m       Thou  art  full  of  good  sense  : 

corage  :  ^ 
Por  90  fait  bon*  se  traire^  a       For  this  reason  it  is  good  to 

tei.  approach  thee. 

Parler  ile  vueil.  I  would  fain  speak  to  thee. 

Eve.  Or  ja  90  fai.  E.  E'en  now  do  so. 

Satan.  N'en  sache  mils.  S.  Let  no  man  know  of  it ! 

Eve.  Qui  deit  saveir  ?  E.  Who  shouKl  know  1 

Satan.  Nei's  "  Adam.  >S'.  Not  even  Adam. 

Eve.  Neiiil ''  par  mei.  E.  He   shall    not  through 

me. 
Satan.  Or  te   dirai,  et  tu  *S^.  Now    I   will   tell    thee, 

m'escolte.  and  listen  to  me. 

N'a   que   nos   dons  en   ceste       There  are  but  we  two  on  this 

rote,*  road, 

Et  Adam  la  qui  ne  nos  ot.  And  Adam  there,  who  hears 

us  not. 
Eve.  Parlez   en   halt,   n'en  E.  Speak  aloud,    he   sliall 

savrat  mot.  not  know  a  word  ! 

Satan.  Jo  vos  acoint  d'un  S.  I    acquaint    you    of    a 

grant  engin ^  great  deceit 

Qui  vos  est  fait  en  cest  jardin,       Which  is  played  upon  you  in 

this  garden  : 
Li  fruiz  que  Dieus  vos  a  done       The   fruit    which   God   hath 

given  you 
Nen  a  en  sei  gaires  '"  bont^  ;        Hath   scarce   aught  of  good 

in  it ; 
Cil  "  qu'il  vos  a  tant  defendu,       That    which    He   hath    for- 
bidden you  so  much, 
II  a  en  sei  molt  grant  vertu.        It   has   in   itself    full    great 

vii'tue  ; 

1  il  =  lui.  From  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  the  accented  form 
of  the  obj.  began  to  be  used,  but  it  was  not  till  the  sixteenth  that  it 
was  definitely  ailopted. 

^  neporquant,  Lat.  non  pro  quantum, 

*  corage,  Lat.  coraticum,  the  feelings,  the  heart.  Lit.  "  in  great 
sense  hast  thou  set  thy  heart." 

■4  fait  ban,  impers.  ilfait  ban.  Cp.  tant  fait  dottf  converser  (Evang. 
aux  Femmes). 

5  se  trairc,  another  reading  is  atraire  a.  *  nels—ne  ipsum, 

'  nenil  (Mod.  Fr.  nenni)=non  il  (not  7wn  illud,  see  Darm.,  p.  383). 

8  rote,  route.  ^  engin,  Lat.  ingeniuni,  (1)  skill ;  (2)  device,  trick. 

w  gaires.  Mod.  Fr.  guere  (said  to  be  derived  from  O.H.Ger.  weigaro, 
luuch). 

11  L'll,  refers  to  fruit. 


MYSTERE   D  ADAM. 


101 


En  celui  est  grace  de  vie, 

De  poeste  ^  et  de  seignorie, 
Ue  tot  saveir,  et  bien  et  mal. 

Eve.  Quel  savor  a  *? 
Satan.  Celestial. 

A  ton  bel  cors,  a  ta  figure, 

Bieu  covendreit  tel  aventure 
Que  tu  fusses  dame  del  iiiont, 

Del  soveraiu  e  del  parfont,^ 

Et  seiisses  quanque  a  ^  esti's,'* 

Que     de     tot     fusses     bozie 
maistre. 


In  it  there   is  the  grace  of 

life, 
Of  power  and  of  lordship. 
Of  all  knowledge,  both  good 

and  bad. 

E.  What  savour  hath  it  ? 

,S'.  Heavenly ! 

For  thy  fair  frame  and  thy 

fair  face 
Such  chance  were  right  fitting 
That  thou  shouldest  be  lady 

of  the  world ; 
Of  the  superior  and  of  the 

inferior  ; 
And  that  thou  shouldst  know 

all  that  life  has. 
And  that  of  all  thou  shouldst 

be  the  good  mistress. 


Dialogue  between  Cain  and  Abel. 


Cain.  Abel,  morz  es. 
Ahel.  Et  jo  por  quel  1 '" 

Cain.  Jo  m'en  voldrai  ven- 

gier  de  tei. 
Abel.  Sui  jo  mesfait  '^ '' 
Cain.  Oil,  assez  : 

Tu  es  traistre,  est  tot  provez. 


Ahel.  Certes  non  sui. 
Cain.  Dis  tu  que  non  'I 

Abel.  Onques      n'amai     la 

traison. 
Cain.  Tu  la  fesis.'^ 
Abel.  Et  jo,  comeut '] 

Cain.  Tost  le  savras. 

Ahel.  Jo  ne  I'entent. 

Cain.  Jol   tei  ^   ferai  molt 
tost  saveir. 


C.  Abel,  thou'rt  dead  ! 

A.        I  (dead) ;  and  why  1 

C.  I    would    fain    avenge 

myself  on  thee. 
A.  Am  I  guilty  1 
C.  Ay,  all  too  much  ! 

A  traitor  art  thou — 'tis  fully 
proved. 

A.  Surely  I  am  not  so? 
C.  Say  est  thou  'tis  not  so  '? 
A.  Never  loved  I  treason. 

C.  Thou  wrought'st  it  ! 
A.  I  ;  how  so  '\ 

C.  Thou     sbalt     know     it 

shortly. 
A.  I  understand  not ! 

C.  I  will  make  thee  know 

it  full  speedily. 


1  poeste,  Lat.  *2}otestam.     Poeste  corresponds  to  jjolestatem, 

2  parfont  {perfundum  hv  profunduiii),  deep,  lower,  inferior. 

3  quanque  a,  as  much  as  —has. 
••  estre,  used  substantivally. 

5  2)or  quci—2)0ur  quoi. 

6  mesfait,  p.p.  oi  mesfairc  (minus  facere),  to  do  wrong. 
^  fesis,  2  sing.  perf.  of /aire. 

8  Jol  tei.     In  OFr.  the  dir.  obj.  in  3rd  pers.  could  precede 
ol>j.  in  '2nd  pers. 


indir. 


10: 


IIISTOKICAL   READER   OF   EARLY    FRENCH. 


Abel.  Ja  nel  porras  prover 

par  veil'.' 
Cam.  La  prueve  est  pres. 
Abel.  Dieus  m'aidera. 

Cdiii.  Jo  t'ocirai. 
Abel.  Dieus  le  savra. 

[Cain  se  pre'cipite  sur  Abel 

et  Uve  la  main  sur  lui.'\ 

Cam.  Vez   la   qui   fera  la 


provance.^ 
Abel.  En  Dieu  est  tote  ma 

fiance. 
Cam.  Vers^  mei  t'avra  il 

pou  mestier. 
Abel.  Bien    te   puet    faire 

destoi'bier.* 
Cai7i.  Ne  te  2:)orra  tie  mort 

guenchir.^ 
Abel.  Del    tot*'    me    met^ 

a  son  plaisir. 
Cain.  Vuelz   oTr   por  quel 

t'ocirai  ? 
Abel.  Or  le  me  di.^ 
Cain.  Jol  tei  dirai. 

Trop    te    fais    de     Dieu    le 

prive. 
Por  tei  m'a  il  tot  refuse, 

Por  tei  refusa  il  m'ofrende. 

Penses   tu   done   que  nel  te 

rende  ? 
Jo    t'en    rendrai   le   guerre- 

don;» 
Morz    remandras  ^^    or    el " 

sablon. 

1  par  veir—par  vrai  {de  vrai). 

2  2M-ovance=preuve.     Cp.  dotance^doute. 

3  Vers,  with  regard  to.      Vers  was  used  with  this  meaning  till  the 
seventeenth  century. 

*  destorbier,  subst. ;  lit.,  a  hindrance.     Cp.  Eng.  disturb. 

5  guenchir,  lit. ,  to  turn  ofif  obliquely.     Cp.  Ger.  wanken. 

6  del  tot,  entirely.     Ital.  del  tutto,  Sj^an.  del  todo.     Cp.  Montaigne, 
Ess.  III.  ch.  xi.  :  "  II  y  associa  une  fille  de  village  du  tout  stupide.' 

^  Viet,  1  sing,  iires.  indie,  like  Lat.  jnitto. 

8  le  me  di.     In  Mod.  Fr.  dis-le-moi.     See  Darm.,  p.  846. 

9  gnerrcdon.     Mod.  Fr.  guerdon.     From  Germanic  xvidarlon. 
10  remandras,  2  sing.  fut.  oi  remanoir,  n  el— en  el. 


A.  But     thou    canst     not 

prove  it  by  truth. 
C.  The  proof  is  at  hand. 
A.  God  will  aid  me. 

C.  I  will  kill  thee. 
A.  God  will  know  it. 

[Cain    throivs    himaelf   on 

Abel  and  lifts  his  hand 

to  strike  him.'\ 
C.  See  there  what  will  give 

the  proof ! 
A.  In  God  is  all  my  trust. 

C.  Against  me  He  will  give 

thee  scanty  succour. 
A.  He  can  bring  thee  much 

affliction. 
C.  He  will  not  avail  to  let 

thee  escape  death. 
A.  In  all  I  put  myself  at 

His  pleasure. 
C.  Wilt  thou  hear  why   I 

will  kill  thee  1 

A.  Tell  it  me  now  ! 

C.      I  will  e'en  tell  thee — 

Thou  dost  make  thyself  all  too 

much  the  intimate  of  God. 

For  thee  He  hath  refused  me 

everything, 
For    thee    He    refused    my 

offering. 
Thinkest  thou   then   that   I 
will  not  pay  it  thee  back  ? 
I  will  pay  thee  the  wage  for 

it; 
Dead    shalt   thou  stay   now 
upon  the  sand. 


MYSTfeRE    d'ADAM. 


103 


Abel.  Se     tu 
iert  1  a  tort 
Dieus    vengera 
mort. 


m  ocis. 


90 


en    tei    ma 


,  2 


jo,  Dieus  le  sait 


bieu  : 
Vers   lui 

rien. 
Ainz    te 

faiz^ 
Que  fusses  dignes  de  sa  pais  ; 


ne    te   nieslai  ^   de 
dis    fesisses  *    tels 


A  lui  rendisses  ses  raisons, 

Dimes,"  primices/  oblacions, 
Per  90  porraz  aveir  s'amor. 

Tu  ne  le  fais,  or  as  s'iror.* 


verais:    qui  a 


ui 


Dieus  est 

sert  9 

Tres  bieu  I'am^jlie,  pas  nel '° 
pert. 
Cain.  Trop  paroles, '*  sem- 

pres  ^^  morras. 
Abel.  Frere.    que 


dis-tu  ? 


me  menas. 


13 


Jo  vin  9a  "  f  ors  en  ta  creaiice.       I 

Cain.  Ja  ne  t'avra  mestier 
fiance, 
Jo  t'ocirai,  jo  tei  desfi.^^  I 

Abel.  Dieu  pri  qu'il  ait  de 
mei  merci. 

1  ier(,  3  sing.  fut.  of  esire. 

-  mesjis.  1  sing.  purf.  of  vies/aire. 

'  meslai=milai,  lit.,  to  mix  up  (in  dispute). 

■*  dis  fesisses.     que  is  understood. 

5  faiz=faits,  actions. 


.1.   If   thou  dost  kill  me, 
this  will  be  unjustly  ; 
(jlod  will  avenge  my  death  on 

thee. 
I  did  no   ill,  God  knows   it 

well  : 
Against  Him  I  never  set  thee 

in  anytliing  as  a  foe. 
Rather    I    told     thee     thou 

shouldst  do  such  deeds 
That    thou    shouldst     prove 

worthy  of  His  peace  ; 
That  thou    shouldst  render 

Him  His  dues, 
Tithes,  first-fruits,  offerings. 
By  this  may  you  have  His 

love. 
Dost   thou   it  not,   (so)  now 

hast  thou  His  ire. 
God  is  true :  (him)  who  serves 

Him 
He  exalts  full  high ;  He  de- 
stroys him  not. 

C.  Thou  speakest  too  much, 
thou  shalt  die  forthwith. 

A.  Brother,  what  sayest 
thou  ]  thou  didst  bring 
me. 

came   out    hither    having 

trust  in  thee. 

C.  Thy  trust  shall  be  of  no 
avail  to  thee, 

will   kill   thee,  I  disavow 

thee. 

A.  I  pray  God  that  He 
may  have  mercy  on  me. 


prtmices=premices. 


*  dimes,  Lat.  decima  {pars). 

8  iror,  Lat.  iy{am)(jrem.  "  a  lui  sert  ='MoA.  Fr.  le  sert. 

1"  j!>as  nel.      Even   in  seventeenth  century  we  find  jms  preceding 
ne.     Pas  n'y  faudrai  (La  Font.) 

n  paroles,  2  sing.  pres.  o{ purler  ;  accented  on  the  radicaL 

12  sempres,  frequently  used  in  OFr.  in  this  sense. 

13  menas,  2  sing.  perf.  I'l  fr/,  ]rtc.     Cp.  p«  et  Id. 
15  desji,  1  sing.  pres.  of  desjier— to  withdraw  one's  confidence. 


104  HISTOKICAL    HEADER    OF    EAKLY    FKENCII. 

i 

i 

TWELFTH    CENTUEY. 

COURONNEMENT    LOUIS. 

The  Couronnement  Louis  belongs  to  about  the  middle 
of  the  twelfth  century,  and  forms  part  of  the  Geste  du  Roi. 
It  is  written  in  assonanced  verse  of  ten  syllables.  The 
dialect  is  that  of  the  centre — ITle  de  France. 

The  author  of  the  poem  is  unknown,  and  it  would 
appear  to  be  formed  of  several  chansons  de  geste  originally 
distinct,  which  gradually  became  woven  together  and 
rema7iiees.^ 

It  is  based  to  a  large  extent  on  historical  facts  relating 
chiefly  to  the  history  of  Louis  le  Debonnaire,  although 
others  named  Louis  also  figure  in  the  compilation.  It  is 
interesting  as  showing  how  much  the  Carlovingian  kings 
had  to  promise  to  secure  the  adhesion  and  support  of 
the  feudal  lords. 

Charlemagne,  overwhelmed  by  age  and  feeling  incap- 
able of  bearing  any  longer  the  heavy  burden  of  his  huge 
empire,  has  assembled  all  his  court  at  Aix  to  propose  the 
election  of  his  son  Louis.  The  crown  is  laid  upon  the 
altar  where  the  Pope  has  just  celebrated  mass,  and  when 
the  assembly  has  hailed  the  future  king,  Charlemagne 
addresses  the  young  prince  : — 

"  Filz  Loo'is,  veiz  ici  la  cor-  "  Son  Louis,  do  you  see  here 

one?  the  crown  ? 

Se  tu  la  prenz,  emperere  ies^  If  you  take  it,  you  are  Em- 

de  Rome  ;  peror  of  Rome  ; 

Biea  puez  meuer  en  ost  mil  You  can  lead  to  war  a  thou- 

et  cent^  omes,  sand  and  a  hundred  men. 

Passer  par  force  les  eves  de  Pass  by  force  the  waters  of 

Gironde,  the  Gironde, 

1  See  Introd.  Chanson  de  lioland. 

2  ies,  2  sing.  pres.  ind.  of  estre. 

3  mil  et  cent.     In  the  old  language  et  was  usual  in  compound  num- 
bers.    (See  Darni.,  Y}-  407.) 


COURONNEMENT  LOUIS. 


105 


Paiene    geut    craveiiter^    et 

confondre, 
Et   la   lor  2   terre   deis   a  la 

nostre  joindre. 
S'ainsi  vuels  faire,  je  te  doing 

la  corone  ; 
O  se  ce  nou,^  ne  la  baillier  * 

tu  onques. 
Se  tu  deis  prendre,  bels  filz, 

de  fals  loiers,^ 
Ne^     desmesure ''    lever    ne 

esalcier, 
Faire      luxure      ne      alever 

pechie, 
Ne    eir^    enfant    retolir    le 

sien^  fie,'*^ 
Ne  veve  fame  tolir  ^^  quatre 

deniers, 
Ceste  corone  de  Jesu  i-  la  te 

vie,^^ 
Filz    Loois,    que    tu    ne    la 

baillier."  i* 
Ot  le  li  enfes/^  ne  mist  avant 

le  pie  ; 
N'osa  aler  la  corone  baillier. 

Por    lui    plorerent    maint  i*" 

vaillaut  chevalier, 
Et      I'einperere      fu       molt 


To  cut  to  pieces  and  over- 
whelm the  infidel  people, 

And  their  land  you  must 
join  to  ours. 

If  you  will  do  so,  I  give  you 
the  crown  ; 

If  not,  may  you  never  pos- 
sess it. 

If,  my  good  son,  you  should 
take  unjust  reward, 

Should  raise  and  exalt 
violence, 

Act  wantonly  or  uphold  sin. 

Or  take  from  a  child  heir  his 
land. 

Or  rob  a  widow  of  four 
farthings, 

This  crown,  by  Jesus,  I  for- 
bid it  you. 

Son  Louis  :  may  you  never 
possess  it." 

The  child  heard  him,  put  not 
a  foot  forward  ; 

He  dared  not  go  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  crown. 

Many  a  valiant  knight  wept 
for  him. 

And  the  emperor  was  very 
vexed  and  angry  : 

1  craventer,  Lat.  crepantem-are.     Cf.  Span,  quehrantar. 

2  la  lor  {il-lorum),  emphatic  form  of  poss.  adj.    Until  the  fourteenth 
century  leur  remained  invariable.     (See  Darm.,  p.  306.) 

3  se  ce  non,  elliptical  nsage,  as  in  Mod.  Fr.  sinon. 

■*  ne  la  buillier,  inf.  neg.  for  iniper.  with  tu.     (See  Darm.,  ji.  710.) 

5  loiers,  Lat.  *locarium.     Mod.  Fr.  loyer. 

"  me  .  .  .  ne,  here  equivalent  to  om  .  .  .  ou.     Ne  was  often  used  in 
sense  ol  et  and  on. 

^  desmesure ='La.i.  dis-mensuram, 

8  eir—'La.t.  heredem.  9  le  sien.     (See  Darm.,  p.  307.) 

1"  ./le,  fief,  liSit.  feudum,  0.ll.GeT.Jihu,/ehu. 
11  tolir,  take  away,  Lat.  tollere. 
1^  de  Jesu,  i.e.,  de  par. 
13  vie,  1  sing.  pres.  ind.  oi  veer  {vetare). 

1'*  ne  baillier,  the  inf.  neg.  is  here  used  la  sense  of  imper.  witli 
conj.  que. 

1*  en/es,  accented  on  first  syll.,  subj.  case  of  en/ant. 
16  maint,  n.  pi.  i7  grains,  connected  willi  (ier.  gram, 

iriez,  ii.p.  of  trier,  used  as  an  adj. 


grains  ^^  et  iriez 


18 


18 


106 


HISTORICAL    READEK    OF    EARLY    FRENCH. 


"  Ha  !  las,"  dist  il,  "  com  or 

sui  engeigniez  !  > 
Ja   en   sa  vie   n'iert  de   mei 

avanciez. 
Quill  2   fereit    rei,    ce    sereit 

graiiz  pechiez. 
Or  li  fesons  toz  les  chevels 

treucliier/ 
Si    le    metoiis  la  enz  en    eel 

mostier  : 
Tirra  les  cordes  et  sera  mar- 

regliers ;  * 
S'avra    provende^   qu'il"   ne 

puist  mendiier." 
Delez''    le    rei     sist    Arneis 

d'Orliens 
Qui  molt  par  *  f  u  et  orgoillos 

et  fiers  ; 
De  gianz  losenges^  le  pi'ist 

a  araisnier :  i" 
"  Dreiz       emperere,       faites 


pais, 


11 


SI  m  oiez. 


Mes  sire  est  jovenes,  n'a  que 

quinze  ans  eutiers, 
Ja  sereit  mors  quin  ^^  fereit 

chevalier. 
Ceste  besoigne,  s'il  vos  plaist, 

m'otreiez, 
Tresqu'a    treis  anz  que  ver- 

roiis  coment  iert. 
S'il  vuelt  preuz  estre  ne  ja  '^ 

buens  eritiei's, 
Je    li    rendrai     de     gru    et 

volentiers, 
Et  acreistrai  ses  terres  et  ses 

fiez." 


"  Alas  !  "  he  said,  "  how  1  am 

now  deceived  ! 
Never  in  his  life  shall  he  be 

advanced  by  me. 
To  make  a  king  of  him  would 

be  a  great  sin. 
Now  let  us  have  all  his  hair 

cut  off, 
Let  us  put  him  in  there,  in 

that  church  : 
He  will  pull  the  (bell)  ropes 

and  will  be  saci'istan  ; 
He  will  be  pi^ovided  for,  so 

that  he  need  not  beg." 
Beside    the    king    Hernaut 

d' Orleans  took  his  place. 
Who  was  most  haughty  and 

proud  ; 
He  set  about  addressing  him 

with  great  craft : 
"  Righteous  emperor,  vouch- 
safe to  hear  me. 
My   lord  is  young,   is   only 

fifteen  years  old  in  all, 
He  would  die  were  one   to 

make  a  knight  of  him. 
Grant    me    this   task,   if    it 

please  you, 
During   three   years,  till  we 

see  how  he  will  be. 
If  he  will  be  brave  and  in- 
deed a  worthy  heir, 
I   shall  give    back    to    him 

gladly  and  willingly 
And  shall  increase  his  lands 

and  fiefs." 


1  engeigniez.     Engignier  (Lat.  ingenium-are),  means  (1)  to  devise 
anything  ;  (2)  to  deceive. 

-  Quin,  i.e.,  qui  en.  ^  trenchier,  Mod.  Fr.  trancher. 

4  7narregliers =Mod.  Fr.  marguillier  (Lat.  matricularium),  he  who 
keeps  the  church  books. 

5  provende,  Lat.  prmbendam.     Cp.  Eng.  prebendary  {provendier). 

6  qiCil.     Que  here  signifies  de  telle  sorte  que  .  .  . 
"  delez=de-latus.     Sist,  3  sing.  perf.  oi  seoir. 

8  jMr,  augmentative  jiart.     Cp.  c'est  imr  trop  fort. 

'  losenges—louanges,  false  flattery,  cajolery. 
1"  araisnier,  Lat.  ad-rationem. 
11  faites  pais,  lit.,  keep  peace. 


quin.     See  above,  note  2. 


1^  neja,  and  indeed. 


COURONNEMENT   LOUIS. 


107 


Et  dist  li  reis  :    "  Ce  fait  a 

otreier." — ^ 
"  Granz  merciz,  sire,"  dieut  - 

li  losengier, 
Qui   parent    erent    a  Arneis 

d'Orliens. 
Sempres^    fust    reis,    quant 

Guillelmes  i  vient ; 

D'une     forest     repaire  *     de 

chacier. 
Ses  nies^  Bertrans  li  coru^ 

a  I'estrier  ; 
II      li     demande  :      "  Dont  "^ 

venez  vos,  bels  nids  ? " 
"En   nom   Dieu,  sire,  de  la 

enz  del  mostier, 
Ou  j'ai  oi  grant  tort  et  grant 

pechie. 
Arneis  vuelt  son  dreit  seignoi' 

boisier  ;  * 
Sempres      iert      reis,      que " 

Franceis  I'ont  jugie." 

"  Mar  le  pensa,"  i"  dist  Guil- 
lelmes li  fiers. 


And  the  king  said  :  "  This  I 

grant  you." 
"  Many  thanks,  sire,"  say  the 

flatterers. 
Who  were  related    to    Her- 

naut  d'Orleans. 
He    would    forthwith     have 

become   king,    when   Wil- 
liam comes  up  ; 
He  is  returning  from  hunting 

in  a  forest. 
His  nephew  Bertrand  ran  up 

to  his  stirrup  ; 
He  asks  him :  "Whence  come 

you,  my  fine  nephew  ? " 
"In  the  name  of   God,  sire, 

from  inside  the  church, 
Where  I  have   heard   great 

wrong  and  gi-eat  sin. 
Hernaut    wishes    to    betray 

his  rightful  lord  ; 
Straightway  he  will  be  king, 

since  the  Frenchmen  have 

decided  it." 
"  He      thought     it     to     his 

woe,"     said    William    the 

Proud. 
With  girded  sword,  he   en- 
tered the  church. 
Cleaves  the   crowd   (to   get) 

in  front  of  the  knights  : 
He   finds    Hernaut    all    pre- 
pared ; 
He  had   a   mind    to  cut   off 

his  head, 
When     he     remembers     the 

glorious  one  of  heaven, 


L'espee  ceinte  est  entrez  el 

mostier, 
Desront  ^^   la   presse   devant 

les  chevaliers  : 
Arneis     trueve     molt     bien 

apareilliu  ; 
En  talent  ^-  ot  qu'il  li  copast 

le  chief, 
Quant     li     remembre  ^^     del 

glorios  del  ciel, 

1  ce  fait  a  otreier.     Lit.,  this  ought  to  be  granted 
meaning  of  should  be,  deserves  to  be. 

2  dient=disent.  •*  sempres,  forthwith 
*  repaire,  3  sing.  pres.  of  rejmirier,  to  return. 

5  nies  (nieps),  Lat.  nepos. 

6  com,  3  sing.  pert.  o{  corre  (Lat.  currere). 
^  boisier,  Germanic  bausjan.     Cp.  Ger.  biise. 
'  5Me  has  here  the  sense  oi puisque. 

10  mar  le  2)ensa.     See  note  11,  p.  82. 

11  desront  =  desrompt. 

12  En  talent,  in  his  desire,  inclination.     Also  avoir  talent  de. 

13  li  remembre,  impers.  verb. 


Fa  ire  a  had 


'  do7it=dc-unde. 


108 


HISTORICAL   liEADER   OF   EARLY    FRENCH. 


Que^  d'ome  ocire  est  trop^ 

mortels  pechiez. 
11    prent   s'espee,^   el    fuere'* 

I'embatic  ^ 
Et  passe  avant ;  quant  se  fu 

rebraciez, 
Le  poing  seuestre  li  a  mesle " 

el  chief, 
Halce  "^  le  destre,  enz  el  col 

li  assiet : 
L'os  de  la  gole'^  li  a  par  mi 

brisie ; 
Mort  le  tresbiiche  '^  a  la  terre 

a  ses  piez. 
Quant    il    I'ot    mort/o    sePi 

prent  a  chasteier  :  ^^ 
"He !"  gloz !  13  dist  il,  "Dieus 

te  doint  i*  encombrier  ! '" 
Per   quei   voleies    ton    dreit 

seignor  boisier  ? 
Tu  le  deiisses  ^^  amer  et  tenir 

chier, 
Creistre  ^^  ses  terres  et  alever 

ses  fiez. 
Je     te     cuidoe^*     un     petit 


For  to  kill  a  man  is  a   very 

deadly  sin. 
He  takes  his  sword,  in  the 

s-ieath  he  thrusts  it 
And  passes  en  ;  when  he  had 

turned  up  his  sleeve. 
With  his  left  hand  he  seized 

his  head, 
Raises   the   right,    brings   it 

down  upon  his  neck  : 
The  bone  of   his  mouth   he 

has  broken  in  the  middle  ; 
Hurls  him  dead  to  the  earth 

at  his  feet. 
When    he    has    killed    him, 

he  begins  to  upbraid  him  : 
"  Ah,    glutton  ! "     he    says, 

"may  God  overwhelm  you  ! 
For  what  did   you  wish   to 

deceive  your  rightful  lord? 
You    ought    to    have    loved 

him  and  held  him  dear. 
Increased  his  lands  and  en- 
larged his  fiefs. 
I   meant  to   punish    you    a 

little, 


chasteier, 

1  que  de.     Qiie  introducing  clause  subordinate  to  li  remembre. 

2  trop,   very.      Tro2}  was  used   in   this   sense   even    in   Rabelais's 
time. 

3  s'espee.      The  elision  was  usual  in  OFr.      The  use  of  7?i.0M,  ion, 
son  dates  from  the  fourteenth  century. 

■1  elfuerc=cn  lefourreau. 

5  evibatie,  3  sing.  perf.  of  embatre  (in-balticere).     Cp.  Ch.  de  llol. : 
"son  hon  espiet  enz  el  cors  li  enbat." 

6  meslcr  le  poing  el  chief  d  qiuiqic'un,  lit.,  to  mix  the  fist  in  the 
head.     Se  meslcr  means  to  come  to  blows.     Cp.  daas  la  melee. 

^  halce=hausse. 

8  gole,  Ital.  gola  ;  Lat.  gula  ;  Mod.  Fr.  giieule. 
8  treshuche  (*transhucare),   probably   from   a   Germanic   root    buk, 
bauch. 

10  mort,  trans,  verb,  mettre  d  morl. 

11  sel=si  le. 

12  chasteier  =  Lat.  castigare. 

13  gloz,  glot  (Lat.  glutum),  Mod.  Fr.  gloulon. 
1-1  doint,  3  sing.  pres.  subj.  of  doner. 

15  encombrier,  lit.,  obstruction. 

16  deiisses,  2  sing,  iniiierf.  subj.  of  devoir.  j 

17  creistre,  act.  yerh  =  arcroUre. 

18  cuidoe,  1  sing,  imperf.  of  cuidier  (Lat.  cogitare). 


COUKONNEMENT   LOUIS, 


109 


Mais  tu  ies  morz,  n'en  dor- 
reie  ^  un  denier." 

Veit    la    corone    qui     desus 

I'altel  siet : 
Li  corns  la  prent  seiiz  point 

de  ■•^  Tatargier,'' 
Vient  a  I'enfant,  si  li  assiet 

el  chief  : 
"  Tenez,  bels  sire,  el  noni  del 

rei  del  ciel, 

Qui  te  doint  force  d'estre  bons 

justiciers  ! " 
Veit  le*  li  pere,  de  son  en- 
fant f  u  liez  : 
"  Sire  Guillelmes,  granz  mer- 

ciz  en  aiez. 
Vostre   lignages   a    le    mien 
^   esalcie."  ° 
"  Filz   Loois,   a   celer  ne    te 

quier,*' 
Quant    Dieus    fist    rei     por 

pueples  justicier, 
II  nel   fist  mie   por  false  lei 

jugier,7 
Faire      luxure,     ne     alever 

pechie, 
Ne  eir  enfant  por  retolir  son 

fi^, 
Ne   veve   fame    tolir   quatre 

deniers  ; 
Ainz  deit  lea  torz  abatre  soz 

ses  piez, 


Encontreval  * 
pleissier.® 


et     foler      et 


But  you  are  a  dead  man  :  I 

would  not  give  a  farthing 

for  you." 
He    sees   the    crown,    which 

is  lying  on  the  altar  : 
The  Count  takes  it  without 

any  delay, 
Comes    to    the    child,    and 

places  it  on  his  head  : 
"Take  it,  good   sir,   in   the 

name     of     the     King     of 

heaven  : 
May  He  give  you  strength 

to  be  a  good  lawgiver  ! " 
The  father  sees  it :   he  w;ts 

pleased  with  his  son  : 
"  Sir    William,    have    many 

thanks  for  it. 
Your     house      has     exalted 

mine." 
"My  son  Louis,  I  do  not  seek 

to  hide  from  you, 
When  C4od  made  a  king  to 

govern  the  people. 
He  did   not    make    him    to 

judge  by  false  laws, 
To    live    wantonly,    nor    to 

uphold  sin. 
Nor  from   any  child  heir  to 

take  his  fief, 
Nor  to  rob  a  widow  of  four 

farthings  ; 
But  rather  he  ought  to  cast 

down   wrongs  beneath  his 

feet, 
To     trample     them     to    the 

ground  and  destroy  them. 


1  en  dorreie,  1  sing.  cond.  of  doner ;  en  is  here  equivalent  to  de  tui. 
See  Darm.,  p.  637. 

*  senz  point  de.     Cp.  Mod.  Fr.  je  ne  veux  point  de  cela  (see  Darm., 
p.  828). 

*  ataryier=  Lat.  ad-*tardiare. 

*  Veit  le.     Here  the   atonic    pronoun  follows  verli  (see  Darm.,   p. 
845). 

i"  esalcie— exhaussi. 

8  quier,  1  sing,  jn-es.  ot  querre  (Lat.  quarere). 

7  leijugier,  to  administer  law. 

*  encontreval,  down-wards.     Cp.  encontrcmont,  \\\)-v:ards. 
"  pleissier,  (1)  to  bend  {ploye.r)  ;  (2)  to  crush,  destroy. 


110 


HISTORICAL    HEADER    OF    EARLY   FRENCH. 


Ja  al  povre  ome  ne  te  chalt  ^ 
de  tender  ;  ^ 

Se  il  se  claime,  ne  t'en  deit 

enoier,^ 
Ainceis  *  le  deis  entendre  et 

conseillier, 
Por  I'anior  Dieu  de  son  dreit 

adrecier.'^ 
Vers  I'orgoillos  te  deis  faire 

si  fier 


gent " 


Come      liepart     qui 

vueille  mangier  ; 
Et  s'il  te   vuelt   de   neient^ 

gnerreier, 
Mandez  en  France  les  nobles 

chevaliers, 
Tant  qu'en  aiez  plus  de  trente 

miliers  ; 
Ou   mielz   se   fie,  la   le   fai  ^ 

asegier, 

Tote    sa    terra    guaster^    et 

essillier.i" 
Se   le   puez   prendre   ne  ^^  a 

tes  mains  baillier, 
N'en  aies  onques  manaide  i- 

ne  piti^, 
Ainceis  li  fai  toz  les  membres 

trenchier, 
Ardeir  en  feu  ne   en   eve  ^^ 

neier  ; 
Car    se    Franceis    te   veient 

entrepiez,^* 


Never  ought  you  to  pick  a 

quarrel     with     any     poor 

man  ; 
If   he   complains,   you    need 

not  be  vexed  for  that, 
Rather    you   ought   to   hear 

and  advise  him, 
For  the  love  of  God,  to  give 

him  his  due. 
Towards    the    haughty    you 

ought    to    make    yourself 

as  proud 
As  the  leopard  that  wishes 

to  eat  his  prey  ; 
And   if   he   wishes   to    fight 

with  you  about  nothing. 
Summon  to  France  the  noble 

knights, 
Till    you    have    more    than 

thirty  thousand  of  them  ; 
Where     he     thinks    himself 

most  secure,  there  besiege 

him, 
Lay  waste  and  plunder  all 

his  land. 
If    you    can    take   him   and 

hold  him  in  your  hands, 
Never  have   mercy    or   pity 

on  him, 
But  rather  have  all  his  limbs 

cut  off. 
Burnt   in    fire,    or   drowned 


in  water  ; 
For    if    the   Frenchmen   see 
you  (trodden)  under  foot, 

1  chalt,  3  sing.  pres.  of  chaloir  (Lat.  calere).     Cp.  nonchalant. 

2  tender— Lat.  tenti(um)are,  neiit.  verb,  to  dispute.     Tender  a,  to 
pick  a  quarrel  with. 

3  enoier  (or  anuier),  Lat.  in-odiare.  *  ainceis=La.t.  antius. 
5  adrecier,  Lat.  ad-*directiare,  to  put  right. 

*  gent.     Here  equivalent  to  un  hmnme. 
''  neient,  neant,  ItaL  niente. 

8  la  le/ai,  lit.,  there  let  him  be  besieged. 

9  guaster,  cp.  Eng.  waste. 

w  essillier,  exiler.     Here  the  word  has  the  sense  of  ravage. 

11  ne.    See  note  6,  p.  105. 

1*  manaide  ( Lat.  manu-adjutare),  generally  used  together  with  pitie. 

12  eve  (I  at.  acquam,  acqvam),  eau. 
14  entrepiez,  lit.,  between  feet. 


COURONNEMENT   LOUIS. 


Ill 


Diront  Normant  en  nom  de 

reprovier  : 
'  De  si  fait  rei '  n'avions  nos 

mestier.2 
Mai    dahe^    ait    par    mi    la 

croiz  •*  del  chief 
Qui   avuec   lui  ira  mais   os- 

teier,^ 
Ne  a  sa  cort  ira  por  corteier  ! 

Del  sien  meesme  nos  poons 

bien  paier.' 
Et  altre  chose  te  vueil,  filz, 

acointiei'," 
Que  se  tu  vis  il  t'avra  grant 

mestier  : 
Que  de  vilain^  ne  faces  con- 

seillier, 
Fil  a   prevost    ne    de   fil    a 

veier :  * 

II    boisereient    a    petit    por 

loier  ; 
Mais  de  Guillelme  le  nobile 

guerrier, 
Fil  Aimeri  de  Narbone  le  fier, 

Frere  Bernart  de  Brabant  le 

guerrier  ; 
Se  ciP  te  vuelent  maintenir 

et  aidier, 
En  "^  lor  service  te  puez  molt 

bien  filer." 
Respont     li     enfes :      "Veir 

dites,  par  mon  chief." 
11  vint  al  comte,  si  li  che'i " 

as  piez. 
Li  corns  Guillelmes  le  coru  •'•^ 

redrecier. 


The   Normans   will    say   by 

way  of  reproach  : 
'  Of  such  a  king  we  have  no 

need. 
Woe     upon     the     head     of 

him : 
Who   will  go  with  him  any 

more  to  fight, 
Or  will  go  to  pay  homage  at 

his  court  ! 
We  can  pay  ourselves  well 

with  what  is  his.' 
And  another  thing,  my  son, 

I  will  tell  you  of, 
That,  if  you  see  he  will  be  of 

great  service  to  you, 
Do  not  make  a  counsellor  of 

a  villein, 
Of  a  provost's  son,  nor  of  the 

son   of   a    highway   super- 
intendent ; 
They  would  soon  betray  you 

for  money  ; 
But    of   William   the   noble 

warrior. 
Son  of  Aimeri  de  Narbonne, 

the  proud. 
Brother  of  Bernard  of  Bra- 
bant the  warrior  ; 
If    these   will    support   and 

help  you. 
In  their  service  you  can  very 

well  trust." 
The  child  replies  :  "You  say 

true,  by  my  head." 
He  came  to  the  Count  and 

fell  at  his  feet. 
The  Count  William   ran    to 

raise  him. 


I  de  si  fait  rei=de  roi  ainsifait. 

'  mestier ='Lz.i.  ministerium  ;  Span,  menester. 
^  mal  dahe=malheur. 

*  par  mi  la  croiz,  lit.,  in  the  middle  of  the  top  of  the  head. 
'^  osteier=aler  en  ost,  go  to  war. 

••  acointier,  Lat.  ad-cognitare ;  Eng.  acquaint. 

'  vilain  =  OE.  villein,  peasant. 

8  veier  or  voyer,  the  superintendent  of  the  road  police. 

•  oil,  n.  plur.  i"  sefer  en,  in  Mod.  Fr.  sefier  de. 

II  ch^i,  3  sing.  pf.  of  cheoir.  i*  coru,  3  sing.  perf.  of  corre. 


112    HISTORICAL  READEU  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


The  Waggon  of  Nimes. 

This  fine  poem,  wliich  forms  part  of  the  Geste  de 
GiiiUaume,  belongs  to  the  first  part  of  the  twelfth  century, 
and  is  written  in  assonancecl  verse  of  ten  syllables.  The 
poem  is  evidently  very  old  in  its  form,  but  has  been 
largely  amplified  and  embellished  by  the  frouvhres.  It  is 
of  Guillaume  an  Court  Nez  (here  identical  with  Guillaume 
d'Orange)  ^  that  it  treats ;  the  same  William  who,  in  the 
Couronne7ne7it  Loui'f,  crowns  with  his  own  hand  the  young 


Louis. 


It  begins  thus  :- 


Oiez  seignor  .  .  . 
Bone    chanson    plest    vos   a 

escoiiter, 
C'est    de    G.  le    marclns    au 

cort  lies 
C'onme  il  prist  Nymes  par  le 

cbarroi  iiiener, 
Apres    conquist    Orenge    la 

cite 
Et  fist   Guibor  baptizier  et 

lever 
Que   il  toll    le    roi    Tiebaut 

I'escler. 


Hearken,  lords  .  .  . 
A  good  song  may  it  please 

you  to  listen  to, 
It  is  about  William,  the  noble 

of  the  short  nose, 
How  he  took  Nlmes  by  lead- 
ing the  waggon  ; 
Afterwards     he      conquered 

Orange  the  city 
And    had    Guibor    baptised 

and  raised  over  the  font, 
Whom   he   took   from  King 

Thiebaut  the  heathen  (lit., 

the  Slavonian). 


1  G.  Paris  (Lit.  fr.  au  M.  Age,  p.  66)  says  :  "Other  Williams  had 
come  to  be  mixed  with  the  hero  of  the  southern  songs.  Already,  in  a 
'  Life  [in  Latin]  of  William  of  Gellone,'  who  had  become  Saint  William, 
we  see  him  figuring  as  William  of  Orange  ami  confused  with  William 
the  Pious,  Dulve  of  Aquitaiue.  .  .  .  But  a  much  more  important  con- 
tamination took  place  in  the  north  of  Fra.nce,  where  the  songs  about 
William  of  Orange  had  early  penetrated.  There  another  William  had 
become  an  epic  hero,  William  of  Montreuil,  who  had  carried  on  a 
violent  struggle  against  the  Normans.  .  .  .  The  poems  which  sung  of 
his  exploits  became  embodied  with  those  which  celebrated  William  of 
Orange.  A  third  personage,  whom  it  is  difficult  exactly  to  determine, 
gave  us  the  name  of  Ouillaume  au  Court  Nez  and  the  episode  of  his 
expedition  to  Italy.  The  surname  Fierebrace  is  so  frequent  that  one 
cannot  conclude  solely  from  it  that  another  William  who  really  bore 
that  name  had  become  mixed  in  the  epic  poetry  of  the  time  ;  but  it  is 
quite  possible  that  other  personages  of  that  name  may  have  been  re- 
garded hy  i\ie.  jongleu,rs  as  identical  with  William  of  Orange,  who  had 
already  absorbed  those  that  we  liave  referred  to." 


THE  WAGGON   OF   NIMES. 


113 


The  poem  owes  its  title  to  the  ruse  employed  by 
William's  army  to  capture  Ximes  :  the  French  knights 
hid  themselves  in  barrels,  and  thus  made  their  way  into 
the  town  draAvn  by  oxen  which  Bertrand,  disguised  as  a 
carter,  and  William,  disguised  as  a  trader,  drove. 

AVhile  William  was  returning  one  day  from  hunting, 
his  nephew  Bertrand  runs  to  meet  him  and  apprises  him 
that  the  Emperor  has  divided  his  fiefs  among  all  his 
barons,  but  has  passed  him  over.  William,  enraged, 
betakes  himself  to  the  palace. 

The  Count  William  was  very 

noble  and  valiant ; 
He    will    not    stay    till    (he 

arrive)  at  the  palace. 
He     dismounts     under     the 

spreading  olive. 
And  then   went   up   all   the 

marble  steps. 
With  such  might  did  he  pass 

over  the  tloor 
(That)  his  boots  of  Cordovan 

leather  burst ; 
Nor  was  there  a  baron  who 

was  not  terrified  thereat. 
The  king  sees  it,  and  rises  to 

meet  him. 
And     then     said     to    him  : 

"  William,  pray  sit  you." 
"I    will   not   do   so,"   quoth 

William  the  noble, 
"  But  for  a  little  I  will  fain 

parley  with  you." 
Says   Louis  :    "  Just   as   you 

command  ; 
By  my  conscience,  you  shall 

be  well  listened  to." 

'  volt,  3  sing.  pres.  of  voloir. 


Li  corns  Guillelmes  fu  molt 

gentilz  et  ber, 
Tresqu'au  ^  palais  ne  se  volt  - 

arester, 
A    pie   descent   soz   I'olivier 

rame,^ 
Puis  en  monta  tot   le   mar- 

brin  ■*  degre. 
Par  tel  vertu  a  le   planchie 

pass^ 
Rompent  les  hueses  ^  del  cor- 

doan  seller  "  ; 
N'i   ot  baron  qui    n'en   fust 

esfraez.*" 
Veit  le  ^  li  reis,  encontre  s'est 

levez  ; 
Puis  li   a  dit :  "Guillelmes, 

car  seez."  ^ 
"  Non  feral,  sire,"  dit  Guil- 
lelmes li  ber, 
"  Mais  un  petit  vorrai  a  vos 

parler." 
Dist    Loois :    "  Si    com    vos 

comandez  ; 
Mien    escient,'"    l)ien    serez 

escoltez." 

1  Tresqu'au=jusqu'au. 
8  rami,  Lat.  ramaium. 


Cp.  Ital.  usatto,  boot. 
-Soulier, 


*  marhrin,  Lat.  marmorinum. 
5  hueses,  heuses,  O.H.Ger.  hoaa. 

*  soller  (Low  Lat.  sotularem)- 
^  esfraez=effraye. 

8  Veit  le.     The  atonic  prons.  were  often  put  after  the  verb  in  CFr, 

*  car  seez—asseyez-v!)us  done. 

J"  Alien  escient/    Here  simply  an  exclamatiou. 

H 


114         IIISTORICAI.   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


"  Loois   sire,"  dit  Guillehiies 

li  ber, 
"Ne  t'ai  servi   p;ir   nuit    de 

tas  toner/ 
De     veves     fames,    d'enfaiiz 

deseriter, 
Mais  par  mes  amies  t'ai  servi 

come  ber. 
Si     t'ai    fonii^    maiiit    fort 

estor  ^  champel  * 
Dont^   je   ai  "^   mort^    maint 

gentil  bacheler,* 
Dont   li  pechiez  m'en  est  el 

cors  entrez ; 
Qui  que  il  fussent,^  si  les  ot 

Dieus  formez  ; 
Dieus  peiist  des  anmes,  si  le 

me  pardoiiez  ! " 

*'  Sire  Guillelmes,"  dist  Loois 

li  ber, 
"Par   voz   merciz    un    petit 

me  sofrez  '** : 
Ira  ivers,  si  revendra  estez  ; 

Uu  de  ces  jorz  morra  uns  de 

mes  pers  : 
Tote   la  terre  vos  en  vorrai 

doner, 
Et   la   moiller,!^   se    prendre 

la  volez." 
Ot  le  Guillelmes,  a  pou  n'est  '^ 

forsenez  : 
"Dieus!"  dis  li  corns,   "qui 

en  croiz  fus  penez,i^ 


''Sire   Louis,"  says   William 

the  noble, 
"  I  have  not  served  thee  by- 
rubbing  thee  at  night. 
Nor    by     despoiling    widow 

women  and  children, 
But    by   my    arms    I    have 

served  thee  valiantly. 
I  have  fought  for  thee  many 

a  pitched  battle, 
Wherein  I  have  killed  many 

a  noble  youth, 
Wherefore  the  sin  of  it  has 

entered  into  my  body  ; 
Whoever  they  were,  yet  God 

had  formed  them  : 
May  God  have  care  of  their 

souls,  yea  (God)  pardon  me 

it!" 
"Sire    William,"  said   Louis 

the  valiant, 
"  By  your  grace  suffer  me  a 

little  : 
The    winter    will   pass,    the 

summer  will  return  ; 
One  of  these  days  one  of  my 

peers  will  die  : 
I  would  fain  give  you  all  his 

land, 
And  his  spouse,  if  so  be  you 

will  to  take  her." 
William  heai'd  it,  and  became 

almost  beside  himself. 
"  God,"     quoth    the    Count, 

"  who   on   the   cross   wast 

tortured. 


1  tasioner,  from  taster  (tdfer). 

^  fond,  lit.,  furnished  =  undergone. 

3  estor,  combat  (Ger.  sturm). 

*  champel,  adj.  from  chani}:),  i.e.,  of  the  plain. 

5  Do7it,  rel.  adv.  expressing  cause  (see  Darm.,  p.  666). 

6  je  ai.     The  e  in  je  might,  in  OFr.,  be  elided  or  not. 
^  mort  here  is  trans. 

*  backeler,  Low  Lat.  baccalarius,  a  yeoman,  jicrhaps  from  racca. 
See  Skeat,  s.v. 

"  Qui  que  ilfussent  — quels  quilsfussent. 

10  nn  petit  vie  sofrez,  i.e.,  until  I  can  please  you. 

11  moiller,  Lat.  mulierem. 

12  a  2)0X1  n'est.     Cj).  Span,  pm- poco  que  no. 

13  peni-z,  p.p.  of  pener  (Lat.  pumare). 


THE   WAGGON  OF  NIMES. 


115 


Corn    longe  atente    a   povre 

bacheler 
Qui    n'a    que     prendre '    ne 

autrui  que  doner  ! 
Mon     auferant  -      ni'estuet  ^ 

aprovender, 
Encor  ne  sui  ou  grain  *  deie  '' 

trover  ! 
Dieus !    com    grant"    val    li 

covient  avaler  ^ 
Et  a  grant  mont  il  li  estuet 

raonter, 
Qui  d'autrui  ^  mort  atent  al 

richete  ! " 


What  a  long  suspense  for  a 

poor  youth, 
Wlio  hath  not  what  to  take, 

nor  to  give  to  others  ! 
It   behoves   me  to   feed  my 

charger, 
I  know  not  yet  where  I  may 

find  him  corn. 
God,  what  a  great  valley  he 

has  to  descend 
And  what  a  great  mountain 

he  has  to  ascend, 
Who   waits   for  riches  from 

the  death  of  another  ! " 


The  quarrel  between  Louis  and  William  waxes  fiercer. 
The  latter  says  that  he  might  have  passed  into  the  service 
of  King  Gaifier,  who  offered  him  liis  daughter  in  marriage 
and  the  half  of  his  territory,  and  that  he  thus  might  have 
opposed  the  King  of  France  ;  the  emperor  replies  haughtily 
that  any  man  who  should  dare  to  make  war  against  him 
should  within  a  year  meet  with  either  death  or  exile. 
William  hereiipon  recalls  to  his  mind  all  that  he  has 
done  to  serve  him :  his  struggle  with  the  giant  Corsout 
under  the  walls  of  Eome ;  his  victory  over  Dagobert  of 
Carthage ;  the  proof  of  devotion  Avliich  he  gave  by  setting 
the  crown  on  his  head  after  having  killed  Hernaut,  and 
thus  prevented  him  from  taking  the  cowl.  Louis  gives 
way  beneath  these  murmurs  and  threats.  He  offers 
William,  one  after  the  other,  the  estate  of  Count  Foulque, 
that  of  Aubri  of  Burgundy,  and  that  of  the  Marquis 
Bdranger.     William  rejects  all  these  offers  haughtily,  and 

1  »'«  que  pi'endre  would  be  in  Mod.  Fr.  n'a  rien  d  prendre. 

-  auferant,  prob.  from  Arab,  al-faraz.  Span,  alfaras,  a  light  horse 
of  the  Moorish  cavalry. 

3  estuet,  3  sing.  pres.  of  estevoir,  prob.  from  est  opus  ;  others  assiimo 
a  root,  *stopere.    See  Korting,  p.  G8S. 

■•  grain =du  grain. 

5  deie,  1  sing.  pres.  s^^lbj.  of  devoir. 

"  com  grant.     In  Mod.  Fr.  quel  grand. 

7  avaler  (ad-vallum-are),  verb  act.  and  neut.     Cp.  eji  aval. 

8  d'aulrui,  obj.  case  of  altre  (see  Darin.,  ji.  207). 


IIG         HISTOKICAL   READEIl   OF   EARLY    FRENCH, 


blushes  at  the  idea  of  clespoilmg  orphans  of  their  heritage. 
The  emperor  then  offers  him  the  quarter  of  his  king<lom. 


"  Sir  William,"  quoth  Louis, 

"  hear  me. 
Since  it  seems  not  lit  to  you 

to  accept  this  possession, 
If  God  aids  me,  I  will  now 

give  you  such  a  lief, 
That  from  it,  if  you  be  wise, 

you    will    be    exalted     in 

rank  : 
I  will  give  you  of  France  a 

full  quarter, 
A  fourth  of  its  abbeys,  and, 

besides,    a    fourth    of    its 

markets, 
A  fourth  of  its  cities  and  a 

fourth  of  its  archbishoprics, 
A  fourth  of  its  sergeants  and 

of  its  knights, 
A  fourth  of  its  petty  vassals 

and  a  fourth  of  its  footmen, 
A  fourth  of  its  young  girls 

and  of  its  women. 
And  the  fourth  of  the  priests 

and,  besides,  the  fourth  of 

the  chui'ches. 
Of  my  stables  I  give  you  the 

fourth  of  my  chargers  ; 
Of  my  treasure   I   give  you 

the   fourth  of  the   money 

(lit.,  farthing)  ; 
The  fourth  part  I  grant  you 

willingly 
Of  all  the  empire  that  I  have 

to  administer. 
Keceive   thou   this,   O  noble 

knight." 

1  onor  {honor)  was  much  used  in  OFr.  in  the  sense  of  possession, 
fief. 

2  aist,  3  sing.  pres.  of  aidier.  ^  dorraiz=donnerai. 

4  sorhcmciez=sur-hausse. 

5  quarte  abe'ie,  lit.,  fourth  ahhey. 

6  vavassor,   from   Low   Lat.    vassalhnn   {-arum),   the  holder   of  an 
arrQre  fief,  dependant  on  a  noble  fief. 

7  gargon  a  pie — i.e.,  villeins,  dependants  who  went  on  foot. 

8  otrei,  1  sing.  pres.  of  otreicr  (oliviier).  Mod.  Fr.  uctroyer. 


"  Sire  Guillelmes,"  dist  Loois, 

"  oiez  : 
Quant  ceste  onor  ^  a  prendre 

ne  vos  siet, 
Se    Dieus    m'aist,^    or     vos 

dorrai^  tel  fie, 
Se   saiges   estes,    dont   serez 

sorhauciez  :  ^ 

Je  vos  dorrai  de  France  un 

grant  quartier, 
Quarte     abei'e,^    et     puis    le 

quart  marchie, 

Quarte  cite  et  quart  arche- 

veschie, 
Le  quart  sergent  et  le  quart 

chevalier. 
Quart     vavassor"    et    quart 

gar9on  a  pie," 
Quarte   pucele    et  la   quarte 

mollier, 
Et  le  quart  prestre  et  puis 

le  quart  mostier. 

De  mes  estables  vos  doing  le 

quart  destrier  ; 
De  mon  tresor  vos  doing  le 

quart  denier  ; 

La    quarte    part   vos   otrei  "^ 

volentiers 
De  tot  I'empire  que  je  ai  a 

baillier. 
Eecevez  le,  nobile  chevalier." 


THE   WAGGON   OF   NIMES. 


117 


"Nonferai!  Sire,"GuilleliiK's 

respoudio. 
"Je   nel   fereie   por    tot    I'or 

desoz  ciel  ; 
Que  1   ja   direient   cil   baron 

chevalier  : 
'Vez   la  Guillelme,   le   mar- 

chis  2  au  vis  tier, 

Come  il  a  ore  son  dreit  seignor 

boisie  ! 
Demi    son    regne    li    a    tot 

otreie, 

Si  ne  I'en^  rent  vaillaissant* 

un  denier  ; 
Bien  li  a  ore  son  vivre  re- 

taillie  ! ' " 
"  Sire  Guillelmes,"  dit  Loois 

li  ber, 
"Quant   ceste  onor   receivre 

ne  volez, 
En  ceste  terre  ne  vos  sai  que 

doner, 
Ne  je  ne  autres  ne  nren  sai 

porpenser.'  ^ 
"Eeis,"(lit  Guillelmes,  "lais- 

siez  le  dont"  ester  ;^ 
A  ceste  feiz^  n'en   quier  or 

phis  parler  ; 
Quant    vos    plaira    vos    me 

dorreiz  assez, 
Chastels  et  nmrches,  donjons 

et  fermetez.'"-* 
A   ces   paroles  1"   s'en   est    li 

conis  tornez. 


"I  will  not  so,  siie,"  replied 
William  ; 

"  I  would  not  do  it  for  all 
the  gold  under  heaven, 

For,  indeed,  those  knightly 
barons  would  say, 

'  See  there  William,  the  mar- 
quis with  the  proud  coun- 
tenance. 

How  hath  he  now  his  liege 
lord  duped  ! 

The  king  hath  gx-anted  him 
the  whole  half  of  his  king- 
dom, 

While  he  repays  him  not  a 
farthing's  worth  ; 

Right  well  hath  he  nibbled 
away  his  sustenance.' " 

"Sire  William,"  said  Louis 
the  valiant, 

"  Since  you  will  not  receive 
this  domain, 

I  know  not  what  to  give  you 
in  this  country  ; 

Neither  I  nor  others  can  be- 
think myself  of  anything." 

"King,"  said  William,  "let 
it  then  be  ; 

For  this  time  I  seek  not  now 
to  speak  more  thereon  ; 

When  it  will  please  you,  yo\i 
will  give  me  plenty 

(Of)  castles  and  marches,  dun- 
geons and  sti'ongholds." 

With  these  words  the  count 
turned  him  away. 


1  que—puisque. 

2  marchis,  marqui.s  (lie  who  is  placed  over  a  marche). 

3  I'eM  —  li  en. 

*  vaillaissant,  adj.,  of  the  value  of.     Cp.  un  sou  vaillant. 
^porpenser,  Lat.  pro-penNare.      Here  used   reH.,  se  porpenser, 

bethink  oneself. 
6  dont=donc. 
^  ester  =  Lat.  stare;  cp.  Ital.  lasciatelo  stare. 

*  /eiz=/ois. 

9  fermelez— hut.  Jir7)iila(em,  .strongliokl. 
J"  a  ces  paroles =avec  ces  paroles. 


to 


118         HISTUKICAL    KEADER    OF    EAIJLY    FRENCH. 

Aleschans. 

This  poem,  wliicli  forms  part  of  the  cycle  of  Guillaume, 
is  supposed  to  have  derived  its  title  from  Elijsii  campi,  a 
cemetery  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Aries.  G.  Paris  (^Litt. 
(hi  M.  Age)  regards  it  as  based  upon  an  earlier  poem, 
Avhich  recounted  a  battle  lost  near  Aries  by  the  Christians 
against  the  Saracens,  and  in  which  a  knight  called  Vivien 
had  been  killed.  The  poets  made  this  Vivien  a  nephew 
of  William,  whom  they  also  made  take  part  in  the  battle. 
These  events  form  the  subject  of  a  poem  entitled  the 
"Chevalerie  Vivien,"  and  it  is  of  this  that  the  "Aleschans" 
is  the  sequel. 

In  the  first  part  of  the  poem  we  see  William  after  his 
defeat  by  the  Saracens,  Avhen  Vivien  had  perished,  coming 
to  ask  for  help  from  King  Louis  and  returning  south  Avith 
a  large  army,  and,  aided  by  his  brothers  and  Rainouart, 
the  brother  of  his  Avife  Guibourg,  he  finally  drives  the 
Saracens  from  France. 

The  poem  is  written  in  lines  of  ten  syllables  in  rhyme, 
partly  assonanced. 

Guillauwe  and  Guiboimj. 

Guillaume,  after  the  battle  fouglit  against  the  Saracens 
at  Aleschans,  Avithdraws  from  the  combat  and  reaches  the 
gates  of  Orange,  where  his  wife  Guibourg  is.  The  porter 
does  not  recognise  him  in  the  infidel  armour  in  which  he 
is  dressed ;  lie  refuses  to  open  the  gate,  and  goes  to  tell 
the  countess. 

"Geutilz^  comtesse,"  fait  il,  "Noble   countess,"   he   says, 

"ciirvos   hastez.^  "make  haste  then. 

La  defors  est  uns  chevaliers  Outside  is  an  armed  knight, 
armez. 

1  Gentilz.  This  is  one  of  the  adjectives  that  had  in  OFr.  the  same 
termination  for  the  masc.  as  for  the  fern.,  owing  to  the  iuHuence  of  the 
Latin. 

-  vos  hastez=hatez-vous.  The  pronoun  in  direct  iuiper.  is  here  placed 
first  (see  Darni.,  p.  846). 


ALESCHANS: 


119 


D'armes    paienes    est    mout 

bieu  adobez.i 
Estraugemeut  est  grande  sa 

fiertez  ; 
Bien  resemble  ome  qui  d'estor 

soit  tornez, 
Que-   j'ai  veil  ses  braz   en- 

sangleutez  ; 
Mout  par  ^  est  grauz  sor  sou 

clieval  armez, 
Et  dist  qu'il  est  Guillauuu  s 

au  cort  nes.* 
Venez  i,  dame,  per  Dieu,  .si 

le  verrez." 
Ot  le  Guiborc,  li  sans  li  est 

muez  ;  ^ 
Elle  descent  deu  palais  seig- 

norez, 
Vient  as  crestaus''  amontsus 

les  fossez, 
Dit  a  Guillaume  :    "  Vassal, 

«iue  demandez  ? " 
Li  coms  resjwnt  :  "  Dauie,  la 

porte  ovrez 
Isnelement,^     et     eel      pout 

m'avalez,^ 
Que  ci  m'enchauce"  Baudus 

et  Desramez, 
Vint  mil  paien  a  vers  heames 


gemez, 


10 


Se  ci  m'ataignent,  toz  sui  a 

mort  livrez. 
Gentilz  contesse,  por  Dieu  la 

porte  ovrez 
Isnelement,    et    si    vos     en 

hastez."  " 


He    is   very   well    equipped 

with  intidel  arms. 
Strangely  great  is  his  pride  ; 

He  is  like  a  man  returned 

from  the  fight, 
For    I   have   seen   his   arms 

blood-stained  ; 
He    is    very    great,    on    his 

horse,  in  armoiir. 
And   said   that   he   is  Guil- 
laume of  the  short  nose. 
Come,  lady,  for  God's  sake, 

and  see  him  !  " 
Guibourg     hears    him ;    her 

blood  is  changed  ; 
She   comes   down   from    the 

lordly  palace, 
Goes  to  the  battlements,  up 

above  the  ditches. 
Says  to  Guillaume  :  "  Vassal, 

what  do  you  want  ? " 
The   count   replies  :    "  Lady, 

open  the  gate 
Quickly,   and  let  down  that 

bridge  to  me. 
For  here   Bau(liis   and    Des- 
ramez are  at  my  heels, 
Twenty     thousand     infidels, 

with  green  helmets  studded 

with  gems. 
If  they  reach  me  here,  I  am 

()uite  given  up  to  death. 
Noble    countess,    for    God's 

sake  open  the  door 
Quickly,  and  make  haste  !  " 


I  adobez,  A.S.  dubhan;  Eng.  dub. 

'^  que,  here  equivalent  io  ijuisque.  ^  pnr.    Sco  Darm.,  §  100. 

*  au  cort  nes.  He  is  said  to  have  had  the  end  of  his  nose  cut  off 
when  fighting. 

■''  muez,  p.p.  oimuer  (Lat.  mutare). 

8  crestaxcs,  crestel  {crista-ellum),  Mod.  Fr.  crencau. 

'  isnelement,  cp.  Ger.  schnell. 

8  m'avalez,  ethical  dat.  (see  Darni. ,  p.  6.3  j  ). 

»  m'enchauce  (Lat.  incalciare).  A  verb  liaving  several  subjects 
/iiiglit  agree  with  one  of  them  only,  as  in  Latin. 

'"  f/emez=gemjnes. 

II  vos  en  hastez,  lUL'ez-vous  en.     See  note  2,  p.  118. 


120 


HISTORICAL   HEADER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


Et   dist   Guiborc  :    "  Vassal, 

n'i  enterrez/ 
Tote  sui  sole,   n'est   o-  moi 

ome  nez^ 
Fors    cest    portier    et    clous 

clers  ordenez 
Et  uu  enfant,*  n'a  pas  qiiinze 

ans  passez, 
Et   fors   les   dames    qui    les 

cuers^  out  irez 
Por  lor  maris  que  mes  sire  a 

menez 
En     Aleschans     sor     paiens 

desfaez.6 
N'i    sera    porte   ne    guichez 

desfermez 
Jusque   Guillaumes   soit 

ariere ''  tornez, 
Li  gentilz  corns  qui  de   moi 

est  amez  : 
Dieus  le  garisse  qui  en  crois 

f u  penez  ! " 
Ot  le  li  coms,  vers  terre  est 

enclinez  : 
De  pi  tie  plore  li  marchis  au 

cort  n^s  ; 
L'eve  li  cort  fil  a  fil  ^  lez  ^  le 

nes. 
Guiborc     rapele     quant     fu 

amont  levez  ; 
"  Ce  sui  je,  dame  ;  molt  grant 

tort  en  avez ; 
Mout  me  merveil  quant   no 

me  ravisez  ;  ^'^ 
Je  sui  Guillaumes,  ja  mar '' 

le  mescreez." 
Et  dit  Guiborc  :  "  Sarrazins, 

vos  mentez ; 


And  Guibourg  said:  "Vas- 
sal, you  shall  not  enter, 

I  am  all  alone  ;  there  is  no 
man  near  me 

Except  this  porter  and  two 
clerks  in  orders, 

And  a  child  who  is  not  more 
than  fifteen, 

And  except  the  ladies  whose 
hearts  are  vexed 

Because  of  their  husbands, 
whom  my  lord  has  led 

To  Aliscans  against  the  mis- 
creant infidels. 

No  gate  nor  wicket  shall  be 
opened 

Till  Guillaume  be  come  back, 

The  noble  count,  who  is  be- 
loved by  me  : 
God,  who  was  tortured  upou 

the  cross,  protect  him  ! " 
The  count  hears  it,  and  bent 

to  the  ground  ; 
The   marquis   of    the    short 

nose  weeps  from  pity  ; 
The  water  runs  drop  by  drop 

along  his  nose. 
When  he   was  risen  up,  he 

calls  back  Guibourg  ; 
"  It  is  I,  lady  ;  you  are  wrong 

indeed  ; 
I  marvel  much  you  know  rue 

not  again  ; 
I   am   Guillaume  ;   you    are 

wrong  to  disbelieve." 
And  Guibourg  said  :  "  Sara-. 


cen,  you  lie  ; 

1  n'i  enterrez.     Ne  used  without  2k(,s,  point,  was  frequent  in  ojita- 
tivc  aud  imperative  phrases. 
3  0  [inoi)—'La.t.  apud. 

3  nez,  nets  (Lat.  ne  ipsum).     Cj).  ItaL  nessuno. 
•*  enfant,  n'a  pas... qui  is  \mdt;rstood. 
6  cuers—coMrs.    The  sentence  would  be  in  Mod.  Fr.  qui  ojit  le  coiur, 

6  desfaez,  adj.  (Lat.  dis-fatum),  wretched,  miscreant. 

7  ariere,  adv. ;  en-arriire  would  now  be  used. 

**  Jil  cljil,  lit.,  thread  by  thread.  ^  lez=lattts, 

1"  ravisez  {re-ad-visum),  to  look  again,  recognise. 
11  mar.     See  note  11,  p.  82. 


ALESCHANS. 


121 


Par  Saint  Denis  qui  est  mes 

avoez.i 
Ain9ois^  sera   vostre   chies^ 

desarmez 
Qu'il  V03  soit  porte  ne  guichez 

desfermez." 

Xii  coins  Guillaunies  se  hasta 

de  I'entrer  :  * 
N'est  pas  merveille,  forinent  ^ 

se  doit  doter," 
(^u'apres   lui    ot    le    chemin 

fresteler  ^ 


By   St   Denis  !    who   is    my 

j)rotector, 
Your  head  shall  be  disarmed 

Before    gate    or    wicket    be 
opened  to  you." 

The  Count  Guillaunie  was  in 

haste  to  enter  : 
No    wonder   at   it,   he    must 

be  greatly  afraid 
When  he  hears  behind   him 

the  road  resound 


De  cele  gent  qui  nel  *  pueent      (Beneath  the  ste])s)  of  that 

people  who  cannot  love 
him. 

"Noble  countess,"  says  the 
valiant  Guillaume, 

"  You  make  me  wait  too 
long." 

" Tiue,"  says  Guibourg,  " I 
well  hear  by  your  speech 

That  you  do  not  much  re- 
semble Guillaume  : 

I  never  saw  him  frightened 
by  any  infidel. 

But,  by  that  God  whom  I 
must  adore, 

I  shall  have  neither  gate  nor 
wicket  opened 

Until  I  see  your  head  dis- 
armed, 

For  several  men  are  like  in 
speech. 

And  I  am  alone  ;  no  one  ought 
to  blame  me." 

The  count  hears  it,  and  can 
only  be  vexed. 


amer. 

"  Franche  ^     comtesse,"     dist 

Guillaumes  li  bers, 
"  Trop  longement   me  faites 

demorer." 
"  Voir,"  dist  Guiborc,  "  bien 

oi  a  vo  parler  '•* 
Que    mal    devez    Guillaume 

resember : 
One    por    paien    nel    vi   es- 

paventer.ii 
Mais  par  eel  Dieu  que  je  doi 

aorer 
Ne    ferai    porte   ne   guichet 

desfermer 
Jusque  je   voie  vostre  chief 

desarmei-. 
Car  plusors  omes  se  semblent 

au  parler, 
Et  je  sni  sole,  ne  me  doit  om 

blasmer." 
Ot   le   li    corns,   n'ot    en    hii 

qu'aiier. 


1  avoez,  protector,  guardian  ;  Muil.  Fr.  avoue,  solicitor. 

2  ainfois =lia.t.  anlius. 

3  clues  (Lat.  capuf),  noiii.  sing.      Vhief,  Hne  54,  is  the  oljj.  case. 

*  I'entrer,  act.  verb  as  in  Eug.,  "to  enter  it." 

*  forinent  =fortement. 
8  doter—\ja.i.  dubitare. 

'^fresteler,  irom  frestel  (Lat.  fistula,  a  pipe) ;  lit.,  to  jilay  a  tune, 
hence  to  ring,  resound. 

"  nel  —  nele.  ^franche,  free,  noble. 

'"  parler,  inf.  used  substantivally. 
11  espavenler  (ex-paventum-are),  Mod.  Fr.  epouvanter. 


122         mSTOKICAL   HEADER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


L'heaume    deslace,    lait^    la 

ventaille  ^  aler  : 
"  Dame,"   dist   il,    "  or   poez 

esgarder." 
Si   com   Guiborc   le   prist    a 

aviser, 
Par  mi  les   cliaiis  voit  cent 

paiens  aler  ; 
Corsouz  d'Averse  les  fist  de 

I'ost  sevi'er. 
Par  ens  fesoit  Desramo  i)re- 

senter 
Trente  chaitis^qui  tiiit  sout 

bacheler.* 
De  granz  chaenes  les  orent^ 

fait  noer  ; 
Paien  les  batent,  que  Dieiis 

puist  craventer  !  ° 
Dame  Guiborc  les  a  oi  crier 

Et  hautement  Damedieu  re- 

clamer. 
Dist  a  Guillaume  :  "  Or  puis 

je  bien  prover 
Que  tu  n'ies  mie  dans  "^  Guil- 

laumes  li  ber, 
La  fiere  brace  ^  qu'ou  soloit'-* 

tant  loei' ; 

Ja  n'en  laissasses  paiens  nos 
genz  mener." 

"Dieus,"  dist  li  coms,  "com 

me  vuet  esprover  ! 
Mais  par   celui  qui  tot  a  a 

sauver, 


lie   undoes  the  helmet,   lets 
now  you 


go  the  ventil 


"Lady,"  he  says 

may  look." 
Just  as  Guibourg   began  to 

recognise  him, 
She  sees  a  hundred   infidels 

going  amid  the  fields  ; 
Corsont  d'Averse  had  them 

separated  from  the  army. 
By  them  he  was  presenting 

to  Derame 
Thirty  captives,  who  all  are 

bacheliers. 
They  had  fastened  them  all 

with  great  chains  ; 
The  infidels  beat  them,  may 

God  destroy  them  ! 
The  lady  Guibourg  has  heard 

them  cry 
And    call    aloud    upon    the 

Lord, 
She     said     to     Guillaume : 

"  Now  I  can  j)rove 
That  you  are  not  Lord  Guil- 
laume the  valiant, 
Of    the     terrible    arm    that 

one     used     to     praise     so 

much  ; 
You      would      never     allow 

infidels    to    lead    off    our 

men." 
"  God,"  says  the  count,  "  how 

she  wishes  to  try  me  ! 
But  by  him,  who  has  all  to 

save. 


1  lait,  3  sing.  pres.  of  laissier. 

2  ventaille  (Lat.  vent{um)aculum),  the  part  of  the  hehnet  protecting 
the  lower  part  of  the  face. 

3  chaitis= chaitif  {Lat.  captivum). 

•4  bacheler,  a  youtli  who  has  not  yet  received  the  order  of  knight- 
hood. 

5  orent=eurent.     The  use   of  tlie  past  anterior  for  the  plpf,  was 
not  infrequent  in  OFr, 

6  craventer  {*crepantare).     Cji.  Span,  quehrantar. 
^  dans,  Lat.  dominum. 

^  fiere  brace,  Lat.  fcra  brachia.      Like  many  words   in   OFr.   the 
termination  a  of  the  phiral  became  e,  as  the  a  of  rosa,  rose. 
3  soloit,  3  sing,  imperf.  of  so^iV(Lat.  solere). 


EAOUL   DE   CAMERA  I. 


123 


Je  lie  lairroie '  por  ^  la  teste 

coper 
Se   m'on  devoit  trestot^  vif 

desmembier 
Que  devant  lui  ne  voise  *  ore 

joster  :  ^ 
Por  soe  amor  me  doi  je  bien 

grever,^ 
Et  la   loi   Dieu   essaucier   et 

moiiter, 
Et  le  mien  cors  travaillier  et 

pener." 
L'heame     relace,     puis     lait 

cheval  aler, 
Tant  com  il  puet  desoz  lui 


rand 


oner. 


Et  vait  paiens  feiir   et   en- 
contrer. 


I  would  not  fail,  were  they 

to  cut  off  my  head 
Or   tear    me    all    limb    from 

limb  alive, 
Going   now   to   fight   before 

him  : 
For  love  of  her  I  must  now 

take  ti'ouble. 
And  exalt  and  raise  the  law 

of  God, 
And  let  my  body  work  and 

toil." 
He  refastens  his  helmet,  then 

lets  his  horse  go 
And    run    beneath    him    as 

hard  as  it  can, 
And  goes  to  meet  the  infidels 

in  combat.     (Lit.,  to  strike 

and  meet  the  infidels.) 


Raoul  de  Cambrai. 


This  poem  is  preserved  in  a  remaniement  of  the  end  of 
the  twelfth  century,  the  primitive  text,  which  was  of  the 
tenth  century,  being  lost.  It  is  rhymed  in  its  first  part 
and  assonanced  in  its  second.  The  dialect  is  that  of  the 
north  of  France. 

It  gives  a  most  interesting  picture  of  feudal  life,  and 
the  struggles  that  took  place  among  the  great  nobles  of 
tlic  period.  The  story  is  based  upon  historical  facts.  It 
is  as  follows  : — 

Eaoul,  son  of  the  Count  of  Cambrai,  had  been,  while  a 
child,  dispossessed  of  his  paternal  heritage. 


King  Louis 


1  lairroie,  1  sing,  coiid.  of  laier  (Lat.  legare). 

'  2wr.  In  OFr, /)0«r  with  the  iiifin.  ofteu  gave  lliesen.se  of  diLl-il,. 
dussent-ils. 

3  lrestot  =  trans-toliis. 

*  voise,  1  sing.  pres.  subj.  oialler,  Mod.  Fr.  aille. 

5  joster,  from  Lat.  jaxta;  lit.,  to  come  together  (with  weapons). 

•>  grever,  Lat.  r/ravere,  to  weigh  upon  ;  refl.  se  grever,  to  toil. 

'  randoncr,  to  rush  impetuously.  In  the  dialect  of  Lower  Mor- 
mandy  randir  means  to  gallop. 


124         HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 

had  given  it  to  another  noljle,  but  promised  to  Euoiil 
another  fief,  the  first  that  would  become  vacant.  The 
Count  Herbert  of  Vermandois  dying  at  this  time,  Raoul 
asked  for  his  lands,  which  the  king  unwillingly  agreed  to. 
Raoul  then  started  off  to  attack  the  young  sons  of  the 
Count  of  Vermandois,  accompanied  by  his  ecuyer  Bernier, 
who,  although  himself  a  grandson  of  the  Count  Herbert, 
was  bound  by  honour  and  his  feudal  oath  to  follow  his 
lord.  Having  sacked  and  burnt  the  town  of  Origny  with 
its  monastery,  Raoul  meets  in  combat  Ernaut,  Count  of 
Douai,  and  vassal  of  Herbert  of  Vermandois,  in  which 
Ernaut  takes  to  flight.  Bernier  then  turns  iij^on  Raoul 
and,  after  a  fierce  fight,  kills  him.  The  following  passage 
relates  the  combat  and  flight  of  the  Count  of  Douai,  re- 
calling (as  G.  Paris  remarks)  the  flight  of  Hector  before 
Achilles. 

III.  III. 

Li  baiou  tencent^  par  gi-ant       The bai'onsdisijutewith great 

demesurance  ;  ^  violence  ; 

Les  chevaus  brochent,^  cha-       They  si)ur  on   their  horses  ; 

scuns  d'eus  s'en  avance.*  each  of   them   rushes  for- 

ward. 
Li  plus  liardiz  ot  de  la  iiiurt      The  boldest  has  fear  of  death. 

dotance.^ 
Granz     cous    se    douent    es       Mighty  blows  they  deal  eaeh 

escuz  ^  de  Plaisance,  other  on  their   shields   of 

Plaisance, 
Mais    li    hauberc    lor    fiient       But  the  hauberks  gave  them 

secorance.^  protection. 

Audoi  **  s'abateut   senz  iiule       They  both  fall  to  the  ground 

demorance  ;  in  a  moment  (lit.,  without 

any  delay)  ; 

1  tencent,  3  \>\.  pres.  of  tender  {te7ii{uvi)-iare). 
"  demesurance,  Lcat.  dis-mensuravi. 
3  brochent,  from  root  brocc.     See  note  10,  p.  85. 
■1  s'en  avance,  like  s'en  aller. 

5  doiance=doutance,  douht,  hesitation,  fear. 

6  escuz,  Lat.  scutum.  Shields  in  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centuries 
■were  very  long  and  pointed  at  the  bottom.  They  had  a  boss  or  conical 
raised  part  which  served  to  divert  the  weapon  of  the  adversary. 

^  secorance—secours. 

8  Andoi,  noni.  laso  ;  anxious  (umbos  duos),  obj.  case. 


RAOUL   DE   CAMBBAI. 


125 


En    pie    ressaillent ; '   mout 
sont  de  grant  puissance  ; 

As  branz  d'acier    refont  tel 

acointance. 
Dont   li   plus  forz  en  fu  en 

grant  dotance. 

IV. 

Andoi  li  conte   ont  guerpi  ^ 

lor  estrier. 
En      Eaol      ot  ^     merveillos 

chevalier, 
Fort  et  hardi  por  ses  aimes 

baillier. 
Hors  de  son  fuerre  *  a  trait 

le  brant  d'acier, 
Et    fiert    Ernaut    sour    sou 

heaume  a  or  niiei-,^ 
Que  flors  et  pierres  en   fist 

jus''  trebuchier. 


Ne   fust    la    coiffe' 
hauberc  doblier. 


de 


son 


De  ci  *  es  denz  feist  le  brant 
glacier. '-^ 

L'espee     torne      el  ^'^      coste 

senestrier  : 
De    son    escu    li    coupa   un 

quartier 
Et  dous  cenz  mailles  de  son 

hauberc  doblier  ; 
Tot      estordi      le     fist      jus 

trebuchier : 
Ernauz  le  voit,   n'i    ot    que 

esmaier 


11 


They  rise  again  to  their  feet  ; 

the}-    are    of    very     great 

strength  ; 
With  the  blades  of  steel  they 

renew  the  combat 
(So  fiercely)  that  the  strongest 

was  in  great  fear. 

IV. 

Both  the  counts  have  let  go 
their  stirrups. 

Raoul  shows  himself  a  won- 
derful horseman, 

Strong  and  bold  in  managing 
his  weapons. 

Out  of  its  scabbard  he  drew 
the  blade  of  steel, 

And  strikes  Ernaut  on  his 
helm  of  pure  gold 

(So  fiercely)  that  he  made  the 
flowers  and  stones  fall 
down  from  it. 

Had  it  not  been  the  head- 
piece of  his  double  hau- 
berk, 

He  would  have  made  the 
blade  slip  in  right  to  the 
teeth. 

The  sword  turns  off  to  the 
left  side  ; 

Of  his  shield  he  cut  away  a 
quarter 

And  two  hundred  links  from 
his  double  hauberk  ; 

Stunned  he  made  him  fall 
down  : 

Ernaut  sees  him,  and  cannot 
but  be  dismayed  ; 


Cp.  Moil.  Fr.  deguerpir. 


1  ressaillent,  Lat.  re  salire. 

-  guerjii,  from  same  root  as  Ger.  werfen. 

3  En  Raol  ot  =  Il  y  cut  en  Raoul. 

*  fiierre—fourreau,  from  Germanic/oc^r. 

5  Mi,{er=Lat.  merum,  pure,  simple. 

*>  jus,  Lat.  deursum.     Cp.  Ital.  f/iii. 

^  coijj'e,  the  upper  part,  or  hood,  which  protected  the  neck. 

**  de  ci  {dcsi)—jusqvi£. 

^  glacier  (*glaciem-are)=glisser. 
'"  el  =  en  le,     Senestrirr—sinislrum, 
11  esmaier,  6.1;  + Germanic  magan  (Eng.  inai/).     Cp.  Eng.  dismay. 


126 


HISTORICAL    READER    OF   EARLY    FRENCH. 


Dieu      reclamn,      le      venai 

justicier  : 
"  Sainte    Marie,    pensez   de  ' 

moi  aidier  ! 
Je      referai      d'Origni        le 

moutier.2 
Certes,    Raoiis,  mout   fais   a 

I'essoignier. 
Mais,   se  Dieii  plaist,  je   te 

cuit^  vendre  cliiei' 
La   mort   de    ceus   dont   si  ^ 

m'as  fait  irier." 


V. 

Li  cons  Ernauz  fu  chevaliers 

gentiz 
Et  par  ses  amies  vassus  ^  et 

de  grand  pris  ; 
Vers   Raoul   torne,   de   mau- 

talent  •*  espris  ^  : 
Grant    coup    li     done,    com 

chevaliers  gentiz, 
Par   mi  son  heaiime,  qui  fu 

a  or  floriz  * : 

Trenche  le   cercle,"  qui  fu  a 
fiors  de  liz  ; 

Ne  fust  la  coiffe  de  son  liau- 

berc  treliz  >" 
De  ci  es  denz  li  eiist  le  brant 

mis. 


Voit  le  Raous,  mornes  fu  et 
"  Foi   que  doi 


He       invoked       God,       the 

righteous  judge  : 
"Holy   Mary,   think    of   me 

and  aid  me  ! 
I  shall  rebuild  the  chuj-ch  of 

Origny. 
Indeed,  Raoul,  you  do  much 

to  be  afraid  of  ; 
But,  please   God,  I   think  I 

shall  sell  you  dearly 
The  death  of  those  for  whom 

you    have    made    me    so 

wrathful." 

v. 

Count  Ernaut   was  a  noble 

knight. 
And  redoubtable  by  his  arms 

and  of  great  worth  ; 
He  turns  towards  Raoul  in- 
flamed with  rage  : 
A  mighty  blow  he  deals  him, 

like  a  valiant  knight, 
In  the  middle  of   his  helm, 

which    was    worked   with 

flowers  of  gold  ; 
He  cleaves  the  circle  which 

was  (decorated)  with  fleurs- 
de-lis  ; 
Had  it  not  been  the  hood  of 

his  laced  hauberk 
He  would   have   thrust    the 

blade   in  him  even  to  the 

teeth. 
Raoul  sees  it,  he  was  sad  and 

pensive  ; 
He  cries  aloud  :  "  Faith  that 

I  owe  St  Denis, 


pensis  ; 
Avois  escrie  : 
saint  Denis, 

1  pensez  de,  i.e.,  se preoccuper  de. 

2  moutier  is  the  jiopular  form  of  mnnastere. 

3  cuit,  1  sing.  pres.  of  cuidier  (Lat.  cogitare). 
*  si,  emphatic  particle. 

^  vassus,  here  equivalent  to  brave. 

6  mautalent=male  talentum. 

7  espris,  from  Lat.  ex  pvendere. 

8  floriz=Jleuri. 

^  cercle.     The  helmet  was  bordered  at  its  base  by  a  circle  incrusted 
with  precious  stones. 

treliz,  woven  with  mail  in  the  form  of  a  trellis. 


RAOUL   DE   CAMBRAI. 


127 


Coment  qu'il  preigne/   vas- 
saument  ni'as  reqnis  !  - 

Veiidre  me  cuides  la  mort  de 
tes  amis  : 

Nel  di  pors  ce  ^   vers  toi  ne 

m'escondis  : 
Si    m'ait    Dieus    qui    en   la 

crois  fu  mis, 
Ont^  tes  enfanz   ne  raal  ne 

bien  ne  fis." 

Del  coup  Ernaut  f  u  Raous  si 

acquis 
Saiiglent  en  ot  la  boche  et  !e 

vis. 
Qnaut  Raous  fn  jovenceaus  a 

Paris 
A   escremir  °   ot   as "  enfanz 

apris ''  : 
^Testier   li  ot  contre  ses  en- 

nemis. 

VI. 

Li   cons  Raous  fu   mout   de 

grant  vertu. 
En  sa  main  tint  le  bon  brant 

esmoln,^ 
Et  fiert  Ernaut  par  mi  son 

heaume  agu," 

Que  flors  et  pierres  en  a  jus 
abatu  ; 

Devers  senestre  est  le  coup 
descendu  ; 

1  preigne,  3  sing,  jires.  subj.  o{  j)rcndre,  which  is  here  neut. 

2  requis,  lit.,  sought  me  (m  combat). 

3  2}ors  ce.  Qiie  is  omitted,  as  was  frequent  in  OFr.  (see  Darm., 
p.  727). 

■I  ont=oncques,  Lat.  tinquam.. 

''  escremir,  Mod.  Fr.  e.icrimer.  From  O.TT.Om-.  sJdrmjan,  to  protect, 
to  defend,  to  fight  (N.H.Gcr.  schirm). 

^  as=a  {avec)  Irs. 

7  apris  a.  In  the  oM  Language  greater  use  was  made  of  tlie  prep,  a 
with  the  infin. 

^  esmolu,  p.p.  of  esmohlre  (esmoudre). 

<*  agu  =  La.t.  acu.tum. 


Whatever  come   of    it,   you 

have    attacked    me    right 

valiantly  ! 
You  think  you  will  make  me 

pay  (lit.,  sell  me)  the  death 

of  your  friends  : 
I  do  not  say  it  so  that  I  may 

excuse  myself  to  you  ; 
So   help   me   God,  who  was 

j>ut  on  the  cross, 
I    have    never     done     your 

children    either    harm    or 

good." 
By  Ernaut's  blow  Raoul  was 

so  violently  struck 
(That)  he  has  his  mouth  and 

face  bloody  therefrom. 
When  Raoul  was  a  youth  at 

Paris 
He  learned  fencing  with  the 

children  (of  the  palace)  : 
It  is  needful  to  him  against 

his  enemies. 

VI. 

Count    Raoul    was    of   very 

great  strength. 
In  his  hand  he  held  the  good 

sharpened  sword. 
And    strikes    Einaut   in  the 

middle     of     his      pointed 

helm, 
(So   hard)  that  he   knocked 

down  from  it  flowers  and 

stones  ; 
Towards    the    left    did    the 

blow  descend  ; 


128 


HISTORICAL    KEADEK    OF    EARLY    FRENCH. 


Par     grant     engien^     li     a 

cerchie  le  bu.^ 
Del    braz    senestre    li    a   le 

poing  tolu, 
A    tot    I'escu    I'a    el   champ 

abatu. 
Quand   voit   Eniauz   qu'ensi 

est  confondu, 
Que  a  la  terre  voit  gesir  son 

escn, 
Son    poing   senestre,  qui   es 

enarmes  ^  f u, 
Le   sane  vermeil  a  la  terre 

espandu, 
De   la   peor   a    tot    le    sane 

meii  ;  ■* 
Al   cheval  vint,  qui  bien  I'a 

atendu  ; 
Ernauz  i  monte,  qui  mout  fu 

esperdu  ;  '^ 
Fuiant     s'en     torne     lez    le 

brouillet"  ramu. 
Raous     I'enchauce,''     qui     de 

pres  I'a  seli.^ 

VII. 

Fuit   s'en  Ernauz   et   Raous 

l'enchau9a. 
Ernauz  li  cons  durement  se 

dota, 
Car  ses  destriers  dessoz   lui 

estancha,^ 
Et    li    baucenz  ^"^    durement 

I'approcha. 
Ernauz   se  pense   que  merci 

criera. 


With  great  skill  did  he  seek 

(to  strike)  his  body. 
With  liis  left  arm  did  he  take 

from  liim  his  hand, 
Along  with  the  shield  did  he 

cast  it  to  the  ground. 
When  Ernaut  sees  that  he  is 

thus  overwhelmed, 
That  on  the  ground  he  sees 

lying  his  shield, 
His  left  hand,  which  was  in 

the  armlets, 
The   red  blood 

ground. 
From    fear    he   has   all    his 

blood  excited  ; 
He  comes  to  his  horse,  which 


spilt 


on 


the 


was  waiting  for 


him 
it,    in 


great 


Ernaut  mounts 

despair 
lu  flight  he  turns  along  the 

spreading  thicket. 
Raoul,  who  has  followed  him 

closely,  makes  up  on  him. 

VII. 

Ernaut  has  fled   and  Raoul 

presses  him  closely. 
Ernaut   the    Count    was    in 

great  fear. 
For  his   hoise  became  tired 

beneath  him, 
And  the  piebald  pressed  him 

hard. 
Ernaut  thinks  to  himself  that 

he  will  cry  for  mercy. 


1  engie?i  =  ha,t.  ingeniuin. 
-  bu,  the  trunk  of  the  body.     Cp.  bust. 

•'  enarmes,  leather  bands  through  which  the  arms  were  passed. 
■'  le  sane  meu.     me'd,  p.p.  of  movoir. 
5  esperdu,  now  mostly  used  of  love,  eperdu  d'amour. 
8  brouillet,  from  Celtic  root  brog,  Irish,  bruig,  meaning  "land."   Cp. 
Allo-brog-es.  ^  enchauce  =  Liit.  *  incakiare. 

8  seu,  p.p.  of  sivre  (suivre). 

9  estancha,  estanchier  (Lat.  stagnare),  (1)  to  dry  up,  stanch  ;  (2)  to 
tire,  fatigue.     Cp.  Ital.  stanco. 

10  baucenz  is  a  dark  horse  speckled  with  wliite.  G.  Paris  derives 
the  word  from  balteus  (girdle).  Another  derivation  is  the  Arabic 
haqal,  speckled. 


LAWS   OF   WILLIAM    THE    COXQUEROE. 


129 


Enz     el    chemin     un     petit 

s'aresta  ; 
A   sa   vois   clere  hauteineiit 

s'escria  : 
"  Merci,  Raous,  por  Dieu  qui 

tot  cria.^ 

Se  ce   vos    poise  -   que   feru 

vos  ai  la, 
Voz  om  serai  ensi   com   vcs 

plaira. 
Quite   vos   claim  ^   tot   Brai- 

bant  et  Hainan : 
Que  ja*  mes  oirs  demi   pic 

n'en  tendra." 
Et   Raous   jure   que   ja    nel 

pensera 
])es  qu'a''^  cele  ore  que  il  ocis 

I'avra. 


On  his  way  he  stopped  a 
moment ; 

With  his  clear  voice  he 
loudly  called  : 

"  Mercy,  Eaoul,  for  the  sake 
of  God,  who  created  every- 
thing ! 

If  it  vexes  you  that  I  have 
struck  you  there, 

I  shall  be  your  man  at  your 
good  pleasure. 

I  make  over  to  you  all  Bra- 
bant and  Hainaut : 

Never  shall  my  heir  possess 
half  a  foot  of  it." 

And  Eaoul  swears  that  he 
will  not  consider  it 

Until  the  hour  when  he  shall 
have  killed  him. 


Laws  of  William  the  Conqueror. 

The  Conqueror  preserved  the  laws  and  customs  of  the 
Saxons,^  except  where  inconsistent  with  any  laws  and 
institutions  which  he  introduced.  The  principal  changes 
he  made  had  reference  to  the  feudal  system. 

The  laws  of  William  are  divided  into  separate  parts, 
the  first  consisting  of  fifty  sections  largely  based  on  the 
laws  of  Edward  the  Confessor."^  These  were  published  in 
the  Xorman  dialect,  many  Anglo-Saxon  terms  being  re- 
tained, as  will  be  seen  in  the  passages  given  below. 

Different  laws  and  customs  prevailed  in  IMercia,  Wessex, 
and  the  Danelaw. 

1  cria=crea. 

-  se  ce  vos poise=si  cela  vous  pesc,  lit.,  if  it  weighs  upon  you. 

3  quite  claim,  lit.,  to  call  quit,  to  renounce. 

*  queja  .  .  .  Tie = car  jamais  .  .  .  ne. 

5  Des  que  —  desi  {d'ici)  que. 

8  In  1060  William  swore  at  Berkhamsted  that  he  would  observe  the 
ancient  laws  of  the  kingdom,  particularly  those  of  P]ilward. 

7  Ces  sunt  les  leis  e  les  custumes,  que  li  reis  Willanis  grantad  a  tut 
le  pnple  de  Engleterre  apres  le  conquest  de  la  terre  ;  iceles  meismes 
ipie  li  reis  Edward,  seiu  cusin,  tint  devant  lui. 


130         IIISTOEICAL  READER   OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


3.  Cost  *  est  la  ciistume  en 
Merchen-lahe  ^ :  se  alquena  ^ 
est  apeled  de  larrecin  u  de 
roberie,  e  il  seit'  plevi^  de 
venir  a  justice,  e  il  s'en 
fuie  dedenz  sun  plege,  si 
averad  terme  un  meis  e  un 
jur  de  querre  le";  e  s'il 
le  pot  truver,  dedenz  le 
terme,  s'il  merra'^  a  la  justice ; 
e  s'il  nel  pot  truver,  si  junud 
sei  dudzime  main^  que  al 
hure  qu'il  le  plevi,  larrun  nel 
sout  ^  ne  par  lui  s'ent  est  fuid 
ne  aveir  nel  pot.  Dune 
rendrad  le  chateV  dun  il  est 
restez,  e  xx  solz  ^^  pur  la  teste 
et  iiii  den  ^^  al  ceper  ^^  e  une 
maille  ^*  pur  la  besche  ^^  e  xl 
solz  al  rei.    E  en  Westsexene- 


3.  This  is  the  custom  in 
the  Mercia-lagh  :  if  any  one 
is  summoned  for  larceny  or 
robbery,  and  he  be  pledged 
to  come  up  for  trial,  and  if 
he  abscond  within  the  time 
of  his  bail  (pledge),  there 
will  be  a  period  of  one  month 
and  one  day  for  seeking  him  ; 
and  if  he  (the  bailer)  can  find 
him  within  the  period,  he 
will  bring  him  to  justice  ; 
and  if  he  cannot  find  him,  he 
will  swear  along  with  eleven 
others  (lit.,  his  hand  the 
twelfth)  that  at  the  time  that 
he  bailed  him  he  did  not 
know  him  to  be  a  robber,  nor 
did  he  abscond  through  him, 
and  that  he  could  not  get 
him.  Then  he  will  make 
good  the  chattel  for  which 
he  became  liable,  nnd  20 
shillings  for  the  head  and 
4  pence  to  the  jailer  and  one 
farthing  for  the  grave-digger 
(lit.,  spade)  and  40  shillings  to 


1  Cost=(o  {est),  n.  demonst.  pr. 

2  lahe='Lo\y  Lat.  laga,  law.    Here  refers  to  the  district  in  which  the 
law  was  administered. 

3  alquens=aucun.    Cp.  Span,  alguien. 

*  seit.     Note  change  to  subj. 

"  plevi,  prob.  from  Goth,  plalhvan.  Diez  gives  praehere  (see  G. 
Paris,  Rom.  xiii.,  133). 

*  querre  le.  The  atonic  pron.  follows  the  verb,  as  was  frequent  in 
OFr. 

7  merra=mSnera.  This  contraction  was  usual  in  verbs  having  their 
radical  in  n  or  r.     Cp.  jurra,  dorra,  for  jurera,  donnera. 

8  sei  dudzime  main,  Lat.  jurare  duodecima  77ianu  (cp.  iertia,  cen- 
tesima  inanu,  &c.) 

*  larrun  nel  sout=ne  le  sut  larron. 

10  chatel.  Low  Lat.  catallum,  cattle.     C-p.  pecunia,  irompecus. 

11  solz='La.t.  solidus,  Mod.  Fr.  sou. 

12  den=deniers,  Lat.  denarius.  i^  ceper.  Low  Lat.  ceparius. 
1-1  maille,  Lat.  *metallea;  petite  monnaie  de  valeur  variable  (Gode- 

froy). 

15  besche=Mche.  The  Anglo-Saxon  laws  punished  robbery  by  death, 
and  one  of  the  oldest  methods  of  putting  a  criminal  to  death  consisted 
in  burying  him  alive. 


LAWS    OF  WILLIAM   THE   CONQUEROR. 


131 


lahe  cent  solz,  xx  solz  al 
clamif  pur  la  teste/  e  iiii  lib. 
al  rei. 

En  Dene -lahe  vii  lib.  le 
forfeit,  les  xx  solz  pur  la 
teste,  les  viii  lib.  al  rei.  E 
s'il  pot  dedenz  un  an  e  un 
jur  truver  le  larrun  e  amener 
a  justice,  si  li  rendra  cil  les 
vint  solz  kis^  avrat  oiit,^  e 
si'n  ert*  feite  la  justice  del 
larrun. 


4.  Cil  ki  prendra  larrun 
senz  siwte^  e  senz  cri,  que 
cil  en  leist"  a  ki  il  avrad  le 
damage^  fait,  e  vienge  pois 
apres,  si  est  raisun  qu'il 
duinse  ^  x  solz  de  hengwite,'* 
e  si'n  face  la  justise  a  la 
primereine  >''  devise.^i  j]  s'il 
passe  la  devise  senz  le 
cunged^''^  a  la  justise,  si  est 
forfeit  de  xl  solz. 


the  king.  And  in  Wessex- 
lagh  100  shillings— 20  shil- 
lings to  the  claimant  for  the 
head  and  4  pounds  to  the 
king. 

In  Dane  -  lagh  7  pounds 
forfeit,  20  shillings  for  the 
head,  8  pounds  to  the  king. 
And  if  he  can,  within  one 
year  and  one  day,  find  the 
thief  and  bring  him  to 
justice,  that  person  will  re- 
store to  him  the  20  shillings 
who  has  had  them,  and 
justice  will  be  done  with 
respect  to  the   thief. 

4.  He  who  shall  take  a 
thief  without  pursuit  and 
hue  and  cry,  whom  the  per- 
son whom  he  has  lobbed  lets 
go,  and  applies  soon  after- 
wards (for  a  reward),  it  is  but 
right  that  he  should  give  10 
shillings  for  hengwite,  and  let 
justice  be  done  at  the  first 
court.  But  if  he  pass  over 
the  court  without  the  leave 
of  justice,  the  forfeit  is  40 
shillings. 

5.  He  who  recovers  cattle, 
whether  horses,  or  oxen,  or 
cows,     or    sheep,    which    in 


5  siwte= suite. 
Bartsch  reads  en  feist. 


5.  Cil  ki  aveir"  escut'^  u 
chivalz  u  buefs  u  vaches  u 
berbiz  ^''  u  pores,  que  est  f  or- 

I  clamif  pur  la   teste— i.e.,  to  the  plaintiff  for  not  bringing  the 
criminal  iu  person  (teste). 

^  cil  .  .  .  kis=celui  qui  les. 

3  avrat  out  =  aura  eu. 

*  ert,  3  sing.  fut.  of  estre. 

«  en  leist,  3  sing.  pres.  of  laissier. 

7  daviage— Mod.  Fr.  dommage. 

8  duinse,  3  sing.-  pres.  siibj.  oi  doner  (donner). 

9  hengwite,  from  A.S.  hangian  and  loile  (fine).  It  was  the  duty  of 
the  person  robbed  to  do  all  be  could  to  get  the  robber  caught,  and 
hangwite  was  the  fine  imposed  in  case  he  failed  to  do  so. 

10  'primerein  {primari[um)anum)=  premier. 

II  devise  (L.  divisum),  lit.,  decision  of  the  court. 

12  cunged= conge  {Lai.  commeatum). 

13  amr=property,  here  used  of  cattle. 

14  escut,  3  sing,  jires.  ind.  of  escoudre  (escoure,  escorre). 

15  berMz=t'he  older  form  of  brelis. 


132         IIISTOrJCAL   READER   OF  EARLY   FRENCH. 


feng  1  en  engleis  ajjeled ;  cil 
kis  claimed  durrad  al  provost 
pur  I'escussiun  viii  den.,  ja 
tant  ii'i  ait,  meis  qu'il  i  oiist " 
cent  almaille,^  ne  durrad  que 
viii  den.,  e  pur  un  pore  1 
den.,  e  pur  un  berbiz  1  den., 
e  issi  tresque  a  *  uit  pur 
chascune  1  den.,  ne  jatant 
n'i  avrad,  ne  durrad  que  oit 
den.  E  durrad  wage  e  tru- 
verad  plege,  que  si  altre 
veinged  aprof''  dedenz  I'an 
et  le  jur  pur  I'aveir  de- 
niander,  qu'il  ait  a  dreit  en 
la  curt  celui  ki  I'aveit  escus. 
6.  Altresi "  de  aveir  adire,'' 
e  altresi  de  trixveure ;  *  seit 
mustred  de  treis  parz  del 
visned,^  qu'il  ait  testimonie 
de  la  truveure.  E  si  alquens 
vienged  apref  pur  clamer  la 
chose,  duinst  wage  e  truist  ^^ 
plege,  qui  si  alter  claimid 
I'aveir  dedenz  I'an  e  un  jur, 
qu'il  I'ait  a  dreit  en  la  curt 
celui  qui  I'averat  trvived. 


English  is  called  forfeng  ;  he 
who  claims  them  sliali  give 
to  the  provost  for  the  re- 
covery 8  pence,  however 
many  there  be  of  them — 
should  there  be  a  hundred 
head  of  cattle  he  shall  (still) 
not  give  more  than  8  pence, 
and  for  a  hog  1  penny,  and 
for  a  sheep  1  penny,  and  so 
on  up  to  8  (giving)  for  each  1 
penny  ;  but  however  many 
there  be  of  them,  he  shall  not 
give  more  than  8  pence.  And 
he  shall  give  a  gage,  and  shall 
find  a  pledge,  that  if  any 
other  peison  shall  come  after- 
wards, within  the  year  and 
the  day,  to  claim  the  cattle, 
he  can  proceed  in  the  couit 
against  him  who  had  re- 
covered them. 

6.  As  it  is  with  lost  prop- 
erty, so  also  is  it  with  any- 
thing else  that  is  found  ;  let 
it  be  shown  in  three  parts 
of  the  district,  that  there 
may  be  evidence  of  the  find- 
ing. And  if  any  one  come 
afterwards  to  claim  the  prop- 
erty, let  him  give  a  gage  and 
find  a  pledge  that,  if  any 
other  person  claim  the  prop- 
erty within  the  year  and  a 
day,  he  can  proceed  in  the 
court  against  him  who  had 
found  it. 


'^  forfeng,  A.^.  fore  a.\v\  feng ,  fang.  "  ousi=eut. 

3  ahnaille,  a  collective  iioim  .signifying  cattle.     The  word  conies 
from  the  adj.  aniinalia,  like  hetail  from  hestialis. 
■1  issi  tresque  a=ainsijusqu'd. 

5  aprof=apres. 

6  altresi,  Lat.  alterum-sic.     See  Strasburg  Oaths,  p.  69. 

''  adire,  p.p.  of  adirer.  This  verb  was  in  nse  up  to  the  beginning 
of  the  seventeenth  century.  It  still  exists  in  some  parts  of  Brittany 
and  the  Cotts  du  Nord  in  the  form  oi  adierer. 

8  truveure=M.O(\..  Fr.  trouvaille. 

^  visned  (Lat.  vicinatum)=voisinage. 

10  truist,  ?)  sing.  pres.  suTij.  of  trover. 


LAWS   OF   WILLIAM  THE   CONQUEKOK. 


133 


7.  If  a  man  kill  another, 
and  he  confess,  and  have  to 
make  amends,  he  shall  give 
as  compensation  to  the  lord 
for  a  freeman  10  shillings, 
and  for  a  serf  20  shillings. 

8.  The  weregild  of  the 
thain  is  20  pounds  in  Mer- 
cia-lagh,  25  pounds  in  Wes- 
sex-lagh  ;  the  weregild  of 
the  villein  100  shillings  in 
Mercia-lagh,  and  likewise  in 
Wessex-lagh. 

11.  If  it  happens  that  any 
one  cut  off  the  hand  or  the 
foot  of  another,  he  will  pay 
him  half  the  weregild,  ac- 
cording to  the  place  where  he 
was  born.  For  the  thumb 
he  will  pay  him  the  lialf  of 
the  hand  ;  for  the  linger  next 
to  the  thumb  15  shillings  of 
English  shillings,  what  is 
called  4  pence  ;  for  the  long 
linger  15  shillings  ;  for  the 
other  which  bears  the  ring 
17  shillings  ;  for  the  little 
finger  5  shillings;  for  the 
nail,  if  he  cut  it  from  the 
flesh,  5  shillings  of  English 
shillings  ;  for  the  nail  of  the 
little  linger  four  pence. 
19.  Si  ahjuens  crieve    Toil  19.  If  any  one  knock  out 

aaltre  par  aventure,  quePi  qe      the  eye  of  another  by  what- 
seit,  siamendrad'- Ixxsolzde      ever  way  it  may  be,  he  will 

1  ciinnissant ,  i^res.  part,  of  conoistrc. 

-  manbote,  from  A.H.  man  and  hot,  compensation  for  wiiicli  a  mur- 
derer was  liable.  He  Lad  to  pay  more  to  the  lord  for  a  serf  than  for  a 
freeman,  because  iu  the  first  case  the  man  would  be  the  property  of 
the  lord,  and  the  loss  he  would  sustain  greater  than  in  the  case  of 
a  freeman. 

3  loere— weregild.  This  was  the  fnie  that  a  murderer  had  to  jiay  to 
the  parents  of  the  victim. 

■*  ensemeut,  Lat.  in-sic-menle. 

''  avient  — hat.  adve7>it.  •>  7;«Mi5'=2'M'«g'. 

^  pochicr=poucier,2}ouce.  ^  meUe=moitiS, 

"  dei  {La.t.  difjUi(,7n)  =  Mo(l.  Fr.  doiyt.  i"  quaer—qnatre. 

^1  quel,  fem.  like  m.,  as  in  grant,  &c.  (quele  is  later). 

r-  amendrad,  3  sing.  ful.  of  o.mender. 


7.  Si  home  ocist  alter  e  il 
soit  cunnissant  ^  e  il  deive 
faire  les  amendes,  durrad  de 
sa  manbote^  al  seinur  ])ur  le 
franc  hume  x  solz  e  \)\xv  le 
serf  XX  solz. 

8.  La  were  ^  del  thein  xx 
lib.  in  Merchene-lahe,  xxv 
lib.  in  Westsexene-lahe ;  la 
were  del  vilain  c  solz  en 
Merchene-lahe,  e  ensemeut* 
en  Westsexen-lahe. 

11.  Si  ceo  avienf^  que  al- 
quens  colpe  lepuing  ^>  a  altre  u 
le  pied,  si  li  rendrad  demi  were, 
suluneceo  qu'il  est  nez.  Del 
pochier ''  li  i-endrad  la  meite  * 
de  la  main  ;  del  dei  "■*  apres  le 
pochier  xv  solz  de  solz  eng- 
leis,  que  est  apeled  quaer'** 
denier  ;  del  lung  dei  xv  solz  ; 
del  altre  ki  ported  I'annel 
xvii  solz  ;  del  petit  dei  v 
solz  ;  del  ungle,  si  le  colpod 
de  la  charn,  v  solz  de  solz 
engleis  ;  al  ungle  del  petit 
dei  iiii  den. 


134 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


solz  engleis  ;  e  si  la  purnele  ^ 
y  est  remis,  si  ne  rendra  lui 
que  la  nieite. 

22.  Ki  2  Franceis  ocist  e 
les  liumes  del  hundred^  iiel 
prengent*  e  meinent  a  la 
justice  dedenz  les  viii  jurz, 
pur  mustrer''  pur  il  Fa  fet,  si 
renderunt  le  murdre"  xlvii 
mars.^ 

26.  De  quatre  chemins, 
ceo  est  a  saveir,  Watlinge- 
strete,*'  Erminge-strete,  Fosse, 
Hykenild  :  ki  en  alcun  de 
ees  quatre  chemins  ocist  home 
ki  seit  errant  par  le  pais  u 
asalt,''  ei  enfreint  le  pais  le 
rei. 


])ay  as  compensation  VO  shil- 
lings of  English  shillings  ; 
and  if  the  eyeball  is  put  back, 
he  will  only  pay  him  half. 

22.  He  who  kills  a  French- 
man and  the  people  of  the 
hundred  do  not  apprehend 
him  and  bring  him  to  justice 
within  8  days  to  show  why 
he  has  done  it,  they  will  pay 
as  murder  money  47  marks. 

26.  With  respect  to  the 
four  roads,  to  wit  Watling- 
street,  Erminge- street,  the 
Fosse,  the  Ickenild  way  : 
whoever  in  any  of  these  four 
ways  kills  a  man  who  may  be 
travelling  throuorh  the  coun- 
try  or  assaults  him,  he  in- 
fringes the  peace  of  the  king. 


Roman  de  Rou. 

The  Geste  des  Normands,  or  the  Roma7i  de  Rou, 
was  written  about  1170  by  Wace,  Canon  of  Bayeux  in 
I^ormandy,  who  was  also  the  author  of  the  Geste  des 
Bretons,  or  Roman  de  Brut,  written  at  an  earlier  date. 
The  Roman  de  Rou  consists  of  two  parts,  the  first  part 
being  written  in  alexandrines  and  the  second  in  octo- 
syllabic verse  rhyming  in  couplets.  The  work,  though 
largely  based  upon  Latin  chronicles,  contains  many 
details  which  the  author  had  collected  from  oral  tradition, 
which  possess  considerable  historical  interest. 

The  work  is  written  in  the  liorman  dialect,  and  the 
style  is  very  clear  and  concise. 

1  2mrnele=2)runelle.  2  Ki—celui  qui. 

^  hundred,  A.S.,  the  division  of  a  county. 
••  prengent,  3  \)\.  pres.  sul)j.  oi  prendre. 
5  mustrer  =inonslrer,  Mod.  Fr.  montrer. 
^  murdre,  Medieval  Lat.  murdrum,  murder-money. 
^  mars  for  marcs ;  wlien  the  final  cons,  was  a  palatal  it  was  dropped 
before  s  of  the  plural  (see  Darm.,  p.  257). 

8  Watlinge-strete,  &c.,  Roman  roads  in  Britain, 
s  asalt,  3  sing.  pres.  of  asalir  [assaillir). 


ROMAN    DE   ROU. 


135 


Capture  of  Luna  by  the  Norman  Hastings. 

By  Wage,  born  in  Guernsey,  circa  1170  ;  see  Toynbee, 
Specimens,  p.  72. 

Hasteins  a  la  vile  esgardee 


Hastings  perceived  the  town 
And   deemed    that    he    had 

found  Rome. 
Those  of  Luiia  had  great  fear, 
When  they  saw  the  race  of 

the  pagans  : 
Many  masts  they  saw,  many 

yards. 
Many  people  they  saw,  many 

ships  : 
Into   the   city   all   have    be- 
taken themselves. 
They  have   all  deserted   the 

flat  country. 
The  count  assembles  his  men 
And  the  bishop  all  his  own 

people. 
Hasteins  fu    mout  de  grant      Hastings  was  of   very  great 

voisdie''  wiliness 

Et  mout  f ut  pleins  de  felonie.       And  was  very  full  of  wicked- 


Et  cuida  i  Eome  avoir  trovee. 

Cist  deLune  orent  grant  paor, 
Quantla  gent virent  paienor  :  '^ 

Mout     virent     maz,     mout 

virent  tres,^ 
Mout     virent     gent,     mout 

virent  nes  :  ^ 
En  la  cite  se  sont  tuit  mis, 

Guerpi '"  ont  tot  le  plain  pais. 

Ses  omes  assemble  li  cuens 
E  li  evesques  toz  les  suens. 


La  cite  vit  mout  defensable, 

Bien  enforciee  et  bien    ten- 
able, 
Vit  que  par  force  ne  I'avroit, 


ness. 
He  saw  the   city   easily   de- 
fensible. 
Well  garrisoned,  and  easily  to 

be  held. 
Saw  that  by  force  he  would 
not  get  it, 
Ne  par  force  ne  la  prendroit ;      Nor  that  by  an  attack  would 

he  take  it  : 
Se  par  enging ''  ne  la  prenoit.       Unless  by  a  luse  he  should 

take  it, 
Ja  par  force  n'i  entreroit.  Never   by   force    should    he 

enter  theie. 

1  ciiidcr,  from  cuyildre  :  the  formation  is  similar  to  that  seen  in 
ai(u)tdre-aUleT.     Cf.  Brachet  and  Toyubee,  p.  108,  §  220. 

'  2}aienor  is  the  genitive  plural :  it  corresponds  with  the  termination 
-orum :  -ear  corresponds  with  -arum,  as  in  la  Chandeleur,  festa  Can- 
<;?e/a?'!<?«= Candlemas. 

'  ires,  obj.  plur,  of  tref  {ha.i.  trabem),  a  beam — here  a  sliij/s  yard. 
The/  falls  out  before  the  s  of  the  plural. 

*•  lies,  olij.  plur.  of  nef  (La.t.  juivem),  shiji. 

■'  guerpi.     O.H.Ger.  weqifan. 

*  voisrUe,  another  form  of  hoisdie,  boisicr. 

<■  enging  (Lat.  ingenium),  artitice. 


13G 


IIISTOKICAL   REAUEU    OF    EARLY    FKENCII. 


De  traison  se  porpensa  : 
A  I'evesque,  as  cler.s  manda 
Que  de  nuil  faire  n'a  talent ;  ^ 

Trop    a    mal     fait,    si     s'eu 

repent : 
N'est    mie    venuz    j^oi"    i^i'il 

faire, 
Mais  tormente  ^  out  et  vent 

contraire, 
Qui  a  la  cite  le  cha9a ; 

Ce  peise  lui  ^  qu'il  i  torna. 

Ne  sait  ou  il  est  arivez,^ 

En  mer  a  estc  esgarez. 

Se  sains  iert^  et  il  eiist  vent, 

N'i  seroit  mie  longement  : 
Mais  mal  a  grant,   ne   puet 

errer  : 
Grant  mestier  ^  a  de  sejorner : 
De  tot    le    lor  rieus  ne    de- 

mande 
Fors  le  marcliie  de  la  viandc, 
Pais  de  venir  e  pais  d'aler, 
Et  pais  de  viande  aclieter. 
Mout  grant  paor  a  de  morir  ; 

Si  vuelt  crestiiens  devenir, 

Ne  puet  par  el ''  sante  avoir, 

Co   croit  il   bien   et   sa,it   de 

voir.'* 
Quant  mout  a  fait  de  mal  en 

France, 
S'en    vuelt    faire     sa     peni- 

tance.  .  .  . 


He    bethought    him   then   of 

treason  : 
He   sent    a    message   to   the 

bishop  and  to  his  clerks 
That  to  do  evil    he   has  no 

intent ; 
He  has  done  but  too  much  ill : 

he  I'epents  hiui  thereof  : 
That  he  is  not  come  to  do 

any  liaim. 
But  has  suffered   storm  and 

baffling  wind, 
That  to  the  city  has  driven 

him ; 
It  is  vexing  to  him  that  he 

has  put  in  theie. 
Nor  does  he  know  where  he 

has  got  to, 
He  has  lost  his  way  at  sea. 
If  he  were  well  and  if  he  had 

wind. 
He  would  not  be  there  long  : 
But  he  is  very  ill,  he  cannot 

move  about : 
Great  need  hath  iie  of  rest  : 
Of  all  that  they  have  he  asks 

for  nothing 
But  to  baigain  for  2)rovisions, 
To  come  and  to  go  in  peace, 
And  in  peace  to  buy  food. 
Very  great   fear   hath  he  of 

dying  ; 
He    wishes     to     become     a 

Christian, 
He     cannot     otherwise     get 

health, 
That  he  indeed  believes  and 

knows  truly. 
As  much  evil  as  he  hath  done 

in  France, 
He  wishes  to  do  penance  for 

it.  .  .   . 


1  talent  (Lat.  talentum),  inclination. 

2  tormente,  storm.     Cf.  Mod.  Span,  tormenia. 

3  ce2)eise  lui=ll  luijjese,  used  impersonally. 

*  arivez  here  lias  its  etymological  meaning  of  adtipatus. 
''  iert,  3  sing.  fut.  of  est  re.  ^  mestier,  Lat.  minister  iwn. 

''  el,  Lat.  aliiid,  which  become  cdid,  then  aid  and  el  in  French. 
8  de  voir,  Mod.  Fr.  de  wai. 


KOMAN   L)E   KOU. 


137 


The  Bishop  of  Luna  is  taken  in  by  the  fine  words  of 
Hastings  :  he  comes  to  the  camp  to  baptise  the  JS^ormau 
leader,  whose  godfather  is  the  Count  liimself.  Hastings 
manages  to  get  from  them  the  promise  to  let  him  be 
buried,  if  he  die  in  the  town.  Shortly  afterAvards  he 
pretends  to  die,  and  all  his  camp  bursts  out  in  cries  of 
grief. 


Es   vosi   et   grant  noise  ^  et       Hearken    to  the    loud    noise 


granz  cnz, 


and  crying, 


Es  voz  granz    plainz,   giiinz       To  the  loud  lamentations  and 


ploreiz  ; 
Ja  si  grant  noise  ne  fei'ssent 

Se  il  de  voir^  mort  le  veis- 

sent. 
La  nuit  et  puis  la  matinee 

Firent     2)aien     mout     grant 
criee* 


weepnig  ; 
They  would  indeed  not  make 

so  great  noise 
If  they  saw  him  really  dead. 

All  night  and  then  all  morn- 
ing 

Did  the  heathen  tlu'on.t^  loud- 
ly wail. 


Come  se  chascuns  d'eus  «on       As  if  each  of  them  .saw  his 

father, 
His  son,  or  his  brotlier  lying 


pere 
I  veist  mort  o  filz  o  frere. 


dead. 
AVith  hauberks   under  their 

broad  ct)ats  of  mail, 
And  under  their  cloaks  their 

swords, 
Did  they  bring  Hastings  on 

his  bier 
To  the  gate  of  the  city. 
Then    would    you    hear   the 

heathen  cry 
And    lament  with   all    tlieir 

might. 
Those  within  (the  city)  were 

deceived 
Del  duel,''  (ju'il  out  .si  grant       By  this  grief  which  tliey  saw 

veli,  so  great, 

Les  portes  lor  firent  oviir  They  let  tlie  gates  be  opened 

to  them 

1  ejf  vos.     Us  is  tlie  L<at.  eccc,  and  vos  is  here  merely  an  e.\pletive. 

2  noise,  used  in  Jlod.  Kr.  in  sense  of  disjjutc — chercher  noise. 

'  de  voir^de  vrai.  *  criee,  Mod.  Fr.  crierie. 

5  lees,  ]il.  of  U  (let),  from  L;it.  latus. 

6  esforcier,  Moil.  Fr.  s'eforr^er.  7  duel=douleur. 


Les    haubeis    soz    les    cotes 

lees,-' 
E  soz  les  chapes  les  espees, 

Ont  Hastein  en  biere  apoiie 

A  la  porte  de  la  cite. 
Done  oissiez  paiens  crier 

Et  esforcier  <■  de  bien  ploici-. 

Oil  dedenz  furent  deceii 


138         HISTORICAL   HEADER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 

A   ceus   qui    voudient    euz^       To  those  who  wished  to  come 

venir.  -  inside. 

Por  le  pueple  faire  assembler,       In  order  to  make  the  people 

assemble, 
Firent    les    seins^     |)ar     tot       They  let  the  bells  everywhere 

soner ;  be  rung  ; 

Encontre-*  o*  grant   jwoces-       And  to  meet  them  come  in 

sion  full  procession 

Vienent  li  clerc  e  li  cler9on:^      The  clerks  and   their   assis- 
tants : 
Crois  portoient  et  encensiers,       They  carried  crosses  and  in- 
cense-burners ; 
Tuit  i  coroient  volentiers  ;  All  ran  forth  gladly : 

De    ceus    qui    plorent     ont       For   those    who    weep    they 
,   pitiu,  have  compassion, 

Mout    nmblement   i    vont   a       Most    humbly    they    go    on 

pie,  foot, 

Ne  sevent  mie  lor  feintie.**  (For)    they   know   not   their 

deceit. 
Es  vos  I'evesque  et  le  clergie,      Behold   the  bishop  and   the 

clergy, 
Es  vos  le  comte  et  ses  barons.       Behold    the    count    and   his 

barons, 
Come  s'il   fussent  tuit  som-       As  if  they  had  all  been  sum- 

ons  ;  ^  moned ; 

Tuit   i   corent,    nuls    n'i   re-       All  run  thither,  no  one  re- 

maint,  mains  (in  the  town). 

Come    se    90    fust    un    cors       As  if  that  were  the  body  of 

saint  ;  a  saint ; 

Li  un  por  les  autres  i  corent,*^       They  run,  each  to  fetch  the 

other. 
Grant  pitie  ont  de  ceus  qui       Creat    pity    have     they    on 

plorent.  those  who  weep. 

Au     niostier     portei'ent     le       To  the  church  they  bore  the 

cors  :  body  : 

Miens  fust  qu'il   remainsit"       Better   were    it   that   it  had 
defers ;  remained      without      (the 

town) ; 
Ce  fu  par  grant  malei^on  ^^  It  was  by  great  mischance 

1  etiz,  Lat.  iyilus. 

2  scins,  scin  (sain),  from  Lat.  signum,  because  the  sound  of  the  bell 
served  as  an  hidication  to  guide  to  the  church. 

3  encontre,  adv.  ;  Mod.  Fr.  d  leur  rencontre. 

■*  o,  the  Lat.  (qnul  in  the  sense  of  luith.  ^  chrr,on=petit  clerc. 

^  feint ie,  lit.,  feigning,  deceit. 

"^  somons,  p.p.  of  somondre,  from  the  Lat.  summonere,  {or  sub  monere. 
"  corent  jior,  run  for  ;  Mod.  Fr.  coiircnt  chercher. 
^  remainsit,  3  sing.  imp.  subj.  of  remaindre. 
1"  7/ia?e(fo?i  =  malediction. 


ROMAN   DE   llOU. 


139 


Qu'il  lie  sorent  la  tniison. 

Li  maistreclerschaiita  1' office  ; 

Ce     fu     coiitre  ^     lor     grant 

malice  ;  ^ 
Miens  lor  venist  faire  confes, 

Car  niout  estoit  la  lor  mort 

pres. 
Li  evesque  clianta  la  messe  : 
Des  paieiis  fu  la  torbe  ^  es- 

pesse. 
Quant  viiit  a  la  biere  porter, 

Que  Ton  dut  le  cors  enterrer, 

Hasteins  de  la  biere  sailli, 
S'espee  *  traite,  fist  un  cri  : 

Au     ])remerain     coup     qu'il 

dona 
A  I'evesque  le  chief-'  coupa, 
A  son  parrain  coupa  la  teste, 

Come  se  fust  une  vil  beste. 
Paien,  tuit  traites  lor  espees 

Et  les  chapes  des  cous  jetees, 

Les  portes  corureiit  fermer, 
Que  nuls  n'en  peiist  eschapei'. 
Des  chaitis  "  font  tel  tue'/z  ^ 

Come  li  leus  fait  des  brebiz, 

Quant  il    puet   entrer  en  lo 

toit,» 
Que  li  vilaiiis  ne  I'apei^oit  : 

Estrantrle  moutons  et  brebiz 


That    they    knew     not    the 

treason. 
The  chief  clerk  chanted  the 

service  ; 
It   was   in   honour   of    their 

great  wickedness. 
They  would  have  done  better 

to  confess, 
For    their    death    was   very 

near. 
The  bishop  chanted  the  mass  : 
Thick  wasthe  heathen  throng. 

When  it  came  to  can-ying 
the  bier, 

And  the  body  was  to  be 
buried, 

Hastings  rose  from  the  bier 

With  drawn  swui  d  and  gave 
a  shout : 

With  the  first  stroke  that  he 
gave 

He  cut  off  the  bishop's  head, 

(Then)  he  cut  off  his  god- 
father's head 

As  if  it  were  a  beast's. 

The  heathen  all  with  drawn 
swords 

And  cloaks  thrown  fiom 
their   necks. 

Ran  to  shut  the  gates, 

So  that  no  one  could  escai)e. 

Of  their  captives  they  make 
such  slaughter 

As  the  wolf  makes  of  the 
lambs, 

When  he  can  get  into  the 
pen 

Without  the  shepherd  ob- 
serving him: 

He  strangles  sheep  and  ewes 

'  conlre  here  means/o?',  in  honour  of.  Contre  had  formerly  various 
iiieaiiiugs  tliat  have  not  passed  into  the  modern  lan<,ntage  (see  Godefroy). 

-  lor  .  .   .  malice  here  refers  to  the  treachery  of  the  Normans. 

^  torbe,  Lat.  turba,  crowd;  also  used  of  things,  "La  tourhe  des 
menus  maux." — Montaigne,  Ess.  ill.  9. 


■•  s'espee.     See  Darin. ,  j).  303. 
^  chief.     See  Darm.,  \).  100. 
^  tueiZf  Mod.  Fr.  tixrie. 


^  chaitis,  Lat.  captivus. 
**  toit  here  means  enclosed  place. 


140 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


Et    aigiieaus    toz    graiiz    et 

petiz. 
Ensement^  tiieiit  li  paieii 
Deii  dolent  jnu'ple  crestiieu  : 

L'evesque     ocistrent     et     le 

comte, 
Et  tant  des  autres,  ii'en  fu 

conte  ; 
Puis  sout  ]iar  la  vile  espandu, 

D'lui  ostel  en  autre  coru. 


And  hinibs  both  great  and 
small. 

Even  so  did  the  heathen 

With  the  unfortunate  Chris- 
tian ])eople  : 

They  killed  the  bishop,  and 
the  count, 

And  so  many  others,  there 
was  no  counting  them  ; 

Then  they  dispersed  through- 
out the  town, 

And  ran  from  one  house  to 
another. 


Le  Chevalier  au  Lion. 

Chrestien  de  Troyes  was  the  most  famous  of  the  poets 
Avlio  sang  of  the  Bretou  legends  (see  Lanson,  Litt., 
chap,  ii.,  "  Les  Eomans  bretons  ").  His  principal  works 
were  Tristan,  Lancelot,  Ivain  or  Le  Chevalier  au  Lion, 
and  Perceval.  Tlie  Chevalier  au  Lion  was  written  about 
1170;  it  is  regarded  as  one  of  Chrestien's  finest  works, 
and  recounts  the  adventures  of  Ivain,  Knight  of  the 
Round  Table.  The  dialect  is  that  of  Champagne,  to 
which  province  the  poet  belonged. 


The  Struggle  between  Gauvain  and  Ivain. 

Gauvain  and  Ivain  have  fought  during  a  Mdiole  day 
Avithout  recognising  one  another ;  at  nightfall  they  cease 
fighting,  congratulate  one  another,  and  asking  their  names, 
recognise  one  another. 


Mes  sire  Ivains  ]mrla  ain9ois,2 
Qui    mout    estoit    preuz    et 

cortois. 
Mais  au  parler  nel  recount, 

Ses  bona  amis  ;  car  ce  li  nut-'' 


My  loi'd  Ivain  spoke  first, 

Who  was  very  brave  and 
courteous. 

But  by  speaking  he  did  not 
know  him, 

His  good  friend  ;  for  it  hin- 
dered him 


1  enscment,  Lat.  in-sic-mente.  -  ain^ais. 

'  nut,  3  sing.  perf.  oi  nuire,  used  impersonally. 


See  Darii).,  p.  96. 


LE   CHEVALIER   AU   LION. 


141 


Qu'il  avoit  la  parole  basse  That  he  spoke  in  low  tones 

Kt  la  vols  roe'  et  foible  et       And  his  voice  was  rough  and 

weak  and  broken  ; 
For  all  his  blood  was  stirred 

up 


.2 


quasse  ; 
Car  toz  li  sans  li  fu  nieiiz^ 

Des  cons  qn'il  avoit  receiiz. 


From  the  blows  he  had  re- 
ceived. 

"Sir,"  said   he,   "the   night 
approaches ! 

I  do  not  think  we  shall  have 
blame  or  reproach 

If  the  night  se]iarate  us. 

But  this  much  I  say,  for  my 
part, 
Que  mout  vos  dot^  et  mout      That  much  I  fear  you  and 


"  Sire,"    fait  -  il,     "  la    nuiz 

aproche ! 
Je  ne   cuit  ^   blasme   ne    re- 

proche 
I  aions  se  nuiz  nos  depart. 
Mais  tant  di  de  la  moie  jmrt 


vos  pris, 


much  I  esteem  you 


N'onques  en  ma  vie  n'empris "      Never  in  my  life  did  I  under- 
take 
Bataille  dont  tant   me   dou- 


sisse 


Ne  chevalier  cui  ^  tant  vou 

sisse 
Conoistre  ne  cuidai  veoir. 

Bien  savez  voz  cous  aseoir 

Et  bien  les  savez  emploiier. 


A  combat  in  which  I  got  so 

many  blows. 
Nor  did  I  think  I  could  sec 

a  knight 
Whom  I  should   have  liked 

so  much  to  know. 
Well  you  know  how  to  place 

your  blows, 
And  well  you  know  how  to 
deal  them. 
Ainz   ne    sot    tant    de    cous       Never  did  any  knight  whom 

paiier  I  knew 

Chevaliers  que  je  coneiisse.  Know  how  to  deal  so  many 

blows. 
Ja  mon  vuel  '■'  tant  n'en   re-       Had  I  wished  for  it,  I  would 
ceiisse  not  have  received  so  many 

Com    vos    n\'en    avez    hui  ^°      As  you  have  given  me  to-day. 

prestd. 
Tot      m'ont       vostre      coup      Your      blows     have     quite 

entestu.""  stunned  me." 

"Par    foi,"     fait     mes     sire       "My    faith,"    says    my   lord 
Gauvains,  Gauvain, 

1  roe,  fem.  of  ro,  Mod.  Ft.  rauqiie.  2  quasse=cassee. 

^  sans  ,  .  .  me'dz.     See  Darm.,  p.  145. 
■'  miit,  1  sing.  pres.  iiuL  of  cuidier. 
^  dot,  1  sing.  pres.  ind.  of  doter. 
•■  n'empris,  ]  perf.  oi  em2ii'endre  =  entreprendre. 
7  doiisisse,  1  sing.  imp.  subj.  of  dousser  (dosser),  frapper  sur  le  dos. 
**  cui,  ol)j.  case  of  relative  pron. 
^  vion  vucl,  adverbial  expression =.sr/ow  ma  volonte. 
>"  hui,  Lat.  hodie. :  Span.  hoy.  'i  enleste,  Ut., /rapper  d  la  tele. 


142         HISTORICAL   IJEADEl!    OF   EABLY   FRENCH. 

"  N'estes  si  estordiz  lie  vaiiis '       "You     are     not     so     much 

stunned  nor  so  weak 
Que   je   autant   ou    plus    ne      As  I  am,  for  I  am  more  so. 

soie.""^ 
Et  se  je  vos  reconnossoie,  And  if  I  should  recognise  you, 

Espoir-'    lie    vos    greveroif'       Perhaps  it  would  not  grieve 

rien.  you. 

Se  je  vos  ai  preste  del  mien,         If  I  have  shown  you  some  of 

my  prowess, 
Bien    m'en     avez     rendu    le       You  have  paid  me  well  back 

coiite  for  it, 

Et    del    chatel ''     et     de     la       Both  in  capital  and  interest  ; 

monte  ;  ^ 
Que  larges  estiiez  del  rendre        For   you    were   generous   in 

paying  back 
Plus    que     je     n'estoie     del       More  than  I  was  in  taking. 

prendre. 
Mais   coment    que    la   chose       But,  however  it  may  be, 

preigne,''' 
Quant  vos  plaist  que  je  vos       Since   it  pleases  you   that  I 

apreigne  inform  you 

Par  quel  noii  je  sui  apelez,  By  what  name  I  am  called, 

Ja   ines   nonis    ne    vos    iert       Indeed  my  name  shall  not  be 

celez  :  hid  from  you  : 

Gauvains   ai    non,    fiz   le  roi       My  name  is  Gauvain,  son  of 

Lot."  King  Lot." 

Tantost  com  nies  sire  Ivains       As   soon  as   my   lord    Ivain 

I'ot,  hears  it. 

Si  s'esba'ist  ^  et  espert  '•*  toz  ;  He    is     amazed     and     quite 

dumfoundered  ; 
Par  mautalent  ^^  et  par  corroz       In  bad  temper  and  in  rage 
Flatist "  a  la  terre  s'espee  He  flings  to  the  ground  his 

sword 
Qui  tote  estoit  ensenglentee,         Which  was  all  covered  with 

blood, 
Et  son  escu  tot  depecie  ;  And  his  shield,  which  was  all 

in  pieces  ; 
Si  descent  del  cheval  a  pie  :  He  dismounts  from  his  horse 

on  foot : 

1  vains,  weak,  without  force. 

2  ou  plus  ne  soie,  lit.,  queje  ne  le  suis  plus. 

'  espoir,  frequently  used  as  an  adverb  in  OFr.  =peut-itre. 

4  greveroit,  impers.  verlo. 

5  chatel,  Lat.  capiitale. 

^  monte,  interest.     "Mult  emprunta  a  munte." — Gam.,  Vie  de  S. 
Thorn. 

^  pireigne,  1  sing.  pres.  subj.  of  prendre. 

8  s'esba'ist,  Mod.  Fr.  s'ebahit.  ^  s'espert.  Mod.  Fr.  etre  Sperdu. 

i"*  mautalent,  Lat.  male-talentum.       i^  Flatist,  3  sing.  perf.  of  jlatir. 


LE    CHEVALIEK    AU    LION. 


143 


"  Ha,    las,"    fait  -  il,      "  quel 

mescbeance  ! 
Par    trop    leide  ^    mesconois- 

sance 
Ceste  bataille  faite  avomes, 
Qu'entrecone(\^  ne  nos  somes  ; 

Que  ^  ja,  se  je  vos  coneiisse, 
A  vos  combatuz  ne  me  fusse : 


"  Alas  !  "    he   says,   "  what  a 

mischance  ! 
By    a    most    sad    misunder- 
standing 
We  have  had  this  combat, 
Since  we  have  not  recognised 

each  other ; 
For  I,  had  I  known  you, 
Would  not  have  fought  with 
you  ; 
Ainz  me  clamasse  recreant  *         On  the   contrary  ;    I  should 

have  declared  myself  beaten 
Devant     le     cop,     ce-''     vos      Before     striking     a      blow, 

creant."  believe  me  for  it." 

"  Coment,"     fait     mes     sire      "  What,"      says      my      lord 

Gauvains,  Gauvain, 

"Qui  estes  vos?"      "Je  sui      "Who  are   you?"      "I    am 

Ivains  Ivain 

Qui  plus  vos  aim  que  rien  del      Who   loves   you    more   than 

monde  anything  in  the  world 

Tant     com     il     dure  ^    a    la      As  far  as  it  extends  around  ; 

reonde  ; 
Que  vos  m'avez  ame  toz  jorz        For  you   have  always   loved 

me 
Et  onor6  en  totes  corz.  And  honoured  me  in  all  the 

courts. 
Mais  je    vos    vuel    de    cest      But  I  wish  for  this  matter 

afaire 
Tel  amende  et  tel  onor  faire        To   make   you   such    amends 

and  such  honour 
Qu'outreement      outrez^      That  I  declare  myself  to  be 

m'otroi."  completely  beaten." 

"  Ice  f  eriiez  vos  por  moi  ? "  "Would    you     do     this    for 

me?" 
Fait  mes    sire    Gauvains,  li      Says   my  lord  Gauvain,   the 

douz.  gentle. 

"Certes,     mout     feroie      or       "Certainly,  I  should  be  now 

estouz''  very  haughty 

Se  je  ceste  amende  en  prenoie.       If  I  accepted  such  amends. 

1  leide,  f.  of  lait,  Mod.  Fr.  laid,  fatal. 

2  Entrecone^,  p.p.  of  s'entreconnoistre. 
•<  Que=2)uisq\ie. 

•»  rue  clamasse  recreant,  a  common  expression  denoting  that  one  gives 
in,  abandons  one's  rights. 

^  ce=ecce.     Vos  is  merely  expletive. 

*  creant,  noun  signifying  assurance,  promise. 

^  dure,  here  in  sense  of  reach. 

8  outrement  outre,  an  alliteration  frequent  in  Christian  of  Troyes. 

"  estouz,  bold,  proud,  haughty.    Cp.  Germ,  stolz. 


144    HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


Ja   certes   ceste  onors   n'iert 

moie, 
Ainz   ieit   vostre,    je    Li  vos 

lais."  1 
"  Ha,    beans   sire,   iiel    dites 

mais ! 
Que  ce  ne  porroit  avenir. 
Je  ne  me  puis  mais  sostenir. 

Si  sui  atainz  et  sormenez  ! " 

"Certes       de       iieant       vos 


penez 


I" 


Fait  ses  amis  et  ses  compainz. 

"  Mais    je    sui     couquis     et 

atainz,^ 
Ne  je  ne  di  rien  por  losange  ;  ^ 

Qu'il  n'a  el  monde  si  estrange 

(hn  je  autretant  n'en  deisse 

Ain9ois   que   plus    des    cous 

sofrisse." 
Ainsi  parlant  est  descenduz  ; 
S'a  li  uns  a  I'autre  tenduz 
Ses   braz   au   col,  si  s'entre- 

baisent. 
Ne  de  ce  *  mie  ne  se  taisent 
Que   chascuns   outrez    ne    se 

claint.^ 
La   tencons"   onques    ne   re- 
main t 
Tant  que  li  rois  et  li  baron 
Vienent  corant  tot  environ, 
Ses''  voient  entreconjol'r, 

Et  mout  desirent  a  oir 


Indeed  this  honour  will  not 

be  mine, 
But  it  will  be  yours  :   T  let 

you  have  it." 
"  Ah  !  fine  sir,  do  not  say  so. 

For  it  could  not  happen  so. 

I  cannot  any  longer  hold 
myself  up, 

I  am  so  exhausted  and  worn 
out ! " 

"  Of  a  truth,  you  trouble 
yourself  about  nothing  !" 

Says  his  friend  and  com- 
panion. 

"  But  I  am  beaten  and  ex- 
hausted, 

And  I  do  not  say  anything  in 
flattery  ; 

For  there  is  not  in  the  world 
any  one  so  strange 

To  whom  I  would  not  have 
said  as  much 

Rather  than  suffer  more  of 
your  strokes." 

So  speaking  he  came  down  ; 

They  each  threw  their  arms 

Round  the  neck  of  the  other, 
and  embrace. 

Nor  do  they  cease 

Eich  declaring  himself 
beaten. 

The  dispute  never  stops 

Till  the  king  and  the  barons 
Come  hastening  all  around. 
And  see  them  congratulatinjr 

each  other. 
And  they  wish  much  to  hear 


Que  ce  puet  estre  et  qui  ^  il       What  may  be  happening  and 

ffiit  what  they  are  doing 

Que  si  grant  joie  s'entrefont.       That  they  are  so  overjoyed 

with  each  other. 

1  lais,  1  sing.  pres.  ind.  of  laissier. 

2  atainz,  p.p.  oi  ataindre.  3  losange=lnnange. 

*  ce  introduces  to  the  following  line,  "que  chascuns  .  .  ." 
5  claint,  3  sing.  pres.  subj.  of  darner. 

•^  tengons,  Lat.  tensionem.  7  ses=si  les. 

*  qui,  neuter  form  of  interrog.  pron. 


CRUSADE   SONGS,  145 


Crusade  Songs. 

The  enthusiasm  aroused  by  the  Crusades  gave  rise  to 
many  songs,  both  in  the  north  of  France  and  in  Provence. 
One  of  these,  composed  at  the  time  of  the  first  crusade, 
was  well  known  as  the  chanson  cCoutree  (^Outree  !  was  the 
cry  of  the  crusaders),  but  it  has  not  come  down  to  us. 
We  possess,  however,  a  song  relating  to  the  second 
crusade,  composed  before  1147  :  others  have  reference  to 
two  later  crusades. 

Among  these  songs,  love,  and  the  yearning  of  the  lady 
whose  lover  is  beyond  the  seas,  take  an  important  place. 
The  following  two  songs  belong  to  the  twelfth  century. 
The  first  one  is  supposed  to  have  been  composed  at  the 
time  of  the  crusade  of  Philip  Augustus  in  1189,  and  the 
second  is  by  Conon  de  Bethune,  also  of  the  time  of  the 
third  crusade. 

Chanterai  per  men  corage  ^  I  shall  sing  for   my  heart's 

sake 
Que  je  vueil  reconf  orter,  Which  I  wish  to  be  comforted, 

Car  avec  men  grant  domage         For  in  my  great  giief 
Ne  quier^  morir  n'afoler,  I  wish  neither  to  die  nor  to 

go  demented, 
Quant  de  la  terre  sauvage  When    from    the    barbarous 

land 
Ne  voi  nului  ^  retorner,  I  see  no  one  return, 

On  cil  est  qui  m'assoage  From  that  land  where  he  is 

who  soothes 
Le  cuer  quant  j'en  oi  parler.         My  heart  when  I  hear  liiiii 

speak. 

Dieus  !  quant  crieront  :   Oa-       God  !  when  they  cry,  Outrea! 
tree  1  * 

Sire,  aidiez  au^  pelerin  Lord,  aid  the  pilgrim 

Per  cut  sui  espoentee,"  For  whom  I  am  afraid. 

Car  felon  sont  Sarrazin  !  For  wicked  are  the  Saracens  ! 

1  corage,  Lat.  coraticuvi,  lieart,  feelings, 

2  quier,  1  sing,  pres.  ind.  of  querir  (Lat.  quaerere). 

3  nidui,  Lat.  nullo-ei. 

■*  oulree  !  (Lat.  ?</<?•«)  was  the  crj'  of  the  crusaders. 
5  aidiez  au — Moil.  Fr.  aidez  le 2>(:i<'ri7i.     "  espoenlee,  Lat,  exixiventare, 

K 


146 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


Je  soferrai  luou  domage 
Tant  que  I'an  verrai  passer. 
II  est  en  pelerinage 
Dont  Dieus  le  laist  ^  retorner ! 

Et  maugre  tot  mon  lignage 

Ne  quier  ochoisoii  -  trover 

D'autre  face  ^  mariage  ; 

Fous  est  cui  j'en  oi  parler. 

Dieus  !  quant  .  .  . 

De  ce  sui  au  cuer  dolente 
Que  cil  n'est  en  cest  pais 
Qui  si  sovent  me  tormente  ; 
Je  n'en  ai  ne  gieu  ne  ris. 

II  est  beaus  et  je  sui  gente  : 

Sire  Dieus,  por  quel  ■*  feis  ? 
Quant  I'uns  a  I'autre  atalente, 

Por  quoi  nos  as  departis  1 
Dieus  !  quant  .  .  . 

De  ce  sui  en  bone  atente, 

Que  je  son  omage  pris  ; 

Et  quant  la  douce  ore  •"'  vente 

Qui  vient  de  eel  douz  pais 

Ou  cil  est  qui  m'atalente,'' 

Volentiers  i  tor ''  mon  vis  ; 

Adont    m'est   vis*'    que    jel 

sente 
Par  desoz  mon  mantel  gris. 

Dieus  I  quant  .  ,  . 


I  shall  endure  my  grief 

Until  I  shall  see  the  year  out. 

He  is  on  a  pilgrimage 

From  which  may  God  let  him 
return  ! 

And  notwithstanding  all  my 
noble  birth 

I  do  not  wish  to  have  the 
opportunity 

To  become  married  to  an- 
other ; 

Mad  is  he  whom  I  hear  speak 
of  it. 

God  !  when  .  .  . 

I  am  of  sorrowful  heart 
That  he  is  not  in  this  country 
Who  so  often  torments  me  ; 
No  longer  do  I  have  play  nor 

laughter. 
He  is   handsome   and   I    am 

pretty  ; 
Lord  God,  why  do  you  do  it  ? 
"When  one  is  pleasing  to  the 

other, 
Why  hast  thou  parted  us  1 

God  !  when  .  .  . 

For  this  I  can  well  wait. 

For  I  possess  his  homage  ; 

And  when  the  gentle  breeze 
blows 

Which  comes  from  that  sweet 
land 

Where  he  is  who  is  my  de- 
light, 

Gladly  I  turn  thither  my 
face  ; 

Then  it  seemeth  to  me  that  I 
feel  him 

Under  my  grey  cloak. 

God  !  when  .  .  . 


1  laist,  3  sing,  i^res.  subj.  of  laisser. 

2  ochoison,  c/t  hard  =  occ«sio?i. 

^  face.     Note  the  ellipsis  of  the  conj.  que.  *  quel  =  que  le. 

^  ore,  Lat.  aura.  ^  atalente,  act.  verb  from  talentum. 

''  tor,  1  sing.  pres.  ind.  of  iorne.r,  the  n  being  dropped. 
8  itis  (Lat.  visum),  it  me  semble, 


GAME  OF   ROBIN   AND    MARION. 


147 


THIETEENTH     CENTURY. 

Game  of  Eobin  and  IMarion. 

By  Adam  de  la  Halle. 

Dialogue  between  a  knight  and  a  ahepherdenfi. 

Le  Chevalier.  Di  nioi,  veis  Knight.  Tell  me,  hast  thou 

tu  nul  oisel  not  seen  any  bird 

Voler  par  deseure  ces  chans  ?  *-  Flying  over  these  fields  1 

Marion,  Sire,  ouil,  je  ne  sai  Marion.  Yea,  sire,  I  know 


not  how  many. 

There  still  are  within  these 
bushes 

Both    goldfinches   and   chaf- 
finches 

Who    warble    right    beauti- 
fully. 
K.  So  may  God  aid  me,  fair 
lady  of  graceful  figure. 

That  is  not  what  I  demand. 

But    hast    thou    seen    about 
here,  in  front 

Towards     this     stream,     no 
duck? 
J/.  It  is  a  beast  that  brays. 

I  saw  yesterday  three  on  this 

way 
All  laden,  going  to  the  mill. 
Is  this  what  you  ask  ? 

K.  Now    I    am    well     in- 
formed, [^.s'l'rfe. 
Tell  me,  didst  see  no  heron  ? 
M.  Herrings  1     'Faith,  no, 
sire  ! 
I  have  not  even  seen  one  since 
Lent, 

1  Play  upon  the  word  a7ie=duck  (Lat.  anatem  ;  Span,  anaile),  which 
Marion  confuses  with  asne,  dne.  Tlie  word  arte  survives  in  bedane  for 
lee  d'dne  (also  in  alhran,  young  wild  duck). 

^  recaner=ricaner,  probably  from  O.H.Ger.  gahnen  :  K.  thinks  that 
ri-  replaced  re-  under  the  influence  of  rire. 

3  asener,  probably  from  Oer.  sm?i  =  Ital.  senno,  OFr.  xen,  under- 
standing. 

*  neis=ne  ipsum  :  the  word  is  used  simply  as  an  afTirmative. 


pas  quans. 
Encore  i  a  en  ces  buissons  '^ 

Et  chardonereus  et  pin9ons 

Qui  mout  chantent  joliement. 

Le  C'kev.  Si  m'ait  Dieus, 
bele  au  cors  gent,'. 

Ce  n'est  point  ce  que  je 
demant. 

Mais  veis  tu  par  ci  devant 

Vers  ceste  riviere,  nul  ane  1  ^ 

M.  C'est  une  beste  qui  re- 
cane.2  ^ 
.J'en  vi  ier  trois  seur  ce  chemin 

Tous  chargies  aler  au  molin. 
Est  ce  ce  que  vous  demandes  ? 
Le   Chev.  Or   sui   je    mout 
bien  asenes.^ 
Di  moi,  veis  tu  nul  hairon  ? 
M.  Herens''    Sire,  par  ma 
foi,  non  ! 
N'en  vi  neis*  un  puis  quar- 
esme, 


148 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


Que    j'eu    vi    mangier    cliics 

dame  Erne,"*"" 
Ma  taieu,  eni  sont  ces  hrebis. 

Le  Chev.  Par  foi,  or  sui  jo 
esbaiibis.*  'i 
N'ains  mais  je  ne  f  iii  si  gabds. 
M.    Sire,  foi  que  vous  me 
deves, 
Quele   beste   est  ce   seur  vo 
main  1  V 
Le  Chev.  C'est  uns  faucons. 
3L  Manjue  il  pain  ?'A'^ 
Le  Chev.  Non,  mais  bone 

char. 
M.  Cele  beste  1 
Esgar,  ele  a  de  cuir  la  teste.- 

Et  on  ales  vous  ? 

IjC  Chev.  En  riviere.>■^ 
M.  Robins  n'est  pas  de  tel 
maniere  :  '• 

En  lui  a  trop  phis  de  deduit. 

A  no  Aale  esrauet  tout  le  bruit, 

Quant  il  joue  de  sa  musete. 
Le   Cheo.    Or   dites,    douce 
bergerete,  C. 
Ameries  vous  iin  chevalier? 
M.  Beaus  sire,  traiies  vous 
arrier. 
Je  ne  sai  que  chevalier  sont. 
Deseur  tons  les  omes  du  mont 
Je  n'ameroie  que  Robin. 

Cil  vient  au  soir  et  au  matin 
A  moi,  toudis  et  par  usage, r 

Et  m'aporte  de  son  fourmage. 

Encor  en  ai  je  en  mon  sain,' 
Et  une  grant  piece  de  pain, 
Que  il  m'aporta  a  prangiere. 


1  Ebaubi,     exbalhio ;    properly, 
stammering. 

2  The  falcon  was  hooded. 


When  I  saw  some  eaten  at 

Dame  Emma's, 
My  grandmother's,  whose  are 
these  sheep. 
K.  In    good    faith    I    am 
dumfonndered.      [Aside. 
Never  was  I  so  mocked  at. 
M.  Sire,  by  the  faith  that 
you  owe  me, 
What  is  that  beast  upon  your 
hand  ? 
K.  It  is  a  falcon. 
J/.  Doth  he  eat  bread  ? 
K.  Nay,  but  good  flesh. 

M.  This  beast  ? 
See,    it    hath    its    head    of 

leather. 
And  whither  go  you  ? 
K.  On  the  river. 
M.  Robin   is   not  of  such 

kind  : 
In    him    there    is    more    of 

politeness. 
In  our  town  the  noise  stirs 

all, 
When  he  plays  his  bagpipes. 
A'.  Now    tell    me,    gentle 

shepherdess, 
AVould  you  love  a  knight  ? 
M.  Fair  sire,  draw  back. 

I  know  not  what  knights 

are  ! 
Above   all   the   men    in   the 

world  I  could   love   but 

Robin. 
He  comes  evenings  and  morn- 
ings to  me,  daily  and  by 

custom, 
And    he    brings    me    of    his 

cheese. 
I   have    some    yet   in   my 

bosom,  aye,  and  a  great 

piece  of  bread  which  he 

brought  me  for  dinner. 

struck    dumb,    incapable   even   of 


REFLECTIONS   OF   A   HEKBALIST. 


140 


Eeflections  of  a  Herbalist. 

By  RuTEBEUF,  a  trouvere  who  wrote  fubliau.r,  uiaiuly 
in  an  anti-clerical  spiiit. 

A  Qaacli's  Soliloqui/. 

This  soliloquy,  which   is  made   up   of  jDrose  and   verse, 
was  jn'obably  not  composed  for  the  stage. 


Bele  gent,  je  ne  sui  pas  de 
ces  povres  jnesclieeurs  ne  de 
ces  povres  erbiers  qui  vont  jiar 
devant  ces  nioustiers,  a  ces 
povres  chapes  niaucousues, 
qui  portent  boistes  et  saches, 
et  si  estendent  un  tapis;  car 
tens  vent  poivre  et  coumiu 
et  autres  espices,  qui  n'a  pas 
autant  de  saches  com  il  ont. 
Sachies  que  de  ceus  ne  sui 
je  pas  ;  aiiis  sui  a  une  dame 
qui  a  non  madame  Trote  de 
Salerne,^  qui  fait  cuevre  chief 
de  ses  oreilles,  et  li  sourcis  li 
pendent  a  chaaines  d'argent 
par  desus  les  espaules ;  et 
sachies  que  c'est  la  plus  sage 
dame  qui  soit  es  quatre  par- 
lies du  monde.  Ma  dame  si 
nous  envoie  en  diverses  terres 
et  en  divers  pais :  en  Pouille, 
en  Calabre,  en  Tosquane,  en 
Terre  de  Labour,  en  Ale- 
maigne,  en  Soissoigne,  en 
Gascoigne,  en  Espaigne,  en 
Brie,  en  Champaigne,  en 
Bourgoigne,  en  la  forest 
d'Ardane,  pour  ocire  les 
bestes  sauvages  et  pour  traire 
les  oigneniens,  jjour  doner 
medecines  a  ceus  qui  ont  les 
maladies  es  cors.  Ma  dame 
si  me  dist  et  coraanda  que, 


Fair  people  !  I  am  not  one 
of  those  jjoor  pieachers  or 
poor  herbalists  who  walk  in 
front  of  the  churches  with 
poor  and  ill -stitched  copes, 
who  carry  about  boxes  and 
sacks,  and  lay  down  a  car- 
pet ;  for  some  sell  pepper 
and  cumin  and  other  spices, 
who  don't  own  as  many  sacks 
as  these  have.  Know  ye  that 
of  these  I  am  none  ;  but  I  be- 
long to  a  lady  named  Madame 
Ti'ote  de  Salerne,  who  makes 
a  night-cap  of  her  ears,  and 
her  eyebrows  are  hung  with 
silver  chains  (passing)  over 
her  shoulders  :  and  know 
that  she  is  the  wisest  woman 
in  the  four  quarters  of  the 
globe.  My  lady,  troth,  sends 
us  to  different  lands  and  to 
different  countries  :  to  Pou- 
elle,  to  Calabria,  to  Tuscany, 
to  Terre  de  Labour,  to  Ger- 
)nany,  to  Saxony,  to  Gascony, 
to  .Sj)ain,  to  Brie,  to  Cham- 
])agne,  to  Buigundy,  to  the 
Forest  of  Ardenne,  to  kill 
wild  beasts  and  extract  un- 
guents, and  to  give  medicines 
to  those  who  have  diseases  in 
their  frames.  My  lady,  i' 
faith,     told     me     and     com 


1  Ratel)tnif  ulhules  to  a  celebrated  physician  of  Salerno  in  tin;  eleventh 
century,  Trottola  de  Ho^geri. 


150 


HISTORICAL   READEU   OF    EAKLY    FEENCII. 


eu  quelque  lieu  que  je  ven- 
isse,  je  deisse  :iucune  chose 
si  que  oil  qui  fussent  entour 
nioi  i  preissent  bon  essemple, 
et  pour  ce  qu'ele  me  tist  jurer 
seur  sains,  quant  je  me  de- 
parti  de  li,  je  vos  aprendrai 
a  garir  du  raal  des  veis,  se 
vous  le  vonles  oir.  Voulcs 
oil- 1 


Aucun  me  demandent  dont 
li  vei'  vienent.  Je  vous  fai  a 
savoir  qu'il  vienent  de  di- 
verges viandes  reschaufees, 
et  de  ces  vins  enfustes  et 
boutes :  si  se  congi'ient  es  cors 
par  chaleur  et  par  humeurs ; 
car,  si  com  dient  li  philo- 
sophe,  toutes  choses  en  sont 
criees,  et  pour  ce  si  vienent 
li  ver  es  cors,  qui  montent 
jusqu'au  cuer  et  si  font 
mourir  d'une  maladie  qu'on 
apele  mort  soubitaine.  Sei- 
gniez  vous  !  Dieus  vous  en 
gart  tons  et  toutes  ! 


Pour  la  maladie  des  vers 
garir  (a  vos  ieus  la  vees,  a 
vos  pies  la  mai'chius  !)  la 
meilleur  erbe  qui  soit  es 
quati'e  parties  deu  monde, 
ce  est  I'armoise.  Les  femes 
s'en  ceingnent  le  soir  de  la 
Saint  Jehan,  et  en  font  cliap- 
eaus  seur  leur  chies,  et  dient 
que  goute  ne  avertins  ^  ne  les 
puet  prendre  n'en  chies,  n'en 
bras,  n'en  pie,  n'en  main  ; 
mais  je  me  merveil  quant 
les  testes  ne  leur  brisent  et 
que  li  cors  ne  rompent  par 
mi,    tant   a   I'erbe   vertu   en 


manded  me  that  in  every 
place  to  which  I  came  I 
should  speak  certain  things 
so  that  those  who  should  be 
round  me  should  take  good 
example  ;  and  since  that  she 
hath  made  me  swear  upon 
saints'  relics,  when  I  quitted 
her,  I  will  teach  you  to  re- 
cover from  the  disease  of 
worms  if  you  will  hear  me. 
Will  you  hear  me  ? 

Certain  ones  ask  me 
Whence  come  worms  ?  I 
would  have  you  know  that 
they  come  from  divers  meats 
warmed  up,  and  from  wines 
vatted  and  turned  sour : 
these  become  congested  in 
the  body  through  heat  and 
through  humours ;  for,  as  the 
philosophers  say,  all  things 
are  created  thei-efrom  (fiom 
the  body)  ;  and  thus  'tis  that 
the  worms  come  into  the 
body,  pass  upwards  to  the 
heart,  and  cause  people  to  die 
of  an  illness  called  sudden 
death.  Cross  yourselves  ! 
God  keep  you  from  this,  all 
men  and  all  women  ! 

To  cure  the  disease  of 
worms  (with  your  eyes  ye 
see  it,  with  your  feet  ye 
tread  it  !)  the  best  herb  in 
the  four  parts  of  the  world 
is  the  mugwort.  Women  gird 
themselves  therewithal  on  St 
John's  Eve,  and  make  hats 
thereof  to  their  heads,  and 
say  that  neither  gout  nor 
dizziness  can  ever  catch  them 
either  in  head,  or  in  arm,  or 
foot,  or  hand  ;  but  marvel 
when  their  heads  do  not 
break  and  their  bodies  do 
not  break  asunder,  so  much 


avertin,  probably  for  la  vertin,  from  vertigu. 


REFLECTIONS    OF   A    HERBALIST. 


151 


soi  !  Ell  cele  Champaigue 
ou  je  fui  lies  I'apele  Ton 
marrebourc,  qui  vaut  autant 
come  la  meie  des  erbes.  De 
cele  erbe  preiidrus  trois  ra- 
cines,  cine  fueilles  de  sauge, 
iiuef  fueilles  de  plantaing. 
Batez  ces  choses  en  un  moi- 
tier  de  cuivre,  a  un  pestel  de 
fer,  desjeiines  vous  du  jus 
par  trois  matins  ;  gari  seres 
de  la  maladie  des  vers. 


Or  ostes  les  cliaperons,^ 
tendes  les  oreilles,  regardes 
mes  erbes  que  ma  dame  en- 
voie  en  cest  pais  et  en  ceste 
terre  ;  et  pour  ce  qu'ele  vuet 
que  li  povres  i  puist  aussi 
bien  avenir  come  li  riches, 
ele  me  dist  que  j'en  feisse 
denree  ;^  car  teus  a  un  denier 
en  sa  bourse  qui  n'i  a  pas 
cine  livres  ;  et  me  dist  et 
comanda  que  preisse  un 
denier  de  la  monoie  qui 
courroit  ou  pais  et  en  la 
contree  ou  je  vendroie  :  a 
Paris  un  parisis,  a  Orliens 
un  orlenois,  a  Estampes  un 
estampois,  a  Bar  un  barrois, 
a  Viaiie  un  vianois,  a  Cler- 
mont un  clermondois,  a  Dijon 
un  dijonois,  a  Arras  un  ar- 
tisien,  a  Mans  un  niansois, 
a  Chartres  un  chartiaiii,  a 
Loud  res  en  Engleterre  un 
esterlin  ;  ^  pour  du  pain, 
pour  du  vin  a  moi,  pour  du 
fein,  pour  de  I'aveine  a  mon 
roncin ;  car  teus  qui  autel 
sert   d'autel  doit   vivre.     Et 


virtue  hath  this  herb  in  it- 
self !  In  this  Champagne 
where  I  was  born  they  call  it 
"  marrebourc,"  which  means 
as  much  as  the  "  mother  of 
the  herbs."  Of  this  herb 
you  will  take  three  roots, 
five  leaves  of  sage,  nine  leaves 
of  plantain.  Bruise  these 
things  in  a  copper  mortar 
with  an  iron  pestle,  break 
your  fast  with  the  juice 
thereof  for  three  mornings  : 
ye  shall  be  cured  of  the 
malady  of  worms. 

Now  off  with  your  caps, 
strain  your  ears,  examine 
my  herbs  that  my  lady  sends 
to  this  country  and  to  this 
land  :  and,  because  she  wishes 
that  the  poor  man  may  attain 
to  them  even  as  the  rich  man, 
she  told  me  I  should  make  the 
price  a  penny :  for  such  a  one 
has  a  penny  in  his  purse  who 
has  not  in  it  five  pounds : 
and  she  told  and  ordeied  me 
that  I  should  t<ake  a  penny 
of  the  coinage  which  would 
be  cuirent  in  the  country 
where  I  should  be  selling  : 
at  Paris  a  parisis,  at  Orleans 
an  orleanais,  at  Etampes  an 
etampois,  at  Bar  a  barrois, 
at  Vieiine  a  viennois,  at  Cler- 
mont a  clermondois,  at  Dijon 
a  dijonnois,  at  Arras  an  ar- 
tesian, at  Le  Mans  a  man- 
sais,  at  Chartres  a  chartain, 
at  London  in  England  a 
sterling  :  for  bread  and  wine 
for  myself,  and  for  hay  and 
oats  for  my  rouncy  (cob) ;  for 
he  who  serves  the  altar  must 


1  chcqjerons,  cloth  caps  worn  by  men  and  women  alike. 

2  denree,  den{a)ratu,  from  <lenariu.s. 

3  Sterling  ;  named  from  the  Eadi'diwjs  (men  of  the  East),  a  name  for 
the  Hanse  merchants  in  London,  leinp.  Henry  III.  (Skeat). 


152 


HISTOniCAL   READER    OP   EARLY    FRENCH. 


je  di  que  s'il  estoit  si  povres, 
ou  ons  ou  feme,  qu'il  u'eiist 
que  doner,  venist  avaut  je 
li  presteroie  I'une  de  nies 
mains  pour  Dieu  et  I'autre 
jjour  sa  mere. 


Ces  ei'bes  vous  ne  les 
mangeres  pas  ;  car  il  n'a  si 
fort  buef  en  cest  pais  ne  si 
fort  destrier  que  s'il  en  avoit 
ausi  gros  com  un  pois  seur 
la  laugue  qu'il  ne  mourust 
de  male  mort,  tant  sont  fors 
et  ameres  ;  et  ce  qui  est  amer 
a  la  bouche,  si  est  bon  au 
cuer.  Vous  les  me  metres 
trois  jours  dormir  en  bon  vin 
blanc  ;  se  vous  n'aves  blanc, 
si  prenes  vei'meil  ;  se  vous 
n'avez  vermeil,  prenes  chas- 
tain  ;  se  vous  n'aves  chastain, 
prenes  de  la  bele  eaue  clere  ; 
car  teus  a  un  puis  devant  son 
uis,  qui  n'a  pas  un  tonel  de 
vin  en  son  celier.  Si  vous 
en  desjelineres  par  treize 
matins  ;  se  vous  failles  a 
un,  prenes  autre  ;  se  vous  i 
failles  le  quart,  prenes  le 
quint  ;  car  ce  ne  sont  pas 
charoies.'  Et  je  vous  di  par 
la  passion  dont  Dieus  mau- 
dist  Corbitas  le  juif  qui  forja 
les  trente  pieces  d'argent  en 
la  tour  d'Abilant,  a  trois 
lieues  de  Jherusalem,  dont 
Dieus  fu  vendus,  que  vous 
seres  gari  de  diverses  mala- 
dies et  de  divers  meshains, 
de  toutes  fievres  sans^  quar- 
tain,  de  toutes  goutes  sans 
palasine,  de  I'enfleiire  deu 
cors  ;  car  se  mes  jieres  et 
ma    mere    estoient   ou    peril 


live  from  the  altar.  And  I 
say  that  if  there  were  one  so 
poor,  either  man  or  woman, 
that  he  had  nought  to  give, 
let  him  come  forward  !  I 
will  lend  liim  one  of  my 
hands  for  God  and  the  other 
for  his  mother. 

These  herbs,  ye  shall  not 
eat  of  them  ;  for  in  all  this 
country  there  is  not  ox  nor 
courser  so  strong,  that  if  he 
had  (of  them)  but  the  size  of 
a  pea  he  would  die  of  an  evil 
death,  so  strong  and  so  bitter 
are  they  :  and  that  which  is 
bitter  to  the  mouth  verily  is 
good  to  the  heart.  Ye  shall 
set  them  me  for  three  days 
to  sleep  in  good  white  wine  : 
if  you  have  not  white,  you 
shall  take  red  ;  if  you  have 
no  red  take  brown  ;  if  you 
have  not  brown,  take  fair 
clear  water,  for  some  have 
a  well  before  their  door  who 
have  not  a  barrel  of  wine  in 
their  cellar.  Yea,  ye  shall 
break  therewithal  your  fast 
for  thirteen  mornings.  If  ye 
miss  one,  take  it  the  next 
(day) ;  if  ye  miss  it  the  fourth 
day,  take  it  the  fifth,  for  tliese 
are  not  mere  charms.  And 
I  tell  you  by  the  vengeance 
wherewith  God  cursed  the 
Jew  Corbitas  who  forged  the 
thirty  pieces  of  silver  in  the 
tower  of  Abilant,  three 
leagues  from  Jerusalem  for 
the  which  God  was  sold,  that 
ye  shall  be  cured  of  divers 
maladies  and  of  divers  mis- 
haps ;  of  all  fevers,  even  the 
quartan  ;  of  all  gouts,  even 
the  palsy  ;  of  swelling  of  the 


1  charoie,  camaia,  prop.  "  lle.sli  bits,"  lience  bait,  allurements. 


sans,  eveu. 


LE   MYSTERE   DE   LA   PASSION.  153 

de  la  niort  et  il  me  demaiul-  body  :  for  if  my  father  and 
oient  la  meilleur  erbe  que  je  my  mother  were  in  peril  of 
leur  pelisse  doner,  je  leur  death,  and  should  they  ask 
doueroie  ceste.  En  tel  meni-  me  the  best  herb  that  I 
ere  vent  je  mes  erbes  et  mes  could  give  them,  I  would 
oignemens  ;  qui  voudra  si  en  give  them  this.  In  such 
preigne,  que  ne  voudra  si  les  wise  I  sell  my  herbs  and 
laist.  my  unguents  :   let  him  take 

who  wishes ;    who   will   not 
take,  let  him  leave  them. 


Le  jMy«tehe  de  la  Passion. 
Lucifer  et  Satan.     Chceur  des  demons. 

Lucifer.   Saixltez  hors  des  abismes  noirs, 
Des  obsciirs  infernaulz  manoirs, 
Tous  puans  de  feu  et  de  souffre, 
Deables,  sailliez  de  vostre  gouffre 
Et  des  horribles  regions  ; 
Par  milliers  et  par  legions 
Venez  entendre  nion  proces.^ 
Laissiez  les  chaisnes  et  croches, 
Gibes  ^  et  larronceaux  pendans, 
Fourneaux  fournis,  serpens  niordans, 
Dragons  plus  ardans  que  tenipeste  ; 
Ne  vous  bruslez  plus  groing  ne  teste 
A  faire  ces  metaulx  couller. 
Faictes  moy  bondir  et  crouller 
Tout  le  hideux  infernal  porce,^ 
De  haste  de  venir  a  force 
Oyr  nia  proposicion. 

i  proces  is  used  in  the  sense  of  "proposition":  it  refers  to  the 
words  which  end  the  tirade. 

-  gibes.  In  OFr.  this  word  signified  a  stick  ending  in  .in  iron  jiike: 
the  word  "gibet"  is  snpjiosed  to  be  connected  with  it,  anil  to  liave 
originally  signilied  a  forked  stick  ;  cf.  Gcr.  Gahcl.  Gihier,  game,  has 
been  connected  with  the  same  word,  meaning  originally  what  was 
brought  home  on  cross  sticks. 


154    HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 

Satan.   Qui  fait  cesto  mutacion  ?  ^ 
Lucifer,  roy  des  ennemis,- 
Vous  hurlez  comme  ung  lou  famis,^ 
Quand  vous  voulez  chanter  ou  rire. 

L.  Ha  !  Sathan,  Dieu  te  puist  maudire  ! 
Quand  ^  est  de  mes  ris  et  mes  chans, 
Hz  sont  nialheureux  et  nieschans  ; 
Ma  noblesse  et  ma  grant  beaulte 
Est  tournee  en  difformite, 
Mon  chant  en  lamentacion, 
Mon  ris  en  desolacion, 
Ma  kimiere  en  tenebre  umbrage,^ 
Ma  gloire  en  douloureuse  rage, 
Ma  joye  en  incurable  dueil; 
Ne  demeure  que  mon  orgueil 
Qui  ne  m'est  mue  ne  chang6 
Depuis  le  jour  que  fus  forg^ 
Lassus  au  pardurable  empire, 
Si  non  que  tousjours  il  empire. 
Sans  soy  diminuer  en  rien. 

S.  De  ce  point  je  vous  croy  tres  bien, 
James  n'y  attendez  reppos  ; 
Mes  cecy  n'est  point  au  propos, 
Sy  n'est  besoing  qu'on  le  reppete. 

L.  Astaroth,  sonne  la  trompete 
Et  busine  ^  par  telz  moyens 
Que  tous  les  deables  de  ceans 
Saillent  dehors  tost  et  en  haste.  .  .  . 
{All  son  de  la  frompette  accourent  Berlcli,  Belzehut  et 
Cerberus.) 

1  mutacion  :  who  stirs  up  this  trouble  ? 
-  ewweww  =  clevils. 
•'*  /amis  =  hungry,  *fam.itus. 

•*  /7Mfmc?= quant ;  lit.,  "  as  to  what  is  tlie  state  of  my  smiles  and  my 
songs." 
5  umbrage  is  an  adjective  =  into  sombre  darkness. 
^  husincr  (buccina),  to  sound  a  blast. 


l'aveugle  ET  LE  BOITEUX,  155 

S.  Avant  que  plus  avant  soit  fait 
Ne  plus  determine  par  vous, 
Deables,  arrengez  vous  tretous  ^ 
En  tourbe,  a  grosse  quantite 
Et  me  chantez  un  silete  ^ 
En  vostre  horrible  diablerie. 

Astaroth.  Vous  orrez  "^  belle  chanterie.  .  .  . 

Tous  les  demons.  La  dure  mort  eternelle 
C'est  la  chanson  des  dampnes  ; 
Bien  nous  tient  a  sa  cordelle 
La  dure  mort  eternelle  ; 
Nous  I'avons  desservy'*  telle 
Et  a  luy  sommes  donnes  ; 
La  dure  mort  eternelle 
C'est  la  chanson  des  dampnes. 

L'AVEUGLK    ET    LE    BoiTEUX. 

Moralite. 

UAvewjle.  L'aumosne  au  povre  diseteux  ^ 
Qui  jamais  nul  jour  ne  vit  goucte  ! 

Le  Boiteux.  Faictes  quelque  bien  au  boiteux, 
Qui  bouger  ne  peut  pour  la  goucte  ! 

L'A.  Helas  !  je  mourray  cy  sans  doubte, 
Pour  la  faulte  d'un  serviteur.'' 

Le  B.  Cheminer  ne  puis  :  somme  toute, 
Mon  Dieu,  soyez  nioy  protecteur ! 

1  tretous =trestous.  The  <res= trans,  and  lias  an  intensive  force. 
See  Darni.,  p.  284. 

2  A  "  silete  "  was  used  to  designate  those  passages  which  were  sung, 
but  were  not  strictly  si)eaking  part  of  the  mystery,  but  merely  inter- 
calated passages  expressive  of  joy  or  passion.  The  etymological  signi- 
fication seems  to  have  entirely  disappeared  :  it  means  nothing  more 
than  "  passage  for  singing." 

*  (»Te3= shall  hear.  •*  rfe.sseri«/e= deserved. 

s  diseteux,  hungry  one.  Cp.  Mod.  Fr.  disette,  from  dlseclH  (fem.  of 
the  past  part,  of  disecdre),  something  cut  off,  then  "the  .state  of  being 
cut  oft',"  "  famine." 

6  "  For  want  of  a  servant,"  Mod.  Fr.  J'aiU  d'un  serviieur. 


156         HISTOmCAL    KEADEK   OF   EAKLY    FJIKNCII. 

LA,    llt'las!   lo  inauvais  (letraclcur  ^ 
(^u'en  ce  lieu  iii'a  laissc  aiiisi ! 
En  luy  n'avoye  bon  conductevir ; 
Robe  ^  iii'a,  puis  m'a  plantc  cy. 

Le  B.  Ilclas  !  je  suis  en  grant  soucy 
Meshuy ''  do  gaigner  ma  vie  ! 
Partir  ne  nie  pourroye  d'icy, 
En  eussc-je  bien  grant  en  vie  ! 

VA.  Ma  povrete  est  assouvie,'' 
S'en  brief  temps  ne  treuve  nng  servant, 

Le  B.  Maleurte  ^  m'a  si  fort  suyvie, 
Qu'a  elle  je  suis  asservant. 

L'A.  Pour  bon  service  desservant  ** 
Trouveray  je  point  nng  vallet  1 
Ung  bon  en  ens,  en  mon  vivant, 
Qui  jadis  s'appeloit  Giblet. 
Seur  estoit,  combien  qu'il  fust  let.'' 
J'ay  beaucoup  perdu  en  sa  mort, 
Plaisant  estoit  et  nouvellet.^ 
Manldite  celle  qui  I'a  mort !  ^ 

Le  B.  N'auray  je  de  nully  ^"^  confort? 
Ayez  pitie  de  nioy,  \)0\\x  Dieu  ! 

VA.   Qui  es  tu,  qui  te  plains  si  fort  ? 
Mon  amy,  tire  t'en  ce  lieu ! 

Le  B.  Helas  !  je  suis  cy  au  milieu 

1  delracteiir  is  used  in  its  primitive  sense,  "evil  guide." 

-  rohe.     Cf.  Ital.  roha ;  from  O.H.Ger.  *rouha,  itself  from  ruubha,, 
N.II.Ger.  7-aub. 

■^  meshuy,  henceforward  ;  magis  hodie. 

■*  assoiivie,  j^erfect,  accomjjlislied,  absolute  ;  proLably  from  (Xs-sOpio,. 
to  lull  to  slumber,  reduce  to  silence,  content,  render  perfect. 

5  malheiirte,  ill-fortune  ;  mxde  a(u)giirata. 

"  desservant,  doing  good  service. 

''  He  was  sure,  though  he  was  ugly  ;  Id,  from  an  old  German  wonl 
lailh,  loathly.  "^ 

*  nouvellet,  simple,  naif. 

^  Cursed   be   she   {i.e.,   deatli)   who   killed   him  ;    moitrir  in   OFr. 
signified  "to  kill." 

If  mdly,  in  OFr.  nidlui,  case  of  the  indirect  rc'gime,  from  nul,  as 
autrui  from  metre:  "Shall  I  have  aid  from  none?" 


l'aveugle  et  le  boiteux,  157 

Dii  chemin,  ou  je  n'ay  puissance 
D'aller  avant.     Ha  !  sainct  ]\Iathieii ! 
Que  j'ay  de  mal ! 

VA.  Viens  et  t'advance 

Par  devers  moy,  pour  ta  plaisance. 
Un  petit  nous  esjo'irons. 

Le  B.  De  parler  tu  as  bien  I'aysance  !  ^ 
Jamais  de  bien  ne  jo'irons. 

VA.  Viens  a  moy  ;  grant  chiere  -  ferons, 
S'il  plaist  a  Dieu  de  paradis  ! 
A  mdly  nous  ne  mefferons,^ 
Combien  que  soyons  estourdis. 

Le  B.  Mon  amy,  tu  pers  bien  tes  ditz. 
D'ici  bouger  je  ne  scauroye. 
Que  de  Dieu  soyent  ceux  maulditz 
Par  qui  je  suis  en  telle  voye  ! 

VA.  S'a  toy  aller  droit  je  pouvoye, 
Content  seroye  de  te  porter, 
Au  moins  se  la  puissance  avoye, 
Pour  ung  peu  ton  mal  supporter, 
Et  toy,  pour  me  reconforter. 
Me  conduyroys  de  lieux  en  lieux. 

Le  B.  De  ce  ne  noiis  fault  deporter  :  "* 
Possible  n'est  de  dire  mieulx. 

VA.  A  toy  droit  m'en  voys,  se  je  peux. 
Voys  ^  je  bon  chemin  % 

Le  B.  Ouy,  sans  faille. 

VA.  Pour  ce  que  tomber  je  ne  veulx, 
A  quatre  piedz  vault  mieidx  que  j'aille. 
Voys  je  bien  1 

Le  B.  Droit  comme  une  caille. 

Tu  seras  tantost "  devers  moy. 

1  In  Mod.  Fr.,    "  Tu  en  paries  bien  a  ton  aise" —  "It  is  very  easy 
talking." 

-  chiere=*cara,  face,  expression  ;  Eng.  cheer. 

■'  vwfferons,  will  do  liarni  to. 

••  deporter,  used  in  the  sense  of  ecarter,  to  move. 

5  Voys=vais.  *  tantost,  immediately. 


158 


HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCIL 


VA.  Quant  seray  pix^s,  la  main  nie  bailie. 

Le  B.  Anssi  feray  je,  par  ma  foy. 
Tu  ne  vas  pas  bien,  tourne  toy. 

VA.  Pardegal 

Le  B.  Mais  a  la  main  destre. 

VA.  Ainsyl 

Le  B.  Ouy. 

L'A.  Je  suis  hors  de  moy, 

Puisque  je  te  tiens,  mon  beau  maistre. 
Or  9a,  veuille  toy  sur  moy  mettre : 
Je  croy  que  bien  te  porteray. 

Le  B.  A  cela  me  fault  entremettre, 
Puis  apres  je  te  conduyray. 

L'A.  Es  tu  bien  'l 

Le  B.  ^"7)  tout  ponr  vray. 

Garde  bien  de  me  laisser  choir. 

L'A.   Quant  en  ce  point  je  le  feray, 
Je  pri  Dieu  qu'il  me  puist  mesclioir.-^ 


The   Minstrel   of    Reims. 


Death  of  King  Richard. 


Et  tant  alerent  qu'il  pris- 
treiit  port  a  Diepe  qui  sienne 
estoit,  et  vinrent  a  Rouen 
que  il  amoit  mout,  et  pris- 
trent  la  ce  que  mestiers  leur 
fu.'  Et  fist  errer  ^  son  ost 
jusqu'a  un  chastel  qui  estoit 
le  roi  Phelipe,'*  que  on  apele 
Loche,  qui  mout  estoit  fors 
et  bien  seans  et  bien  garnis, 
et   qui    mout    estoit    en    sa 


They  went  on  till  they 
put  into  harbour  at  Dieppe, 
which  belonged  to  the  king  ; 
they  arrived  after  this  at 
Rouen,  which  he  loved  great- 
ly, and  tliere  they  got  what 
they  needed.  Then  he  made 
liis  army  march  to  a  castle 
which  belonged  to  King 
Philip,  named  Loche,  very 
strong,    very    well    situated 


1  If  in  this  I  shall  not  do  thy  bidding  I  pray  God  that  mischance 
may  befall  me. 

2  ce  que  mestiers  leurfu,  what  they  wanted  ;  lit.,  and  what  was  their 
service  {minister ium). 

3  errer,  used  simjily  for  "to  proceed"  (iterare). 

4  Which  was  (that  of)  King  Philip, 


THE   MINSTREL   OF  llEIMS, 


159 


greviince.'  Si  se  traisst  cele 
part  et  I'assist,  ct  jura  qu  il 
ne  sen  partiroit  devaiit  ce 
<(u'il  I'eust  pris  par  force. 
Et  i  fist  assaillir  et  jour  et 
nuit  ;  mais  cil  dedens  se  de- 
feudirent  viguereusement, 
car  il  estoient  asses  gent  et 
bien  garni.  Et  avint  un 
jour  que  li  rois  Richars  aloit 
remirant  le  chastel,  une  targe 
devant  lui  ;  et  fu  percelis 
d'un  arbalestrier  qui  estoit 
en  line  tournele  d'ainglee, 
qui  sailloit  plus  avant  que 
les  autres  tourneles.  Si  mist 
un  carrel  en  coche,  ^  et  trait 
droit  au  roi,  et  le  fiert^  a 
descouvert  ou  tournant  de 
la  destre  espaule  ;  et  le  navra 
durenieiit.  Quant  li  i^ois  se 
senti  navre,  si  se  traist  ar- 
riere,  et  vint  a  son  tref.*  Et 
furent  li  mire  apareillie''  qui 
li  traistrent  le  carrel  fors  de 
I'espaule  tout  entier,  et  li 
cerchierent  la  plaie,  et  dirent 
qu'il  n'avroit  garde  se  il  se 
vouloit  bien  garder.^  Mais 
li  rois,  qui  estoit  de  grant 
cuer,  ne  prisa  riens  la  plaie 
ne  le  conseil  des  mires  ;  si 
but  et  manja  quanqu'il  li 
plout.  Et  sa  plaie  comen^a 
a  forsener/  et  li  feus  i  feri/ 


and  defended,  wliich  caused 
Richard  great  annoyance. 
He  turned  towards  this 
castle  then,  and  besieged  it, 
swearing  that  he  would  not 
go  away  before  he  had  taken 
the  place  by  force.  He  de- 
livered attacks  on  it  day  and 
night :  but  those  who  were 
in  the  town  defended  them- 
selves valiantly,  for  they 
were  numerous  and  well  pro- 
tected. It  happened  one 
day  that  Richard  was  going 
around  scanning  the  castle, 
with  a  buckler  in  front  of 
him.  He  was  espied  by  a 
crossbowman  who  was  in  a 
corner  turret  which  projected 
in  front  of  the  other  turrets. 
The  crossbowman  puts  a  bolt 
in  the  slot  and  aims  straight 
at  the  king,  whom  he  strikes 
unprotected  at  the  edge  of 
his  right  shoulder  :  and  he 
wounded  him  sore.  When 
the  king  felt  himself  wound- 
ed, he  dragged  himself  back- 
wards to  his  tent.  And  they 
assembled  the  doctors,  who 
extracted  the  bolt  from  his 
shoulder  intact,  and  probed 
his  wound  :  they  said  he 
had  nothing  to  fear  if  he 
would  keep  quiet.     But  the 


1  "And  which  was  much  to  his  annoyance" — i.e.,  which  caused 
Richard  much  trouble;  "lie  drew  then  in  this  direction." 

-  (The  cros.sbowman)  put  a  carrel  in  its  groove.  The  carrel  was  au 
arrow  tipped  with  .steel  ;  the  coche  is  the  groove  on  which  the  arrow 
lay  to  be  projected. 

''  fiert,  strikes  him  (ferin'). 

*  tref,  tent  (trahem)  ;  strictly  tent-pole. 

•''  "And  the  doctors  were  assembled."  Mire=medicum.  Cp,  ?w?)iVe 
=  remedium.     Cp.  Toynbee,  s.v. 

"  And  said  that  he  would  have  no  anxiety  if  he  would  look  alter 
himself. 

^  for  sexier,  "to  grow  violent"  ;  forcme,a.  madman  (frtris-.imnains). 

8  et  li  feus  i  feri,  and  the  fire  struck  there  ;  /eri  is  .3  sing.  pert. 
from  /erir. 


160 


HISTORICAL   REAPER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


et  eii  pou  d'eiue  eii  fii  tons 
jiourpris  li  costes  et  li  bras. 
Et  quant  li  rois  vit  qu'il  ar- 
doit  tous  et  que  mourir  le 
eouvenoit,  si  comeu^va  a  com- 
plaindre  lui  meesmes  et  a 
regreter  ;  et  disoit  ainsi  : 
"  He  !  rois  Richars,  niourras 
til  done  1  Ha  !  mors,  come 
ies  hardie  quant  tu  osas  as- 
saillir  le  roi  Richart,  le  miens 
entechie  ^  chevalier  et  le  jdIus 
conrtois  et  le  plus  large  den 
monde.  Ah  !  chevalerie, 
come  iras  a  declin  !  He  ! 
jjovres  dames,  povre  cheva- 
lier, que  devendrez  vous  ? 
Ha  !  Diens,  qui  retendra 
mais  chevalerie,  lai-gesce  ne 
conrtoisie  ?" 


Ainsi  se  complaignoit  li 
rois,  et  quant  il  vit  qu'il 
le  eouvenoit  mourir,  si  com- 
anda  que  ses  cuers  fust  en- 
fouis  a  Rouen  pour  I'amour 
qu'il  i  avoit,  et  ses  cors  fust 
portes  a  Londres  et  enfouis 
en  la  mere  iglise.  Atant 
trespassa  et  rendi  son  esperit, 
el  lors  coramencierent  sa 
gens  a  faire  le  greigneur'-^ 
duel  que  onques  gens  feis- 
sent ;  et  se  departi  li  oa 
d'enqui,  et  s'en  alerent  a 
Rouen.  Et  la  fu  enfouis  li 
cuers  le  roi  Richart,  et  li 
cors  de  lui  fu  portes  h  Lon- 
dres ou  on  fist  le  greigneur 


king,  who  was  very  high- 
spirited,  despised  the  wound 
and  the  advice  of  the  doc- 
tors :  he  drank  and  ate  as 
much  as  he  pleased.  And 
the  wound  began  to  spread 
furiously,  the  fever  struck 
into  it,  and  in  a  few  hours 
all  the  side  and  arm  were 
attacked.  When  the  king 
saw  that  he  was  burning  all 
over  and  that  he  must  die, 
he  then  began  to  break  out 
into  wailing  and  lamenta- 
tions. "Alas!  King  Rich- 
ard, are  you  then  to  die  ? 
Ah,  death,  how  bold  art 
thou  to  dare  to  attack  King 
Richard,  the  most  gifted  of 
knights,  the  most  courteous 
and  the  most  bountiful  in 
all  the  world.  Ah,  Chivalry, 
what  a  fall  shall  be  thine  ! 
Woe  is  me,  poor  ladies,  poor 
knights,  what  will  become 
of  you  !  Ah,  God  !  who  will 
henceforth  be  the  defender 
of  chivalry,  lavishness,  and 
courtesy  ? " 

Thus  did  the  king  lament : 
and  when  he  saw  that  he 
must  die,  then  he  commanded 
that  his  heart  should  be 
buried  at  Rouen  because  of 
the  love  he  had  of  her,  and 
that  his  body  should  be  car- 
ried to  London  and  buried, 
in  the  mother  church.  Then 
he  passed  away  and  gave  up 
the  ghost,  and  then  his  fol- 
lowing betjan  to  make  the 
greatest  lamentation  that 
men  ever  made,  and  the 
army  departed  and  went  to 
Rouen.  And  there  the  heart 
of  King  Richard  was  buried, 
and  his  body  was  carried  to 


1  enlechie,  remarkable  (<ecAe=Mod.  Fr.  tache). 

2  (jreigneur=grandiore»i.     We  find  also  graindre,  from  grandior. 


JOINVILLE. 


161 


duel  qui  onques  fust  fais 
d'ame  :  et  fu  enfouis  en  la 
grant  iglise  a  grant  oneur,  et 
li  fu  faite  tombe  bele  et  riche 
teus  come  il  aferoit  a  roi.^ 


London,  where  tlie  greatest 
lamentation  was  made  that 
was  ever  yet  made  for  a 
soul  :  he  was  buried  in  the 
great  church  in  great  honour, 
and  his  tomb  was  made  fair 
and  rich,  in  every  way  be- 
fitting a  king. 


THIETEENTH  AND  FOURTEENTH  CENTURIES. 

joinville. 

Attack  on  the  French  Oamp  during  the  Night. 
The  Priest  de  Voisey  puts  Eight  Saracens  to  flight. 


Quant  je  fu  conchies  ^  en 
nion  lit,  la  ou  je  eiisse  bien 
mestier  de  repouser  pour  les 
bleceiires  que  j'avoie  eu  le 
jour  devant,  il  ne  m'avint 
pas  ainsi  ;  car,  avant  que  il 
fust  bien  joui's,  Ton  escria 
en  nostre  ost :  "  Aus  armes  ! 
aus  armes  !  "  Je  fis  lever 
mon  chamberlenc  qui  gisoit 
devant  moi,  et  li  di  que  il 
alast  veoir  que  c'estoit.  Et 
il  levint  tons  effrees,  et  me 
dist :  "  Sire,  or  sus  !  or  sus  ! 
que  vea  ci  les  Sarrazins  qui 
aont  venu  a  pic  et  a  cheval  ; 
et  ont  deseonfit  les  sergens 
le  roi  qui  gardoient  les 
engins,  et  les  ont  mis  dedans 
les  cordes  de  nos  paveillons." 

Je   me   levai    et   jetai    uii 


When  I  had  lain  down  on 
my  bed,  where  I  should  have 
greatly  needed  to  rest  on 
account  of  the  wounds  I  had 
received  the  day  before,  it 
fell  not  to  me  ;  for  before  it 
was  day  the  cry  "  To  arms  ! 
To  arms  !  "  was  raised  in  our 
aimy.  I  made  my  body- 
servant,  who  was  lying  be- 
fore me,  rise,  and  told  him 
to  go  and  see  what  it  was. 
He  came  back  all  in  a  fright, 
and  said  to  me  :  "  Up  !  Up  ! 
Here  are  the  Saracens  upon 
us  with  foot  and  horse  ;  they 
have  put  to  flight  the  king's 
squires  who  were  keeping 
watch  over  the  war-engines, 
and  have  driven  them  back 
among  our  tent-stays." 

I   got   up,  cast   a   quilted 


1  "  As  it  was  suitable  for  a  king  "  ;  aferoit,  3  sing,  imperf.  of  aferir, 
to  ]>elong  to. 

-  conchies = coll ocatus  ;  probably  influenced  by  culcita  {vide  Kor- 
ting,  s.v.) 


162    HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


vest  on  my  back  and  an  iron 
hauberk  on  my  head,  and 
shouted  to  our  squires,  "  By 
St  Nicliolas  !  they  shall  not 
stay  there."  My  knights 
came  to  me  wounded  as  they 
were,  and  we  drove  back 
the  squires  of  the  Saracens 
outside  the  engines  right 
up  to  a  large  squadron  of 
wounded  Turks  who  were 
all  quite  close  to  the  engines 
we  had  conquered.  I  re- 
quested the  king  to  give  us 
help  ;  for  neither  I  nor  my 
knights  had  been  able  to  put 
on  our  helmets,  on  account 
of  our  wounds  ;  and  tlie  king 
sent  us  Lord  Gaucher  de 
Chatillon,  who  took  up  his 
position  between  us  and  the 
Turks,  in  front  of  us. 

When  the  Lord  of  Chcatil- 
lon  had  driven  back  the 
squires  of  the  Saracen  in- 
fantry, these  fell  back  upon 
a  large  body  of  mounted 
Turks,  which  was  drawn  up 
in  front  of  our  army  to  pre- 
vent our  surprising  the  army 
of  the  Saracens  which  was 
encamped  behind  them.  Of 
this  body  of  mounted  Turks, 
eight  of  the  leaders,  all  very 
well  armed,  had  dismounted 
and  had  made  a  rampart  of 
hewn  stones  to  avoid  being 
wounded   by   our    crossbow- 

1  gamhoison,  padded  clothes  put  on  under  the  armour.  A  Ger. 
word,  wamba,  belly.     Cp.  Eng.  womb. 

2  res  a  res  de,  close  to  (rasum)  :  part,  used  as  prep. 

3  je  is  used  to  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century  where  we  should 
employ  inoi  in  Modern  French.  Tlie  objective  form  probably  was 
substituted  as  more  emphatic. 

*  se  Iqja  (lor/ea),  posted  himself.     Ger.  Havlyja  (O.H.Ger.  louba,  a 
protecting  roof). 
5  chevefains,  chieftains. 
^  hourdels,  au  entrenchment.     Cp.  hurdle. 


gamboison  ^  en  mon  dos  et 
un  chapel  de  fer  en  ma  teste, 
et  esci'iai  a  nos  sergens : 
"  Par  saint  Nicolas  !  ci  ne 
demourront  il  pas."  Mi 
chevalier  me  vindrent  si 
bleci^  come  il  estoient,  et 
reboutames  les  sergens  aus 
Sarrazins  hors  des  engins, 
jusques  devant  une  grosse 
bataille  de  Turs  a  cheval, 
qui  estoient  tuit  res  a  res 
des  2  engins  que  nous  avions 
gaaignies.  Je  mandai  au 
roi  que  il  nous  secourust ; 
car  je^  ne  mi  chevalier 
n'avions  pouoir  de  vestir 
haubers  pour  les  plaies  que 
nous  avions  eiies  ;  et  li  rois 
nous  envoia  monseigneur 
Gauchier  de  Chasteillon, 
liqueus  se  loja*  entre  nous 
et  les  Tui's,  devant  nous. 

Quant  li  sires  de  Chasteil- 
lon eut  reboute  ariere  les 
sergens  aus  Sarrazins  a  pie, 
il  se  retraistrent  sus  une 
grosse  bataille  de  Turs  a 
cheval,  qui  estoit  rangiee 
devant  notre  ost,  pour  garder 
que  nous  ne  surpreissions 
Post  aus  Sarrazins,  qui  estoit 
logiee  dariere  eus.  De  celle 
bataille  de  Turs  a  cheval 
estoient  descendu  a  pie  uit 
de  leur  chevetains^  mout 
bien  arme,  qui  avoient  fait 
un  hourdeis"  de  pierres 
tailliees,  pour  ce  que  nostre 


JOINVILLE, 


163 


arbalestrier  ne  les  ble9assent: 
cist  uit  Sarrazin  traioient  a 
la  volee  parmi  notie  o.st,  et 
bleciei'ent  pliiseur.s  de  iios 
gens  et  de  nos  chevaus.  Je 
et  mi  chevalier  nous  meismes 
ensemble  et  aeeordames, 
quant  il  seroit  anuitie,^  que 
nous  emporterions  les  pierres 
dont  il  se  liourdoient.  Uns 
miens  prestres,  qui  avoit  a 
non  monseigneur  Jeban  de 
Voissei,  fu  a  ce  conseil,  et 
n'atendi  pas  tant,  aingois  ^ 
se  parti  de  nostre  ost  tous 
seas,  et  s'adre^a  vers  les 
Sarrazins,  son  gamboison 
vestu,  son  chapel  de  fer  en 
sa  teste,  son  glaive  dessous 
I'essele  pour  ce  que  li  Sar- 
razin ne  I'avisassent.  Quant 
il  vint  pres  des  Sarrazins  qui 
riens  ne  le  prisoient  pour  ce 
que  il  le  veoient  tout  seul, 
il  langa  son  glaive  de  sous 
s'esselle  et  leur  courut  sus. 
II  n'i  eut  nul  des  uit  qui  y 
meist  defense,  aingois  tour- 
nerent  tuit  en  fuie.  Quant 
oil  a  cheval  viient  que  leur 
seigneur  s'en  venoient  fuiant, 
il  ferirent  des  esperon.s  pour 
eus  rescourre,  et  il  saillireiit 
bien  de  nostre  ost  jusques  a 
cinquante  sergens  ;  et  cil  a 
cheval  vindrent  fei'ant  des 
esperons,  et  n'oserent  asem- 
bler  a  nostre  gent  a  pie, 
aingois  guenchirent  ^  i)ar 
devant  eus.  Quant  il  eurent 
ce  fait  ou  dous  fois  ou  trois, 
uns  de  nos  sergens  tint  son 
glaive  par  le  milieu,  et  le 
langa  a  un  des  Turs  a  cheval, 
et    li    en     dona     parmi    les 


men.  These  eight  Saracens 
tired  at  random  on  our  army 
and  wounded  several  of  our 
men  and  horses.  My  knights 
and  I  took  counsel  together, 
and  decided  that  when  night 
iiad  fallen  we  would  take 
away  the  stones  behind 
which  they  were  intrenched. 
One  of  my  priests  named 
Lord  Jean  de  Voisey  was 
present  at  this  debate,  and 
did  not  wait  so  long,  but  left 
our  army  all  alone  and  made 
for  the  Saracens  clad  in  his 
quilted  vest  with  his  iron 
hauberk  on  his  head  and  his 
sword  under  his  armpit,  so 
as  not  to  be  noticed  by  the 
Saracens.  When  he  came 
near  the  Saracens,  who  did 
not  susj)ect  him  in  the  least, 
as  they  saw  him  all  alone,  he 
pulled  out  his  sword  from 
under  his  armpit  and  ran 
upon  them.  Not  a  single 
one  of  the  eight  stood  his 
ground,  but  all  took  to  flight. 
When  the  men  on  horseback 
saw  their  leaders  coming 
in  full  flight,  they  spurred 
hard  to  rescue  them,  and  then 
about  fifty  squires  charged 
from  our  army  ;  and  the 
cavalry  came  on  spurring 
hard,  but  did  not  dare  to  try 
conclusions  with  our  un- 
mounted men,  and  so  turned 
tail  before  them.  When 
they  had  done  this  two  or 
three  times,  one  of  our 
squires  grasped  his  sword 
in  the  middle  and  hurled  it 
at  one  of  the  mounted  Turks, 
letting    him    have    it    some- 


1  quant  il  seroit  anuitie,  when  it  should  be  night-time. 

2  anfois  or  aingois— J-iat.  antius,  rather,  but. 

3  guenchirent,  gave  way ,  turned  bridle;  OFrank.  loenkjan;  O.H.Ger, 
winchoM  ;  Eng.  wince. 


164 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF  EARLY  FRENCH, 


costes ;  et  emporta  cil  qui 
frapes  estoit  le  glaive  trai- 
nant  dont  il  avoit  le  fer 
panai  les  costes.  Quant  li 
Turc  virent  ce,  il  n'i  oserent 
puis  aler  ne  venir,  et  nostre 
sergent  emporterent  les 
pierres.  Des  illec  en  avant 
fu  mes  pi'estres  bien  coneiis 
en  I'ost,  et  le  moustroient  li 
uns  a  I'autre  et  disoient : 
"  Ves  ci  [le  prestre  monseig- 
neur  de  Joinville,  qui  a  les 
uit  Sarrazins  desconiis." 


where  in  the  ribs  ;  and  the 
man  who  was  thus  struck 
carried  with  him  in  his  fall 
the  sword  with  the  blade 
sticking  in  his  ribs.  When 
the  Turks  saw  this  they  did 
not  dare  either  to  advance 
or  to  retreat,  and  our  squires 
removed  the  stones.  From 
that  time  my  j^riest  was  well 
known  in  the  army  :  men 
pointed  him  out  to  one 
another  and  said,  "There  is 
my  Lord  de  Joinville's  priest 
who  put  the  eight  Saracens 
to  flight." 


Joinville  remonstrates  with  St  Louis. 


Ou  chastel  de  Yeres  de- 
scendi  li  rois  de  la  mer,^ 
et  la  roine  et  sui  enfant. 
Tandis  que  li  rois  sejournoit 
a  Yeres  pour  ])ourchacier- 
chevaus  a  venir  en  France,  li 
abes  de  Cligni,  qui  puis  fu 
evesques  de  I'Olive,^  li  pre- 
sents dous  palefrois  qui 
vauroient  bien  an  jour  d'ui 
cine  cens  livres,  un  pour  li, 
et  I'autre  pour  la  roine. 
Quant  il  li  eut  presentd,  si 
dist  au  roi  :  "  Sire,  je  vendrai 
demain  parler  a  vous  de  mes 
besoignes."  Quant  ce  vint 
Ten  demain,  li  abes  revint  ; 
li  rois  rouf  mout  diligent- 
ment  et  mout  longement. 
Quant  li  abes  s'en  fu  partis, 
je  vin  au  roi  et  li  dis  :  "Je 
vous  vueil  demander,  se  il 
vous  plait,  se  vous  aves  oui 


The  king  landed  at  the 
castle  of  Hyferes  with  the 
queen  and  his  children. 
While  he  was  tarrying  there 
in  order  to  pi'ocure  the 
horses  necessary  for  his  i-e- 
turn  to  France,  the  Abbd  of 
Cluny,  who  was  afterwards 
Bishop  of  Olive,  presented 
him  with  two  palfreys,  which 
at  the  present  day  would  be 
worth  quite  five  hundred 
pounds,  one  for  him  and 
another  for  the  queen. 
When  he  had  presented 
them,  he  said  to  the  king, 
"  Sire,  I  will  come  to-morrow 
to  talk  to  you  about  my 
business."  When  the  next 
the  abbe  came 
king  listened  to 
and  attentively. 
When  the  abbe  was  gone,  I 


day  came, 
back  :  the 
him 


loner 


1  descendre  de  la  mer=debarquer. 

2  pourchacier,  to  purchase.     Chacier  comes  from  *captiare, 

3  evesques  de  I'Olive.  The  reference  is  to  William  of  Pontoise,  who 
was  in  succession  Prior  of  La  C'harit('',  Abbe'  of  Cluny,  and  Bishop  of 
Olive,  in  the  Morea. 


JOINVILLE. 


165 


plus  debonnerement  I'abc  de 
Cligni,  pour  ce  que  il  vous 
dona  ier  ces  dous  palefrois." 
Li  rois  pensa  longement  et 
me  dist  :  "  Vraiement  ouil." 
"  Sire,"  fis-je,  "  saves  vous 
pour  quoi  je  vous  ai  faite  ceste 
demande?"  "Pour  quoi?" 
fist  il.  "  Pour  ce,  sire,"  fis  je, 
"  que  je  vous  lo  et  conseil  que 
vous  defendes  a  tout  vostre 
conseil  jure,  quant  vous  ven- 
dres  en  France,  que  il  ne 
preigneiit  de  ceus  qui  avront 
a  besoignier^  par  devant 
vous ;  car  soiies  certains,  se 
il  prenent,  il  en  escouteront 
plus  volentiers  et  plus  dili- 
gentment  ceus  qui  leur 
donront,  ainsi  come  vous 
aves  fait  I'abe  de  Cligni." 
Lors  apela  li  rois  tout 
son  conseil,   et  leur  recorda 


errant  2   ce   que   je   li 
dit  ;    et  li  dirent   que 
avoie  loe-*  bon  conseil. 


avoie 
je   li 


went  to  the  king  and  said 
to  him,  "  I  should  like  to 
ask  you,  if  you  will  allow  me, 
whether  you  did  not  listen  to 
the  Abbe  of  Cluny  with  the 
greater  complaisance  be- 
cause he  gave  you  the  pal- 
freys yesterday."  The  king 
thought  long  and  said  to 
me,  "Truth  to  tell,  yes." 
"  Sire,"  said  I,  "  do  you  know 
why  I  asked  you  that  ques- 
tion?" "Why?"  said  he. 
"In  order  to  give  you  ad- 
vice and  to  beg  you  to  forbid 
your  Privy  Council,  when 
you  return  to  France,  to 
accept  anything  from  those 
who  will  have  to  transact 
business  before  you  ;  for  be 
certain  that  if  they  accept, 
they  will  on  this  account  lis- 
ten with  the  greater  goodwill 
and  attention  to  those  who 
shall  give  them  presents, 
just  as  you  have  done  with 
the  Abbe  of  Cluny."  Then 
the  king  assembled  all  his 
council,  and  related  at  once 
what  I  had  said  to  him, 
and  all  told  him  that  I  had 
given  good  advice. 


Love  of  St  Louis  for  the  Poor, 


Des  le  tens  de  s'enfance,^  From  his  youth  uji wards 
fu  li  rois  piteus  des  povres  the  king  was  full  of  com- 
et des  soufzeteus ;  et  acous-  passion  for  the  poor  and 
tume  estoit  que  li  rois,  par-  suffering,    and    the     custom 

1  That  they  .should  accept  nothing  from  those  who  will  have  to  treat 
with  you — hesoiynier. 

2  errant,  part,  used  as  adv.,  immediately  (Lat.  ilerundo). 

3  loe,  part,  of  loer  (Lat.  laudare),  to  praise  :  it  passes  through  the 
meanings  of  to  approve,  to  allow,  to  offer,  as  here. 

•*  s'enfance.  In  OFr.  the  vowel  of  ma  was  elided  (in').  Tlio  liabit 
of  substituting  the  obj.  from  mon  sprang  up  at  the  end  of  the  four- 
teenth eeutury.     Cf.  Brachet  and  Toyubee,  §  512. 


166 


HISTORICAL  HEADER  OF  EAKLY  FRENCH. 


tout  ou  il  aloit,  que  si.s  vins  ^ 
povre     fussent     tout     ades- 
repeii,  en  sa  maison,  de  pain, 
de  vin,  de  char  ou  de  poisson, 
chascuu  jour.     En  quaresme 
et  es  auvens  ci'oissoit  li  nom- 
bres  des  povres  ;  et  pluseurs 
fois    avint    que    li    rois    les 
servoit,    et    leur    metoit    la 
viande   devant   eus,    et   leur 
trenchoit    la   viande    devant 
eus,   et   leur   donoit    au   de- 
partir,   de   sa   propre   main, 
des    deniers.       Meesmement 
aus  hautes  vegiies  des  festes 
solenij)nieus,    il    servoit    ces 
povres  de   toutes  ces   choses 
desus    dites,    avant    que     il 
manjast  ne  ne  beiist.     Avec 
toutes    ces    choses,   avoit    il 
chascuu    jour    au    disner    et 
au  souper  pres  de  li  anciens 
onies    et    debrisic's,    et    leur 
faisoit  doner  tel  viande  come 
il     manjoit ;     et     quant     il 
avoient    mangie,    il    empor- 
toient   certaine  somme  d'ar- 
gent.     Par  desus   toutes   ces 
choses,  li  rois  donoit  chascun 
jour    si    grans    et    si    larges 
aumosnes     aus     povres     de 
religion,  aus  povres  ospitaus, 
aus   povres   malades,   et  aus 
povres  colleges,  et  aus  povres 
gentis    homes    et    femes    et 
damoiselles,   a  povres   femes 
veuves   et   a   povres   menes- 
triers   qui   par   vieillesce    ou 
par     maladie     ne     pouoient 
labourer   ne   maintenir   leur 
mestier  ;   que  a  peine  j^our- 
roit  I'on  raconter  le  nombre. 

1  " 


was  that,  wherever  the  king 
went,  a  hundred  and  twenty 
poor  folk  were  always  sup- 
plied in  his  house  with  bread, 
wine,    meat,    or    fish    every 
day.     In   Lent  and  Advent 
the  number  of  the  poor  was 
greater,     and     it     happened 
several   times  that  the  king 
served  them,  set  their  food 
before  them,  cut  them  their 
meat,   and    on    leaving   gave 
them   money   with   his   own 
hands.     In  the  same  way  at 
the  high  vigils  of  the  solemn 
holy  days  he  served  the  poor 
with    all    the    things    men- 
tioned   above   befoi^e   eating 
and  drinking  himself.      Be- 
sides this,  he  had  every  day 
old  men  and  cripples  to  dine 
and  sup  beside  him,  and  he 
had    set    before     them     the 
dishes    he   was    eating,   and 
when   they  had    eaten   they 
went  away  with  some  sum 
of  money.     Furthermore,  the 
king    gave    such    large    and 
ample  alms  to  the  religious 
poor,   to  the  poor  hospitals, 
to  the  sick  poor,  to  the  poor 
colleges,  to  poor  gentlemen, 
ladies,  and  girls,  and  to  the 
poor    craftsmen    whom    old 
age  or  illness  prevented  from 
working  and  practising  their 
craft,    that    the    number    of 
them       could      hardly      be 
counted.     And    so   we   may 
fairly  say  that  he  was  more 
happy    than     the     Emperor 
Titus    of    Rome,    concerning 


■  And  the  custom  was  that  everywhere  tlie  king  went  one  liundred 
and  twenty  poor  shouhl  always  be  fed  in  his  house."  The  construction 
is  irregular :  the  sentence  begins  as  if  it  should  have  run,  ' '  and  the 
custom  was  that  the  king  .  .  .  should  feed,"  &c.  For  sis  vins=six 
vingts,  cp.  quatre-viwjls  and  quinze-vingts. 

-  ades  (Lat.   ad   ipsuin),  at   once,   and  by  extension,   continually. 
Cp,  Ital.  adesso. 


FARCE   DE   MAlSTliE   I'lEKKE   I'ATHELIN.  167 

Dont  iiuUa  polions  bien  dire       wlioiii  the  old  annals  relate 
ijue  il  fu  plus  beneiireus  que       that  he  was  sad  and  down- 
Titus  li  empei-eres  de  Eonie,       oast    through    one    day    not 
dont  les  ancienes  escrij^tures       having  done  a  good  action, 
racontent  que  trop  se  doulut 
et  fu  desconfortus  d'un  jour 
que     il     n'avoit     done      nul 
benefice. 


FIFTEENTH   CENTURY. 

Farce  de  Maistre  Pierre  Pathelin. 

Scene  entre  Pathelin  et  Guillaume  Joceaume,  drapier, 
I  dans  la  boutique  de  celui-ci. 

Pathelin.  Or  ainsi  m'aist  Dieu  que  j'avoye^ 
De  vous  veoir  grant  voulente  ! 
iComment  se  porte  la  sante? 
jEstes  vous  sain  et  dru,^  Guillaume  1 

Le  Drapier.  Ouy,  par  Dieu  ! 

P.  Qa,  ceste  paulme.^ 

Comment  vous  va  ? 

Le  D.  Et  bien  vrayement, 

A  vostre  bon  commandement. 
JEt  vous  1 

P.  Par  sainct  Pierre  I'apostre, 

Comme  celuy  qui  est  tout  vostre. 
Ainsi,  vous  esbatezl* 

Le  D.  Et  voire  !  ^ 

Mais  marchans,  ce  devez  vous  croire, 
Nc  font  pas  tousjours  a  leur  guise. 

1  Lit.,  "thus  may  'lo<l  help  inc  us  I  had  a  wish,"  itc. 

2  dru—yi^W  nourished,  in  good  condition  ;  from  a  Cellit;  root,  dr&to^ 
fat.     Darra.,  p.  610. 

*  So,  give  me  your  liand. 

••  esbatez,  you  are  iiaii])y  ;  votis  vous  ebatle^, 

5  voire,  even  so. 


168         HISTORICAL  KEADEll   OF   EARLY   FKENCH. 

P.   Comment  se  porte  marchandiso  ] 
S'en  peut  on  ne  soigner  ne  paistre]^ 

Le  D.  Et,  se  m'aist  Dieu,  mon  duulx  maistre, 
Je  ne  scay,  tousjours  hay  !  avant !  - 

P.  Ha  !  qu'estoit  ung  homme  sravant 
(Je  requier  Dieu  qu'il  en  ait  Fame  !) 
]Je  vostre  pere,  doulce  Dame  ! 
II  m'est  advis  tout  clerement 
Que  c'est  il  de  vous  proprement.^ 
Qu'estoit  ce  un  bon  marchand  et  saige  !  ^ 
Vous  luy  ressemblez  de  visaige, 
Par  Dieu,  comme  droicte  painture. 
Se  Dieu  eut  one  de  creature 
Mercy,  ^  Dieu  vray  pardon  lui  face 
A  Tame  ! 

Le  D.  Amen,  par  sa  grace, 
Et  de  nous,  quand  il  luy  plaira  ! 

P.  Par  ma  foy,  il  me  desclaira,^ 
Maintefois  et  bien  largement, 
Le  temps  qu'on  voit  presentement. 
Moult  de  fois  m'en  est  souvenu, 
Et  puis  lors  il  estoit  tenu 
Ung  des  bons. 

Le  D.  Seez  vous,  beau  sire : 

II  est  bien  temps  de  le  vous  dire  ; 
Mais  je  suis  ainsi  gracieux. 

P.  Je  suis  bien,  par  Dieu,  jJi'ecieux. 
II  avoit  .  .  . 

Le  D.  Vrayement  vous  seerez. 

1  Can  oue  maintain  oneself  and  feed  oneself  from  it '{ 

"  And  so  may  God  help  me,  my  sweet  master,  I  know  not :  I 
am  always  shouting,  Ho  !  forward — i.e.,  I  am  always  straining  to 
get  on. 

3  I  am  quite  of  opinion  that  when  I  speak  of  your  father  it  is  as  if 
I  spoke  of  you  :  lit.,  it  is  of  you  strictly. 

■*  How  good  and  wise  a  merchant  he  was  ! 

^  Mercy,  pity. 

^  dcsclaira,  he  explained  to  me. 


FARCE  DE  MAISTRE   PIERRE  PATHELIN.  169 

P.  Vouleiitiers.     Ha  !  que  voi;s  verrez 
Qu'il  me  disoit  de  grands  merveilles  ! 
Ainsi,  ni'aist  Dieu  !  que  des  oreilles, 
Du  nez,  de  la  bouche,  des  yeulx, 
One  enfant  ne  ressembla  mieulx 
A  pere.     Quel  nienton  forchc  !  ^ 
Vrayment,  c'estes  vous  tout  poche  .  .   . 
Vous  luy  ressemblez  mieulx  que  goutte 
D'eaue,  je  n'en  fais  nulle  doubte. 
Quel  vaillant  bachelier  c'estoit, 
Le  bon  preudhomme  !  et  si  prestoit 
Ses  denrees  -  a  qui  les  vouloit. 
Dieu  lui  pardoint !  ^    II  me  souloit 
Tousjours  de  si  tres  bon  cuer  rire  ! 
Pleust  a  Jesus  Christ  que  le  pire 
De  ce  monde  luy  ressemblast !  ^ 
On  ne  tollist  pas,  ne  n'emblast 
L'ung  a  I'autre,  comnie  Ton  faict. 
Que  ce  drap  icy  est  bien  faict ! 
Qu'est  il  souef,^  doux  et  traictis  !  " 

Le  D.  Je  I'ay  faict  f aire  tout  f aictis  ^ 
Ainsi  des  laines  de  mes  bestes. 

P.  Hen,  hen,  quel  mesnagier  '■*  vous  estes  ! 
Vous  n'en  ystriez  pas  de  I'orine 

1  f(rrche=fourch\i — i.e.,  showing  a  slight  furrow  in  the  centre :  this 
was  deemed  a  sign  of  beauty  in  the  middle  ages. 

-  denrees = denier s.  In  Mod.  Fr.  denree  is  exclusively  confined  to 
the  meaning  "  wares,"  "goods,"  and  denier  to  the  meaning  of  the  coin 
— denarius. 

3  pardoint,  old  subjunctive  oi pardonner, 

*  souloit,  from  souloir—salere,  he  was  accustomed. 

5  ressemblast,  tollist,  emhlast.  These  are  imperfect  subjunctives  em- 
ployed as  present  conditionals  :  Would  that  men  would  not  take  or  rob 
from  each  other!  Tollist,  from  tollir=  toll  ere;  embhist,.  from  enMer, 
to  steal.  6  souef—suavis,  soft. 

'■  traictis,  supple.     Cf.  Chaucer's  "tretys  "  (Prol.  152). 

^  f aictis,  pretty,  elegant.     Cf.  "fetys"  (Chaucer,  Prol.  156). 

*  mesnagier,   mansionaticarius,   properly  householder :    then    iu 
witler  sense,  worker,  toiler. 


170         HlSTUUll'AI.   UEADKi;    OF  EAHLY   FRENCH. 

Du  pere  ;  ^  vostre  corps  ne  fine 
Incessament  de  besoingnier ! 

Le  D.   Que  voulez-vous  ?     II  fant  soingner 
Qui  ^  veult  vivre  et  soustenir  paine. 

P.   Cestuy-ci  est-il  taint  en  laine  ] 
II  est  fort  comme  un  courdouen.^ 

Le  D.   C'est  ung  tres  bon  drap  de  Eouen, 
Je  vous  promets,  et  bien  drappe. 

P.   Or,  vrayement,  j'en  suis  attrappe  ;  ^ 
Car  je  n'avoye  intention 
D'avoir  drap,  par  la  Passion 
De  Nostre  Seigneur  !  quand  je  vins. 
J'avoy  mis  a  part  quatre  vingts 
Escus,  pour  retraire  une  rente ; 
Mais  A'ous  en  aurez  vingt  ou  trente, 
Je  le  voy  bien  ;  car  la  couleur 
M'en  plaist  tres  tant  que  c'est  douleur. 

Pathelin  ^  rentre  a  son  logis  avec  le  drap  qu'il  n'a  pas 
payc  et  apres  avoir  invite  le  drapier  k  venir  chez  lui 
partager  une  oie  que  dame  Guillemette  est,  dit-il,  en  train 
de  faire  rotir.     Survient  Guillaume  qui  frappe  a  la  porte  : 

Hau  !  maistre  Pierre. 

Guillemette.  Helas !  sire, 

1  You  would  not  go  out  from,  quit,  desert,  the  origin  of  your  father 
— i.e.,  You  are  in  good  truth  of  your  father's  stock.  Ystriez  is  con- 
ditional mood  of  issir  {exire). 

"  He  must  take  pains  who  fain  would  live.  Qtd=\^  one ;  qui 
retained  this  sense  down  to  the  seventeenth  century.  The  modern 
French  proverb,  "  Tout  vient  h,  point  h  qui  sait  attendre,"  was  formerly 
"Tout  vient  k  point  qui  sait  attendre." 

3  courdm(eii,  oorduba  leather  ;  cordubanus.  Cf.  Mod.  Fr.  curdonnier, 
our  "cordwainer." 

4  attrax>pe,  "taken"  with  it. 

6  Pathelin  conies  back  to  his  house  carrying  the  cloth  which  he 
has  procured  without  paying  for.  He  has  previously  invited  the 
cloth  merchant  to  come  and  share  a  goose  whicli  dame  Guillemette,  he 
says,  is  just  roasting.     "William  comes  up  and  knocks  at  the  door. 


FAROE  DE   MAISTKE   PIERRE   I'ATHELIN.  l7l 

Par  Dieu  !  se  vous  voulez  ricu  ^  dire, 
Parlez  plus  bas ! 

Le  D.  Dieu  vous  gard,  dauie  ! 

G.  Ha  !  plus  bas  ! 

Le  D.  Et  quoy  ? 

G.  Bon  gre,  m'anie  .   .  . 

Le  A  Ou  est-il  ] 

G.  Las  !  ou  doit  il  estre  1 

Le  D.  Le  qui  1 

G.  Ha  !  c'est  nial  dit,  nioii  maistre  : 

Ou  est-il !     Et  Dieu,  par  sa  grace, 
Le  sache  !     II  garde  la  place 
Ou  il  est,  le  povre  martir, 
Onze  semaines,  sans  partir  .   .  . 

Le  D.  De  qui  .  .  . 

G,  Pardoniicz  uioi,  je  n'ose 

Parlec  haut ;  je  croy  qu'il  repose  ; 
H  est  un  petit  aplomme.^ 
Helas  !  il  est  si  assomm*^ 
Le  povre  homme  .  .  . 

Le  D.  Qui  1 

G.  ]\Iaistre  Pierre. 

Le  D.  Ouay  !  n'est  il  pas  venu  querre 
8ix  aulnes  de  drap  maintenant  ? 

G.  Qui,  luy? 

Le  D.  II  en  vient  tout  venant, 

N'a  pas  la  moytie  d'ung  quart  d'heure. 
Delyvrez  moy.^     Dea  !  je  deineure 
IJeaucoup.     ^a,  sans  plus  flageoller,* 
Mon  argent  ? 

G.  116  !  sans  rigoUer  ! 

11  n'est  pas  temjis  que  Ton  rigolle. 

1  rien,  anything.  -  a])lovime,  reposing. 

3  JJelyvrez  moy,    "  pay  me  "  ;  del'ibero,  lit.,  "  free  me." 
■^  JlfMjeoller,  to  dun;  prob.  from  Tuut.  *Jlaihan;  O.H.d^r.  Jlehdn. 
Cp.  Jlagcyrner,  to  fawn  on. 


172         IIISTOKICAL    IlEADEK    OF    EAKLY   FKENCH. 

Le  D.   Ca,  mon  argent  1     Estes  vous  f olle  !  .  .  , 
Baillez  moy  1 

G.  Parlez  has  !     Ferez  1  ^ 

Le  D.  Mais  vous  mesmes  I'esveillerez 
Vous  parlez  plus  hault  quatre  fois, 
Par  le  sang  bieu  !  que  je  ne  fais. 
Je  vous  requier  qu'on  me  delivre. 

G.  Et  qu'est  cecy  1     Estes  vous  y  vre 
Ou  hors  de  sens  %      Dieu  nostre  Pere  ! 

Le  D.  Yvre  1     Maugre  en  ait  sainct  Pere  !  ^ 
Voicy  une  belle  demande  ! 

G.  Helas  1  plus  bas  ! 

Le  D.  Je  vous  demande 

Pour  six  aulnes,  bon  gre  saint  George,  ^ 
De  drap,  dame. 

G.  On  le  vous  forge  !  ^ 

Et  a  qui  I'avez  vous  bailie  1 

Le  D.  A  luy  mesme. 

G.  II  est  bien  taill6 

D'avoir  drap  !  Helas  !  il  ne  hobe  !  ^ 
II  n'a  nul  besoin  d'avoir  robe  : 
Jamais  robe  ne  vestira 
Que  de  blanc,  ne  ne  partira 
Dond  ^  il  est  que  les  piedz  devant ! 

Le  D.   C'est  done  depuis  soleil  levant? 
Cer  j'ay  a  luy  parl6  sans  faute.   .   .  . 

1  /ere2= will  you  receive  it  ? 

2  maugre  en  ait  sainct  Pere!  May  St  Peter  have  trouble  therefrom. 
Maugre=nuile  gratum. 

3  hon  gre  saint  Gem-ge,  by  the  goodwill  of  St  George. 

*  Ironically,  Your  money  is  being  forged,  coined,  for  you  !  Forger, 
from  fdhrlcare. 

^  il  ne  hobe.  He  does  not  move.  The  OFr.  word  lioher,  "  to  move," 
is  referred  by  K.  to  an  0.  Norse  word  hojfa,  "to  give  way." 

^  Dond,  whence ;  de  unde. 


GEOFFEOY   DE  VILLEHARDOUIN. 


173 


GeOFFROY    DE    ViLLEHARDOUIN. 

An  episode  in  the  history  of  the  fomtli  crusade.  Yille- 
hardouin,  born  about  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century, 
was  the  Mar^chal  de  Champagne.  His  history  marks  the 
transition  of  the  epic  into  history  proper  :  it  is  the  oldest 
specimen  of  French  historical  prose.  His  history  was 
written  in  the  Burgundian  dialect,  Avhich  has,  however, 
been  much  modified  by  the  copyist  of  the  MS.  from 
which  this  version  is  taken.  Cf.  Demogeot,  p.  193, 
Toynbee,  Specimens,  xlv. 


Arrival  of  thk  Crusaders  in  sight  of  Constantinople. 


Or  poez  savoir  que  mout 
esgarderent  Coustantinoble 
oil  qui  onques  mais  ne 
I'avoient  veiie  :  que  11  ne 
pooient  mie  cuidier  que  si 
riche  vile  peiist  estre  en  tout 
le  monde,  com  il  virent  ces 
hauz  murs  et  ces  riches  tours 
dont  ele  eret  close  tout  en- 
tfiur  a  la  reonde,  et  ces  riches 
])alais  et  ces  hautes  iglises, 
dont  il  avoit  taut  que  nuls 
nel  1  peiist  croire,  se  ne  le 
veist  a  I'ueii,  et  le  lone  et  le 
le  de  la  vile  qui  de  toutes  les 
autres  eret  souveraiue.  Et 
.sachiez  que  il  n'i  eut  si  liardi 
cui  la  chars  ne  frcmist  ;  et 
ce  ne  fu  niie  mervcille  ;  que 
onques  si  granz  afaires  ne  fu 
empris  de  nule  gent  puis  que 
11  niouz  fu  estorez.^ 


Lors  descendirent  a  terre 
li  comte  et  li  baron  et  li  dus 


Now  you  may  know  that 
they  looked  long  at  Constan- 
tinople, they  who  had  never 
seen  it  before  ;  for  tliey  were 
unable  to  believe  that  there 
could  be  so  rich  a  town  in 
all  the  world,  when  they  saw 
those  high  walls  and  those 
sumptuous  towers  with  whicli 
itwas  encompassed  all  around 
on  every  side,  and  those  rich 
l^alaces  and  lofty  churches 
of  which  there  were  so  many 
that  no  one  could  have  be- 
lieved it  if  he  had  nc^t  seen 
it  with  his  eyes,  and  the 
length  and  breadth  to  boot 
of  the  town  which  among 
all  others  was  paramount. 
Know  further  that  there 
was  none  so  bold  that  his 
flesh  did  not  quake  ;  and 
there  was  no  wonder  in  this, 
for  never  was  so  mighty  a 
venture  undertaken  by  any- 
body since  the  world  was 
created. 

Then  the  counts  and  barons 
and  the  Duke  of  Venice  set 


1  nel=ne  le. 


2  estorez  {staurare),  to  l)nil(l  up, 


174         HISTORICAL   REAPEi;    OF    EARLY    FRENCH. 


de  Venise  ;  et  fu  li  parlemenz 
on    mmistier    saint   Estione. 
La  eut  maint  conseil  pris  et 
done.     Toutes  les  paioles  qvii 
la  furent  dites  ne  vous  con- 
tera  mie  li  livres  ;    inais  la 
some  deu  conseil  si  fu  teus 
que  li  dus  de  Venise  se  dre9a 
en     estant     et     leur     dist  : 
"  Seigneur,  je   sai   plus   deu 
convinc^   de    cest    pais    que 
vous  ne  faites,  car  autre  foiz 
i  ai  este.     Vous  avez  le  plus 
grant  afaire  et  le  plus  peril- 
leus     entrejoris    que    onques 
genz  entre])re'issent ;  jwur  ce 
si  convendroit  que  on  ouvrast 
sagement.     Sachiez,  se  nous 
alons     a     la     terra     ferme, 
(|ue    la    terre    est   granz   et 
large,    et    nostra    gent    sont 
))ovre     et     diseteus     de     la 
viande.2     Si  s'espandront  par 
la     terre     pour     querre     la 
viande  ;  et  il  i  a  mout  grant 
plante  de  la  gent  ou  pais  ;  si 
ne  porrions  tout  garder  que 
nous   n'en    perdissions.       Et 
nous     n'avons      mestier      de 
perdre  ;  que  mout  avons  pou 
de  gent  a  ce  que  nous  voulons 
faire.     II  a  isles  ci  pres,  que 
vous  poez   veoir   de   ci,    qui 
sont    habitees    de    genz,    et 
labourees     de     blez     et     de 
viandes    et    d'autres    biens. 
Alons  illuec  prendre  part  et 
recueillons    les    blez    et   les 
viandes  deu  pais  ;    et  quant 
nous     aurons      les      viandes 
i-ecueillies,   alons   devant    la 
vile,  et  faisons  ce  que  Nostre 
Sire  avra  pourveli.     Car  plus 
seiirement    guerroie    cil    qui 
a    la    viande    que     oil     qui 


foot  to  earth,  and  the  Parlia- 
ment was  held  at  the  cliurch 
(if  St  Etienne.     There  many 
a    counsel    was    taken    and 
given.      All  the  words  that 
were   said    there    the    book 
will   not    tell    you,   but   the 
end  of  the  debate  was  such 
that    the    Duke    of    Venice 
stood  up  and  said  to  them  : 
"Lords,  I  know  better  than 
you    the     manner     of     this 
country,    for    I    have    been 
here    aforetime  :    you    have 
undertaken  the  greatest  and 
most  perilous    venture    that 
ever  men  have  undertaken  ; 
and  for  this  cause  it  would 
be  well  that  we  should  act 
with   wisdom.      Know   that 
if   we   go   to    the    mainland 
the  land  is  wide  and  spacious 
and  our  folk   are    poor  and 
lack  victual.      And  so  they 
will  scatter  throughout   the 
land   to    forage    there,    and 
there    is   a   great    multitude 
of  folk  in  the  country  ;  and 
so  we  should  not  be  al)le  to 
set  so  good  a  watch  that  we 
should  not  lose  some  of  our 
men.     And  we  cannot  afford 
to  lose  them  :    for  we  have 
right  few  men  for  what  we 
have     to     do.        There     are 
islands  near  here  which  you 
can  see  from  here  which  are 
inbabi:e(l,    and    where     are 
produced  corn,  victuals,  and 
other  good   things.      Let  us 
go  and   harbour   there,   and 
gather  in  the  corn  and   the 
victuals  of  the  country  ;  and 
when   we  have  gathered   in 
the  victuals,  let  us  go  before 


1  C07ivinc,  a  verbal  substantive  from  convenir=les  convenances,  the 
manners  and  customs. 

'  diseteus  de  la  viande,  in  need  of  provisions  :  viande  had  not  yet 
been  specialised  into  the  sense  of  meat. 


GEOFFROY  DE   VILLEHAEDOUIN. 


175 


n'en  a  point."  A  eel  conseil 
s'acoi'derent  li  comte  et  li 
baron,  et  s'en  ralerent  tuit 
a  leur  n^s  chascuns  et  a  ses 
valsseaus. 


Ainsi  repouserent  cele  nuit. 
Et  au  matin,  le  jour  de  la 
feste  monseigneur  saint  Jehan 
Baptiste,  furent  dreciees  les 
banieres  et  li  gonfanon  es 
chasteaus  des  nes,  et  les 
houces  ostees  des  escuz,  et 
])Ourtendui  li  boit  des  nes. 
Chascuns  regardoit  ses  armes 
teus  com  a  lui  convint ;  que 
de  fi  sevent  que  par  tens  en 
avi'ont  niestier. 


Li  marinier  traient  Its 
ancres  et  laissent  les  voiles 
au  vent  aler ;  et  Dieus  leur 
done  bon  vent  tel  com  a  eus 
convint.  Si  s'en  passent  tres 
par  devant  Constantinoble, 
si  pres  des  niurs  et  des  tours 
que  a  maintes  de  leur  nes 
traist  ^  on.  Si  i  avoit  tant 
de  gent  seur  les  niuis  et  seur 
les  tours  que  il  sembloit  que 
il  n'elist  se  la  non.^  Ainsi 
leur  bestourna"*  Dieus  Nostre 
Sire  le  conseil  qui  fu  jjris  le 
soir  de  tourner  es  isles,  ausi 
com  se  chascuns  n'en  eiist 
onques  oui  parlor.  Et  main- 
tenant   traient^   a    la  fernie 


the  town,  and  do  whatsoever 
our  Lord  shall  have  decided. 
For  moi'e  surely  does  he 
make  war  who  has  victuals 
than  he  who  has  none  of 
them."  To  this  counsel  the 
counts  and  barons  gave 
assent,  and  they  each  and 
all  returned  to  their  ships 
and  vessels. 

Thus  they  rested  that 
night.  And  in  the  morning, 
it  being  the  holy  day  of  the 
blessed  saint  John  the  Bap- 
tist, they  hoisted  standards 
and  pennants  on  the  turrets 
of  the  ships,  took  off  the 
coverings  from  the  shields, 
and  decked  out  the  sides  of 
the  vessels.  Each  man  looked 
to  his  arms  (to  see  if  they 
were)  even  so  as  he  should 
have  them,  for  they  knew 
of  a  certainty  that  soon  they 
would  need  them. 

The  sailors  weigh  anchor, 
and  let  the  sails  go  free  be- 
fore the  wind  ;  and  God  gives 
them  a  fair  wind,  even  such 
an  one  as  was  needful  to 
them.  So  they  jmss  right 
before  Constantinople  so  close 
to  the  walls  and  towers  that 
many  of  their  vessels  were 
shot  at.  And  there  were  so 
many  folk  on  the  walls  and 
the  towers  that  it  seemed 
there  were  none  anywhere 
but  there.  So  God  our 
Saviour  made  them  change 
the  counsel  which  had  been 
taken  the  night  before,  to 
du-ect   their    course    to    the 


1  pourtendu,  hung  with  tapestrj-. 

2  traist,  3  sing,  from  traire,  to  draw,  fires  at. 

3  que  il  n'e'dst  se  {a  non.     That  there  were  not  any  except  these. 

4  bestourna,  "confounded,"  "turned  aside";   the  prefix  bes=rLa,t. 
bis,  has  often  a  pejorative  force.     Cp.  hevue,  hes-aigre. 

5  traient,  3  sing,  indie,  from  traire. 


176    HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


terre  plus  droit  que  il  onques 
pueent  ;  et  pristrent  poi-t 
devant  uu  palais  I'emjjere- 
eur  Alexi '  dout  li  lieus  es- 
toit  apelez  Chalcidoines  ;  et 
fu  endroit  Constantinoble, 
d'autre  jjart  deu  Braz,  devers 
la  Turquie.  Cil  palais  fu 
uns  des  plus  beaus  et  des 
plus  delitables  que  onques 
ueil  peiissent  esgarder,  de 
touz  les  deliz  que  il  convieut 
a  cors  d'ome,  que  en  niaisou 
de  prince  doit  avoir. 


Et  li  comte  et  li  baron 
descendirent  a  la  terre,  et  se 
herbergierent  ou  palais  et  en 
la  vile  entour  ;  et  li  pluseur 
tendirent  leur  paveillons. 
Lors  furent  li  cheval  trait 
fors  des  uis-iers,''^  et  li  cheva- 
lier et  li  sergent  descendirent 
a  la  teri'e  a  toutes  leur  armes, 
si  que  il  ne  remest  es  vais- 
seaus  que  li  marinier.  La 
contree  fu  bele  et  plenter- 
euse  de  touz  biens,  et  les 
moies  des  blez  (qui  estoient 
messone)  parmi  les  cliams ; 
tant  que  chascuns  en  vout 
prendre  si  en  jnist,  com  cil 
qui  grant  mestier  en  avoient. 


Ainsi  sejourneront  en  eel 


side  of  the  islands  :  it  was 
as  if  no  one  had  ever  heard 
speak  of  this.  And  now 
they  go  to  the  mainland  as 
straight  as  they  may  and 
came  to  anchor  before  a 
palace  of  the  Euiperor  Alexis 
of  which  the  region  was 
called  Chalcedonia :  it  was 
opposite  to  Constantinople, 
tlie  other  side  of  the  Arm, 
in  the  direction  of  Turkey. 
This  palace  was  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  the  most 
delightful  which  eyes  could 
ever  have  seen,  full  of  all  the 
delights  which  are  proper  to 
man  and  which  should  be  in 
a  prince's  house. 

And  the  counts  and  barons 
put  foot  to  ground  and  took 
lodging  in  the  palace  and  the 
town  around  it.  And  the 
greater  part  pitched  their 
tents.  Then  they  led  the 
horses  out  of  the  great  shij)s 
of  burden  and  the  knights 
and  squires  set  foot  to  earth 
with  all  their  arms,  so  that 
none  remained  on  the  ships 
but  the  sailors.  The  land 
was  fair  and  bountiful  in  all 
good  things,  and  the  corn- 
stacks  (which  were  harvested) 
were  in  the  middle  of  the 
fields ;  so  each  man  took  as 
much  as  he  wished  to  take, 
like  folk  who  had  great  need 
of  it. 

They  tarried  thus  in   this 


1  %in  palais  Vempereeiir  Alexi :  in  OFr.  the  possessive  genitive  was 
marked  by  the  objective  case  witliout  a  preposition  ;  thus  we  find  "la 
maison  le  roi,"  not  "la  maison  du  roi."  Cf.  Brachet  and  Toynbee, 
§  677,  ii.  This  usage  survives  in  such  exjiressions  as  "  le  projet 
Freycinet,"  &c. 

2  uissier,  a  big  vessel  used  for  the  transport  of  horses  and  troops,  with 
an  opening  (ids=huis)  in  the  stern  for  the  purpose  of  embarking  and 
disembarking  them  (Toynbee,  Spec,  p.  194). 


GEOFFPtOY  DE   VILLEHARDOUIN, 


177 


palace  on  the  morrow,  and 
on  the  third  day  God  gave 
them  a  fair  wind  ;  and  the 
sailors  raised  anchor  and 
spread  their  sails  before  the 
wind.  And  thus  did  they 
go,  high  up  the  Arm,  a  good 
league  above  Constantinople, 
to  a  palace  which  belonged 
to  the  Emperor  Alexis,  and 
which  was  called  Escutaire. 
There  were  anchored  two 
vessels,  the  ships  of  burden 
and  all  the  galleys,  and  ten 
knights  who  had  taken  lodg- 
ing in  the  palace  of  Chalced- 
onia  went  skirting  the  land. 
So  the  army  of  the  French 
took  its  station  on  the  Arm 
of  St  George,  at  the  Escutaire 
and  above  it.  When  the 
Emperor  Alexis  saw  it,  then 
he  made  his  host  come  forth 
from  Constantinople  :  he 
took  his  station  on  the  other 
bank,  on  the  other  side,  in 
front  of  them  :  he  pitched  his 
tents  so  that  they  might  not 
be  able  to  land  in  his  despite. 
Thus  the  army  of  the  French 
tarried  for  the  space  of  nine 
days  ;  and  they  got  them 
victuals  who  needed  them  ; 
and  the  needy  ones  were 
all  those  of  the  army. 

1  Vendemain^le  lendemain  ;  the  initial  I  is  due  to  tlie  agghitination 
of  the  definite  article.     Cp.  la  lierre=0¥v.  Vierre. 
-  resachent,  "  draw  up."    Lat.  saccare  {sacctis),^  Span,  sacar 
3  oz—ost  (hostem),  army. 


palais  I'endemain,'  etau  tierz 
jour  leur  dona  Dieus  bon 
vent ;  et  cil  marinier  re- 
sachent- leur  ancres  et  di^e- 
cent  leur  voiles  au  vent. 
Ainsi  s'en  vont  contremont 
le  Braz,  bien  une  lieue  deseur 
Costantinoble,  a  un  palais 
qui  eret  I'empereeur  Alexi, 
qui  eret  apelez  I'Escutaire. 
Enqui  se  ancreerent  les  nes 
et  li  uissier  et  toutes  les 
galies  ;  et  la  chevalerie  qui 
eret  herbergiee  ou  palais  de 
Chalcidoine  ala  encoste  par 
terre.  Ainsi  se  herbergier- 
ent  seur  le  Braz  Saint  Jorge, 
a  I'Escutaire  et  contremont, 
I'oz  3  des  Francois.  Et  quant 
ce  vit  I'emperere  Alexis,  si 
fist  la  seue  ost  issir  de  Con- 
stantinoble  :  si  se  herberja 
.seur  I'autre  rive,  d'autre  part, 
endroit  eus  ;  si  fist  tendre  ses 
paveillons,  pour  ce  que  cil 
ne  peiissent  prendre  terre  par 
force  seur  lui.  A insi  sejourna 
I'oz  des  Fran9ois  par  nuef 
jourz,  et  se  pourcha^a  de 
viande  cil  qui  mestier  en  eut  ; 
et  ce  furent  tuit  cil  de  I'ost. 


1  From  this  comes,  without  doubt,  the  familiar  exjiression  "sack,"  to  dis- 
miss. In  the  "Captives"  of  Plautus,  1.  90,  is  the  following  :  "ire  .  .  .  atl 
Hacfuni  licet." 


M 


178    HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


HisTOKY  OF  William  the  Marshal. 

An  anonymous  historical  poem  composed  in  England 
during  the  first  half  of  the  thirteenth  century.  It  relates 
the  life  of  Guillaume  le  Marechal,  Count  of  Pembroke,, 
Eegent  of  England  during  the  minority  of  Henry  III. 

This  extract  contains  a  description  of  the  death  of 
Henry  II.  He  has  concluded  a  humiliating  treaty  with 
Philip  Augustus  between  Tours  and  Azai ;  he  then  pro- 
ceeds to  Chinon,  where,  feeling  that  he  is  stricken  with  a 
mortal  illness,  he  sends  to  the  King  of  France,  claiming 
from  him  the  fulfilment  of  his  promise — viz.,  to  divulge 
the  names  of  those  who  had  taken  up  hostile  arms  against 
himself  (Toynbee,  Specimens,  xl.) 

Death  of  Henry  the  Second. 

Li    rois    Henris    a    Chinon      King  Henry  came  to  Chinon ;; 

vint, 
Mais  teus  domages  i  avint  but    such    evil    befell    him' 

there 
Que   puis    n'i    eut    bien    ne      that     thenceforth      he     had 
delit,  neither         welfare        nor 

pleasure, 
Ne  puis  ne  leva  de  son  lit.  nor  thenceforth  did  he  arise 

from  his  bed. 
Malades  jut  ^  ou  ^  lit  mortal :       He   remained  lying  sick  on 

his  deathbed. 
Sin  3  soufrirent  enui  e  mal  So  they  suffered  sadness  and 

pain 
Et    grant    douleur    cil     qui      and  great  sorrow,  those  who 

I'amerent,  loved  him 

Et  qui  avecques  lui  i  erent.         and  who  were  with  him. 
Et    nequedent*    mout   vout       However,  he  desired  eagerly 

savoir  to  know 

Et  mout  vout  en  escrit  avoir      and  greatly  longed  to  have 

in  writing 
Ceus  qui  erent  ses  contrem-      those     who     had     engaged, 
pris,^  ag3,inst  him, 

1  jut,  3  sing.  perf.  from  ^esir.  2  ou=en  le. 

3  sin=si  en,  ■*  nequedent=ne-que*dbnt ;  adv.  "nevertheless.',' 

6  contrempris=contre-e))ipris ;  allies  opgosed  (to  him).. 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAM  THE   MAESHAL, 
Et  qu'en  eiist  les  nons  apris. 


179 


aii<l    to   learn   the  names  of 

them. 
Master  Roger  Malchael, 
who  then  was  tlie  bearer  of 

his  seal, 
he   ordered    to    go    without 

delay 
to    Tours    to    the    King    of 

France, 
to   make   him  put   down    in 

writing, 
even   as  he  had  deigned   to 

promise  him, 
all  those  who  were  his  con- 
federates, 
even    until   he    thus   got   to 

know  their  names. 
Master  Roger  did  it  thus  : 
He  went  to  Tours  and  wrote 

down  the  names 
of  all  those  who  were  con- 

fedeiate 
with  the  King  of  France  and 

who  had 
promised    him    help    in   his 

war 
against   the   King    of    Eng- 
land. 
Master  Roger  acted  thus 
according  to    the   order  and 

word  of  the  king. 
He     may     not     stay     there 

longer : 
He  came  back  from  the  King 

of  Fi'ance,  Master  Roger, 
Maistre   Rogiers,   devant    le      and  presented  himself  before 

roi  ;  the  king, 

Et  il  11  dist  que  en  secroi  who  told  him  that  in  secret 

Li  recontast  qui  cil  estoiont         he   should    disclose    to    him 

who  were  those 
Qui    chartres    bailliees    avoi-       who  had  given  letters 

ent^ 
En    leur    seeaus  au   I'oi    de      with  their  seals  to  the  King 

France  of  France 

Contre  lui  et  en  sa  nuisance.^      against    him,    and    to   work 

him  harm. 

1  (leci=a,s  far  as. 

2  Who  had  given  letters  sealed  (lit,  in  their  seals). 
2  en  sa  mdsance,  to  his  harm. 


A  maisti-e  Rogier  Malchael 
Qui  lores  portoit  son  seel, 

Dist  qu'il  alast  sans  demour- 

ance 
A  Tours  deci  ^  qu'au  roi  de 

France, 
Que  li  feist  en  escrit  metre. 

Si  come  li  i)li)ut  a  prometre, 

Tons  ceus  qui  erent  ses  em- 

pris, 
Tant    que    leur     nons     elist 

apris. 
Maistre  Rogiers  ainsi  le  fist : 
A  Tours  ala  et  si  escrist 

Trestous    ceus     qui     empris 

estoient 
Au    roi     de    France     et     li 

avoient 
Promis  a  aidier  de  sa  guerre 

Encontre  le  roi  d'Engleterre. 

Maistre  Rogiers  ainsi  le  fist 
Com     li     rois     comanda     et 

disfc. 
Ci  ne  doit  avoir  demourance : 

Revenus     fu     deu     roi     de 
France 


180    HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 


Et  cil  en  souspirant  li  dist  : 

"  Sire,  si  m'aist  Jhesu  Crist, 

Li  premiers  qui  est  ci  escris 

C'est  li  corns  Jehaiis  vosti-e 

lis." 
Quant  li  rois  Henris  entendi 

Que  la  riens  ou  plus  atendi    ^ 

A   bien   faire    et   qu'il    plus 

amoit  ^ 
Le    traissoit,    puis    ne    dist 

mot 
Fors  tant :    "  Asses  en  aves 

dit." 
Lors   s'entourna   devers   son 

lit; 
Li  cors  li  frit,^   li   sans^   le 

trouble 
Si    qu'il    eut    la    couleur    si 

trouble 
Qu'ele  fu  noire  et   perse   et 

pale. 
Pour   sa   douleur   qui    si   fu 

male 
Perdi  sa  memorie ''  trestoute, 
Si  qu'il  n'oui  ne  ne  vit  goute. 

En     tel     peine     et     en     tel 

douleur 
Fu  travaillies  tresqu'au  tiers 

jour." 
II  parloit,  mais  nus  ne  savoit 
Prou "  entendre  que  il  disoit. 


And    Roger    said     to     him, 

siffhinir : 
"  Sire,     may     Jesus     Christ 

help  me  ! 
the     lirst     whose     name     is 

written  here 
is    the    Count    John,     your 

son." 
When      King     Henry     had 

heard 
that  the  thing  which  he  had 

taken  all  pains 
to  do  good  to,  and  which  he 

loved  the  most, 
was  traitor  to  him,   he   said 

nothing  more 
but,    "You    have    told    me 

enough." 
Then  he  turned  over  towards 

his  bed  : 
his  body  burns  him,  his  blood 

stirs  him, 
so    that    his   colour   was   so 

uncertain 
that  it  turned   black,    livid, 

and  pale. 
By  force  of  his  pain,  which 

was  so  great, 
he  lost  all  his  memoiy, 
even  so  that  he  did  not  hear 

and  did  not  see  at  all. 
By  this  evil  and  this  pain 

he  was  racked  till  the  third 

day. 
He    spoke,   but   none   knew 
lightly   to  understand   what 

he  was  saving. 


1  que  la  riens  on  phts  atendi =i\\i\t  the  thing  which  he  desired  the 
most.  Rien=rem,  received,  Hke  other  substantives  which  terminated 
otherwise  than  in  so-called  e  mute,  an  s  in  the  nominative  singular. 
Cp.  li  rois  from  rege7n  (Brachet  and  Toynbee,  §  468). 

2  amoit  or  amout  was  the  old  form  of  aimait,  and  tliis  form  survived 
in  the  French  spoken  in  England  longer  than  in  France. 

3  li  cors  lifrit,  his  body  grows  hot. 

4  sans=sang. 

5  memorie,  scanned  as  of  three  sjdlables  like  the  English  memory. 
^  Probably  douleur  und  jour  were  pronounced  dolor,  Jor. 

"^  pro  (or^j'/-ow)  =  sufiiciently. 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAM  THE  MAKSHAL.  181 

Li  sans  li  fija  seur  le  ciier,  The    blood    clotted    vn    his 

heart ; 

Si  I'estout  venir  a  tel  fuer  ^  he  had   to   come    to   such   a 

pitch 

Que  la  mort,  sans  plus  et  sans  that  death  did  neither  more 

meins,  nor  less 

Li  creva  le  cuer  a  ses  mains.  than   break   his    heart    with 

her  hands. 

Mout  le  tient  a  cruel  escole,  She  holds  him  in  most  cruel 

sort, 

Et  uns  brandons  de  sane  li  and  a  jet  of  blood  springs 

vole 

Fegie    deu     nes     et    de     la  all  clotted  from  his  nose  and 

bouche.  mouth. 

Mourir     estuet'^     cui     mors  He    must   die    whom    death 

atouche.  touches 

Si  cruelment  come  fist  lui.  as  cruelly  as  death  touched 

him. 

A   grant    perte   et    a    gi'ant  It  was  a   great   loss   and   a 

enui  great  sadness 

Tourna     a     tous     ceus     qui  for  all  those  who  loved  him 

I'amerent 

E   a   tous    ceu3    qui    o^    lui  and  for  all  those  who  were 

erent.  with  him. 

Si  vous  dirai  a  peu  de  some,  I  will  tell  you  finally 

Qu'onques  n'avint  a  si  haut  that  never  did  there  happen 

ome  to  so  great  a  man 

Ce  qui  avint  a  son  mourir  ;  *  what  happened  at  his  death  ; 

Car  I'om   ne   I'eut    de    quoi  for  they  had  nought  where- 

couvrir,  with  to  cover  him  ; 

Ains    remest    si     povre     et  he    remained    so    poor    and 

estrange  so  deserted 

Qu'il  n'eut  seur  lui  linge  nc  that  he  had  on  him  neither 

lanfe.''  cloth  nor  wool. 

1  He  liad  to  come  to  such  a  i)a.ss.  Si,  is  merely  an  expletive  par- 
ticle used  before  the  verb ;  estout  is  3  sing.  perf.  of  estovoir,  an 
impersonal  verb,  perhaps  from  est  ?<es=Lat.  esi  opus.  See  Toynbee, 
Spec,  Glossary,  s.v.  fuer— (ornm.  The  verb  passes  from  the  sense 
of  market  to  that  of  price,  and  then  comes  to  mean  merely  con- 
dition. The  word  survives  in  Mod.  Fr.  in  the  phrase,  "au  fur  et  a 
mesure,"  and  in  "for  intcrieur." 

'^  estuet,  3  sing.  i)res.  from  estovoir.     See  above. 

3  o=:apicd,  with. 

*  7iiourir— mort. 

5  lange,  woollen  covering.     Lat.  lancus. 


18:3       iiisToracAL  keadku  uf  eakly  French. 


FROISSART   (1337-1410), 

the  great  historian  of  the  middle  ages,  was  secretary  to 
Philippa  of  Hainault,  queen  of  Edward  III.  of  England. 
He  writes  in  the  Picard  dialect.  See  Toynbee,  Specimens, 
Ixv. 

Les  six  Bourgeois  de  Calais. 

Lors  se  parti  des  crestiaus  messires  Jehans  de  Viane,-^ 
et  vint  on  marchie,  et  fist  sonner  Ic  cloche  "  pour  assam- 
bler  toutes  manieres  de  gens  en  le  hale.  Au  son  de  le 
cloche  vinrent  il  tout,  hommes  et  femmes,  car  nioidt 
desiroitnit  a  oir  nouvelles,  ensi  que  gens  si  astrains  ^  de 
famine  que  plus  n'en  pooient  porter.*  Quant  il  furent 
tout  venu  et  assamble  en  le  place,  hommes  et  femmes, 
messires  Jehans  de  Viane  leur  remoustra  ^  moult  douce- 
nient  les  paroles  toutes  teles  que  chi  devant  sont  reci- 
tees,"  et  leur  dist  bien  que  aultrement  ne  pooit  estre,  et 
euissent '  sur  ce  avis  et  brief  response.  Quant  il  oirent 
ce  raport,  il  comencierent  tout  a  criier  et  a  plorer  telement 
et  si  amerement  qu'il  ne  fust  nulz  si  durs  coers  on  monde, 
se  il  les  veist  et  oist  yaus  ^  demener,  qui  n'en  euist  pitie, 
et  n'eurent  en  I'eure  pooir  de  respondre  ne  de  parler.  Et 
mesmement  messires  Jehans  de  Viane  en  avoit  tel  pite 
que  il  en  larmioit  moult  tenrement. 

line  espasse  apries,  se  leva  en  pit's  li  plus  riches  bour- 
gois  de  le  ville,  que  on  clamoit  sire  Ustasse  de  Saint 
Piere,  et  dist  devant  tous  ensi :  "  Signeur,  grans  pites  et 
grans  meschies  seroit  de  laissier  morir  un  tel  peuple  que 

1  Jeliaiis  de  Viane  (Jean  tie  Vienne)  was  tlie  governor  of  Calais. 
-  le  cloche.     Le  was  the  form  used  for  the  feminine  article  in  the 
dialects  of  the  north  of  France. 
3  astrains  (Lat.  adstricti),  hard-pressed.  *  7*orfe;-= supporter. 

5  remoustra,  remonstravit.  6  reczVees= related. 

■^  euissent,  3  pi.  imperf.  subj.  from  avoir. 
8  yaus—eux.     Se  would  be  used  in  Mod.  Fr, 


FROISSART.  183 

ci  a,  par  famine  oil  aiitrement,  quant  on  i  poet  trouver 
aucuu  nioiien.  Et  si  seroit  grant  auniosne  et  grant  grasce 
a  Nostra  Signeur  qui  ^  de  tel  meschief  les  poroit  garder. 
Je,  endroit  de  moy,^  ay  si  grant  esperance  d'avoir  grasce 
et  pardon  envers  Nostre  Signeur,  se  je  muir  ^  pour  ce 
peuple  sauver,  que  je  voeil  estre  li  premiers.  Et  me 
metterai  volontiers  en  pur  ma  chemise,'*  a  nu  chief  et  a 
nus  pies,  le  hart^  ou  col,  en  le  merci  dou  gentil  roy 
d'Engleterre." 

Quant  sire  Ustasses  de  Saint  Piers  eut  dit  ceste  parole, 
cescuns ''  I'ala  aourer  ^  de  pite,  et  pluiseurs  liommes  et 
femmes  se  jettoient  a  ses  pies  tenrement  plorant :  c'estoit 
grans  pites  dou  la  estre,  yaus  oir  et  regarder. 

Secondement,  uns  aultres  tres  honnestes  bourgois  et  de 
grant  afaire,^  et  qui  avoit  deux  belles  damoiselles  a  filles, 
se  leva  et  dist  tout  ensi,  et  qu'il  feroit  compagnie  a  son 
compere  sire  Ustasse  de  Saint  Piere ;  on  appelloit  cesti, 
sire  Jehan  d'Aire. 

Apries  se  leva  li  tiers,  qui  s'appelloit  sire  Jakemes  de 
Wissant,  qui  estoit  riches  horns  de  nieuble  et  d'iretage, 
et  dist  que  il  feroit  a  ses  deux  cousins  compagnie.  Ensi 
fist  sire  Picres  de  Wissant  ses  freres,^  et  puis  li  cinquimez 
et  li  siximez.^^  Et  se  desvestirent  la  oil  six  bourgeois 
tout  nu,  en  pur  leurs  braies  et  leurs  chemises,  en  le  hale 
de  Calais,  et  misent  hars  en  leurs  colz,^^  ensi  que  orden- 
ance  se  portoit.  Et  prisent  les  cles  de  le  ville  de  Calais 
et  dou  chastiel ;  cescuns  des  six  en  tenoit  une  puignie.^^ 

1  qui=si  Von. 

2  endroit  de  tnoy,  as  far  as  concerns  me. 

3  midr=meurs,  die. 

■*  en  pur  ma  chemise.  En  pur  forms  an  adverbial  expression, 
"with  nothing  but  my  shirt." 

5  hart=TO'pe.  *  cescuns =chacun. 

■?  aourer  — adorare.  8  de  grant  af aire,  of  good  position. 

"  sc5/re?-es=Lat.  suns/rater,  nom.  sing. 
10  These  were  Jean  de  Fiennes  and  Andre  d'Ardres. 
'1  et  misent  hars  en  leurs  colz,  and  put  ropes  on  their  uecks. 
12  ■puignie=p(ngnee. 


18-i         HISTOIUCAL   READEU   UF   EAliLY   FKENUH. 

Quant  il  se  fnrent  ensi  appiirilliet  ^  messires  Jelians 
de  Viane,  niontes  sus  une  petite  haghence,"^  car  a  grant 
malaise  pooit  il  aler  a  piet,  se  mist  devant  et  prist  le 
chemin  de  le  porte.  Qui  done  veist  hommes,  les  femmes> 
et  enfans  de  cliiaus  '^  plorer  et  tordre  leurs  mains  et  criier 
a  haulte  vois  tres  amerement,  il  n'est  si  diirs  coers  ou 
monde  qui  n'en  euist  pite.  Ensi  vinrent  il  jusques  a  le 
porte,  convoiiet  en  plains,  en  cris  et  en  plours.*  Messires 
Jehans  de  Viane  fist  ouvrir  le  porte  toute  arriere,  et  se 
fist  enclore  dehors  avoecques  les  six  bourgois,  entre  le 
porte  et  les  barrieres ;  et  vint  a  monsigneur  Gautier  ^  qui 
la  I'attendoit,  et  li  dist :  "  Messire  Gautier,,  je  vous 
delivre,"  comme  chapitains "  de  Calais,  par  le  consente- 
ment  dou  povre  peuple  de  celi  ville,  ces  six  bourgois. 
Et  vous  jur  que  ce  sont  au  jour  d'ui  et  estoient  li  plu& 
honnourable  et  notable  de  corps,  de  chevance^  et  d'ancis- 
serie  ^  de  le  ville  de  Calais  ;  et  portent  avoech,  yaus  toutes- 
les  cles  de  le  ditte  ville  et  dou  chastieL  Si  vous  pri,. 
gentilz  sires,  que  vous  voeiUies  priier  pour  yaus  au  gentili 
roy  d'Engleterre  pour  ces  bonnes  gens  qu'il  ne  soient- 
mies  ^°  mort. — Je  ne  s§ai,  respondi  li  sires  de  Mauni,  que. 
messires  li  rois  en  vorra  faire,  mais  je  vous  ay  en  convent  ^^ 
que  j'en  ferai  mon  devoir." 

1  apparilliet  (Lat.  ap-pariculare,  lit ,  to  match),  prepared. 

2  haghenee  seems  to  be  a  loan  word  from  the  Eng.  hackney,  but 
the  derivation  is  doubtful. 

3  chiaus=ceux-ld. 

4  Accompanied  with  lamentations,  cries,  and  tears. 

5  Gautier  de  Manny,  one  of  the  English  plenipotentiaries,  who  had 
treated  for  peace  with  the  French  j^lenipotentiaries  before  the  de- 
])arture  of  Philip  of  Valois  :  he  had  been  charged  to  confer  with  Jean 
de  Vienne  as  to  the  conditions  of  the  cession  of  the  place,  and  had- 
obtained  from  Edward  some  abatement  from  his  original  demands. 

6  delivre=livre.  '  chapitains,  captains. 
8  chevance  (Ital.  civansa),  position  {chef).     Cp.  achever. 

"  ancisserie  (antius,  cp.  angois),  antiquity. 

10  7mes  (Lat.  mica),  not.  The  s  is  adverbial,  as  in  riens,  and  seems' 
to  have  been  applied  from  the  analogy  of  sempres,  volonticrs,  &c.- 
See  Toynbee,  Sjiec,  j).  451,  D,  note. 

11  je  vous  ay  en  convent  {  =  convent),  "  I  covenant  with  you." 


FROISSAET.  185 

Adonc  fu  la  barriere  ouverte.  Si  s'en  alerent  li  six 
bourgois,  en  eel  estat  que  je  vous  di,  avoech  monsigneur 
Gautier  de  Mauni  qui  les  aniena  tout  bellenient  devers  le 
palais  dou  roy,  et  messires  Jehans  de  Viane  rentra  en  le 
ville  de  (Calais. 

Li  rois  estoit  a  celle  heure  en  sa  cambre,  a  grant  com- 
pagnie  de  contes,  de  barons  et  de  chevaliers.  Si  entendi 
que  cil  de  Calais  venoient  en  I'arroy  ^  que  il  avoit  deviset 
et  ordonnet ;  si  se  mist  hors  et  s'en  vint  en  le  place 
devant  son  hostel,  et  tout  cil  signeur  apres  lui  et  encores 
grant  foison  qui  y  sourvinrent,  pour  veoir  chiaus  de  Calais 
comment  il  fineroient.^  Et  meismement  la  royne  d'Engle- 
terre  sievi  ^  le  roy  son  signeur.  Evous  ^  venu  monsigneur 
Gautier  de  Mauni  et  les  bourgois  dales  ^  lui  qui  le 
sievoient,  et  descendi  en  le  place,  et  puis  s'en  vint  devers 
le  roy  et  li  dist :  "  Monsigneur,  veci  le  representation  de 
la  ville  de  Calais,  a  vostre  ordenance,"  Li  rois  se  taisi 
tons  quois  et  regarda  moult  fellement  *"  sur  chiaus ;  car 
moult  haoit '  les  habitans  de  Calais,  pour  les  grans 
■domages  et  oontraires^  que  dou  temps  passet  sus  mer  li 
avoient  fais. 

Cil  six  bourgois  se  misent  tantost  ^  en  genoulz  par 
•devant  le  roy,  et  disent  ensi  en  joindant  leurs  mains : 
"Gentilz  sires  et  gentilz  rois,  ves  nous  chi  six  qui  avons 
•este  d'ancisserie  bourgois  de  Calais  et  grans  marceans.^*^ 
Si  vous  aportons  les  cles  de  le  ville  et  dou  chastiel  de 
Calais,  et  les  vous  rendons  a  vostre  plaisir,  et  nous 
mettons  en  tel  point  que  vous  nous  vees  en  vostre  pure 
volenti,  pour  sauver  le  demorant  dou  peuple  de  Calais ; 

1  array,  array,  equiiiment ;  Lat.  *arredare.  Cp.  Ital.  arredare,  to 
tit  out. 

'^  To  see  those  of  Calais  how  they  would  end — i.e.,  what  would 
be  their  end. 

•*  sievi  — suivit,  pret.  oi  sivre.  •*  Evous— hehold. 

5  dales,  lit.,  by  his  side  (Lat.  de  latus). 

"  fellement  (op.  felon),  furiously  (from  a  (Jerniau  root). 

"•  lmoit  =  haissait.  ^  io)Uraires=contrarietes. 

"  lantost=aussit6t'  ^^  marceans^marchands. 


186    HISTORICAL  READER  OF  EARLY  FRENCH. 

•si  voellies  avoir  ilc  nous  pi  to  ct  merci  par  vostre  tres 
haute  noblece."  Li  rois  regarda  sus  yaus  tres  ireusement, 
car  il  avoit  le  coer  si  dur  et  si  espris  de  grant  courous 
que  il  ne  peut  parlor ;  et  quant  il  parla,  il  commanda  que 
on  leur  copast  Ics  tiestes  tantost.  Tout  li  baron  et  li 
chevalier  qui  la  estoient,  en  plorant  prioient  si  acertes  ^ 
que  faire  le  pooient  au  roy  qu'il  en  vosist  avoir  pite, 
merci ;   mais  il  n'i  voloit  entendre. 

Adonc  parla  niessires  Gautiers  de  Mauni  et  dist :  "  Ha  ! 
gentilz  sires,  voellies  rafrener  vostre  corage.  Vous  aves 
le  nom  et  le  renommee  de  souverainne  gentillece  et 
noblece.  Or  ne  voeillies  done  faire  cose  par  quoi  elle 
soit  noient  ^  amenrie,^  ne  que  on  puist  parler  sur  vous  en 
nulle  matiere  villainne.  Se  vous  n'aves  pite  de  ces  gens, 
toutes  aultres  gens  diront  que  ce  sera  grant  cruaultes,  se 
vous  faites  morir  ces  honnestes  bourgois,  qui  de  lor  propre 
volonte  se  sont  mis  en  vostre  merci  pour  les  aultres 
sauver."  A  ce  point  se  grigna  "^  li  rois  et  dist :  "  Messire 
Gautier,  souffres  vous,^  il  ne  sera  aultrement,  mes  on 
face  ^  venir  le  cope  teste.  Chil  de  Calais  ont  fait  morir 
tant  de  mes  hommes,  que  il  couvient  chiaus  morir  ossi." 

Adonc  fist  la  noble  royne  d'Engleterre  grant  humilite, 
et  ploroit  si  tenrement  de  pite  que  on  ne  le  pooit  sous- 
tenir.  Elle  se  jetta  en  jenoulz  par  devant  le  roy  son 
signeur  et  dist  ensi :  "  Ha !  gentilz  sires,  puis  que  je 
apassai"  le  mer  par  defa  en  grant  peril,  si  com  vous 
saves,  je  ne  vous  ay  riens  rouvet^  ne  don  demandet. 
Or  vous  pri  jou  humlement  et  requier  en  propre  don  que, 
pour  le  fil  sainte  Marie  et  pour  I'amour  de  mi,  vous  voeillies 
avoir  de  ces  six  hommes  merci." 

1  acertes= earnestly. 

2  noient,  nothing  :  we  should  say  "  in  any  way."    Cp.  Ital.  riiente. 

3  a7nenrie=amomdrie. 

4  se  grigna=se  facha,  was  angered.  A  Picard  expression  for  to 
gnash  the  teeth.     Of  Teutonic  origin, 

5  souffrez  vous= cQa.SQ.  ®  mesonface—maisqiConfasse. 
'  Tpnis  queje  apassai=depuis  le  inoment  quefaipassS. 

8  rouvet,  asked  (rover— rogare). 


PHILIPPE   DE   COMINES.  187 

Li  rois  attend!  uii  potit  ^  de  pailer  et  regard  a  la  bonne 
dame  sa  fenime,  qui  moidt  estoit  encliainte^  et  ploroit 
devant  lui  en  jenoulz  moult  tenrement.  Se  li  amolia  11 
coers,  car  envis  ^  I'euist  couroucie  ens  on  point  *  la  ou  elle 
estoit ;  si  dist :  "  Ha  !  dame,  je  amaisse  mieulz  (^ue  vous 
fussiez  d'autre  part  que  ci.  Vous  me  priies  si  acertes  que 
je  ne  le  vous  ose  escondire  ;  ^  et  comment  que  ^  je  le  face 
envis,  tenes,  je  les  vous  donne  ;  si  en  faites  vostre  plaisir." 
La  bonne  dame  dist :  "  Monseigneur,  tres  grans  mercis." 

Lors  se  leva  la  royne  et  fist  lever  les  six  bourgois,  et  leur 
fist  oster  les  chevestres  "  d'entours  les  colz,  et  les  amena 
avoecques  lui  en  sa  cambre,  et  les  fist  revestir  et  donner  a 
disner  tout  aise  ;  et  puis  donna  a  ^ascun  six  nobles,^  et  les 
fist  conduire  liors  de  I'ost  a  sauvete. 


PHILIPPE   DE   COMIXES    (1445?-1511), 

attached  to  the  Court  of  Louis  XL ;  a  native  of  Flanders  ; 
author  of  Memoires  sur  le  Regne  de  Louis  XL 

Du  Chatiment  ues  Fautes  des  Grands  et  des  Princes. 

Lps  plus  grans  ]iiaulx  viennent  volontiers  des  plus 
forts ;  car  les  foibles  ne  cherchent  que  patience.  Ici 
compren  les  femmes  comme  les  hommes,  quelquefois  et 
en  aucuns  lieux,  quand  elles  ont  autorite  ou  maistrise,  ou 
pour  I'amour  de  leurs  maris,  ou  pour  avoir  administration 
de  leurs  alFaires,  ou  que  leurs  seigneuries  viennent  de  par 
elles,  Et  se  je  vouloie  parler  des  moyens  estats  de  ce 
mondc  et  des  petits,  ce  propos  continueroit  trop,  et  me 

1  un  2ietit  —  2in  2>eu.  ''  encliainle= enceinte. 

'■'•  envis  (Lat.  inviLis),  iniwillingly. 

^  ou  2>oint—en  le  point.     Ens  is  a  common  pleonasm  in  this  phrase. 

5  escondire  (Lat.  excoruliccrc),  to  refuse. 

«  et  comment  que=et  qnoi  (/ue.  '  clievestres,  halters. 

8  A  noble,  an  English  coin  worth  8s. 


188  HISTORICAL   KEADEll    OF    EARLY   FRENCH. 

suffit  allcguer  les  grans,  car  c'est  par  ccux  la  ou  Tun 
cognoist  la  puissance  de  Dieu  et  sa  justice.  Car,  pour 
deus  mille  meschefs  advenus  a  un  pauvre  homme,  on  ]ie 
s'en  advise,  car  on  attribue  tout  a  sa  pauvrete,  ou  a  avoir 
este  mal  penso ;  ^  ou  s'il  s'est  noye  ou  ronipu  le  col,  c'est 
pour  ce  qu'il  estoit  seal :  a  grant  peine  en  veut  on  ou'ir 
parler.  Quand  il  meschet  ^  a  une  grant  cite,  on  ne  dit 
pas  ainsi :  mais  encores  n'en  parle  on  point  tant  que  des 
Princes.  II  faut  donques  dire  pourquoi  la  puissance  de 
Dieu  se  monstre  plus  grande  contre  les  Princes  et  les 
grans  que  contre  les  petis :  c'est  que  les  petis  et  les 
pauvres  treuvent  assez  qui  les  punissent  quand  ils  font  le 
pourquoi,  et  encore  sont  assez  souvent  punis  sans  avoir 
rien  fait,  soit  pour  donner  exemple  aux  autres,  ou  pour 
avoir  leurs  biens,^  ou  par  aventure  par  la  faute  du  juge ; 
et  aucunes  fois  I'ont  bien  desservi,^  et  faut  bien  que  justice 
se  face. 

]\Iais  des  grans  Princes  et  des  grandes  Princesses,  de 
leurs  grans  Gouverneurs,  et  des  Conseillers  des  provinces 
et  villes  desordonnees  et  desobeissantes  a  leur  seigneur, 
et  de  leurs  Gouverneurs,  qui  s'informera  de  leur  vicel 
L'information  faite,  qui  I'apportera  au  jugel  Qui  sera  le 
juge  qui  en  prendra  la  cognoissance,  et  qui  en  fera  la 
punition  1  .  .  . 

L'information  sera  la  plainte  et  clameurs  ^  du  peuple 
qu'ils  foulent  et  oppressent  en  tant  de  manieres,  sans  en 
avoir  compassion  ne  pitie,  les  douloureuses  lamentations 
des  veufves  et  orphelins,  dont  ils  auront  fait  mourir  les 
maris  et  2)eres,  dont  ont  souffert  ceux  qui  demeurent  apres 
eux ;  et  generalement  tous  ceux  qu'ils  auront  persecutez 
tant   en   leurs    personnes   qu'en    leurs  biens.     Cecy   sera 

1  Periphrasis  for  passive  :  ellipse  of  jj«r  iui. 

2  mescheoir  (minus — cadere),  to  miscarry. 

3  The  nominative  is  here  "their  persecutors,"  understood. 
•^  Deserved. 

5  In  OFr.  the  article  need  not  be  repeated  before  a  second  co-ordinate 
substantive,  even  if  it  is  of  a  diiferent  number. 


PHILIPPE   DE   COMIXES.  189 

rinformation  par  leurs  grands  cris  et  plaintes  et  piteuses 
larmes,  et  les  presenteront  devant  Nostre  Seigneur  qui 
sera  le  vray  juge,  qui  paravanture  ne  vovidra  attendre  a 
les  punir  en  I'autre  monde,  mais  les  punira  en  cestuy-ci. 
Dont  faut  entendre  qu'ils  seront  punis,  pour  n'avoir  rien 
voi;lu  croire,  et  pour  ce  qu'ils  n'auront  eu  ferme  foy  et 
croyance  es  commandements  de  Dieu. 

Ainsi  faut  dire  qu'il  est  force  que  Dieu  monstre  de  tels 
poincts  et  de  tels  signes,  qu'eux  et  tout  le  monde  croiront 
que  les  punitions  leur  adviennent  pour  leurs  mauvaises 
creances  et  offenses ;  et  que  Dieu  monstre  contre  eux  sa 
force  et  sa  vertu  et  justice;  car  nid  autre  n'en  a  le  pouvoir 
en  ce  monde  que  luy. 

SUR    LES    DERNIERS    MoMENTS    DE    LOUIS    XL 

Le  diet  Seigneur,  vers  la  fin  de  ses  jours,  feit  clorre 
tout  a  I'entour  sa  maison  du  Plessis  lez  Tours  de  gros 
barreaulx  de  fer,  en  forme  de  grosses  grilles,  et  aux 
quatre  coins  de  sa  maison,  quatre  moyneaulx  de  fer,^ 
Lons,  grans  et  espois.^  Les  dictes  grilles  estoient  contre 
le  mur,  du  coste  de  la  place,  de  I'aultre  part  du  fosse,  car 
il  estoit  a  fons  de  cuve,^  et  y  fist  mettre  plusieurs  broches 
de  fer,  massonn^es  dedans  le  mur,  qui  avoient  chascune 
trois  ou  quatre  poinctes  et  les  fist  mettre  fort  pres  Tune 
de  I'autre.  Et  d'avantaige  ordonna^  dis  arbalestriers 
dedans  les  dits  fossez,  pour  tirer  a  ceulx  qui  en  approch- 
eroient  avant  quo  la  porte  fust  ouverte ;  et  entendoit 
qu'ilz  couchassent  aus  ditz  fossez  et  se  retirassent  aus  ditz 
moyneaulx  de  fer.  Et  il  entendoit  bicn  que  ceste  fortif- 
ficatiou  ne  suffisoit  point  contre  grant  nombre  de  gens 
ne  contre  une  armee ;  mais  de  cela  il  n'avoit  })oint  peur, 
mais  craignoit  que  quelque  seigneur,  ou  pluiseurs,  ne 
feissent  une  emprise  de  prendre  la  place,  demy  par  amour 

1  moyneaulx  (fe/e?'=dwarf-bastions.  2  Espois=epais. 

3  a  fons  de  cuve,  flat-bottomed.       ^  ordonna,  set.     Cp.  Ger.  ordnen. 


190         HISTORICAL    1;F,AI)ER  of  early  FRENCH. 

et  demy  par  force,  avec  quelque  pen  d'intelligence,  et  que 
ceulx  la  prinsseiit  I'auctoritc  et  le  feissent  vivre  comme 
liomme  sans  sens  et  indigne  de  gouverner. 

La  porte  du  Plessis  ne  s'ouvroit  qu'il  ne  fust  huyt 
heures  du  matin,  et  ne  baissoit  le  pont  jusques  a  la  dite 
heure,  et  lors  y  entroient  les  officiers ;  et  les  cappitaines 
des  gardes  mettoient  les  portiers  ordinaires,  et  puis  ordon- 
noient  leur  guet  d'archiers  tant  a  la  porte  que  parmy  la 
court,  comme  en  une  place  de  frontiere  estroictement 
gardee.  Et  nul  n'y  entroit  que  par  le  guichet  et  que  ce 
ne  fust  du  sceu  du  roy,  exceptez  quelque  maistre  d'hostel 
et  gens  de  cette  sorte  qui  n'alloient  point  devers  luy. 
Est  il  done  possible  de  tenir  un  roy,  pour  le  garder  plus 
lionnestement,  en  plus  estroicte  prison  que  luy  mesmes 
se  tenoit  1  Les  caiges  ou  il  avoit  tenu  les  aultres  avoient 
quelques  huyt  piez  en  carre,  et  luy,  qui  estoit  si  grant 
roy,  avoit  une  bien  petite  court  de  chasteau  a  se  pour- 
mener ;  encores  n'y  venoit  il  gueres,  mais  se  tenoit  en  la 
gallerie,  sans  partir  de  la,  sinon  que  par  les  chambres 
alloit  a  la  messe  sans  passer  par  la  dite  court.  Vouldroit 
Ton  dire  que  ce  roy  ne  soutfrist  pas  aussi  bien  que  les 
autres,  qui  ainsi  s'enfermoit  et  se  faisoit  garder,  qui  estoit 
ainsi  en  peur  de  ses  enfans  et  de  tons  ses  prouchains 
parens,  qui  changeoit  et  muoit  de  jour  en  jour  ses  servi- 
teurs  et  nourriz,^  et  qui  ne  tenoient  biens  ny  honneur  que 
de  luy,  et  en  nul  d'eulx  ne  se  osoit  fier,  et  s'enchainoit 
ainsi  de  si  estranges  chaynes  et  clostures  1  Si  le  lieu 
estoit  plus  grant  que  d'une  prison  commune,  aussi  estoit 
il  plus  grant  que  prisonniers  communs. 

On  pourroit  dire  que  d'autres  ont  este  plus  suspection- 
neux  que  luy,  mais  ce  n'a  pas  este  de  nostre  temps,  ne 
paravanture  homme  si  saige  que  luy,  ny  ayant  si  bons 
subjectz.  Et  avoient  ceulx  la,  paravanture,  este  cruels  et 
tyrans  ;  mais  cestuy  ci  n'a  faict  mal  a  nul  qui  ne  luy  eust 
faict  quelque  ofiense. 

1  nourriz,  dependants. 


PHILIPPE   DE   COMINES.  191 

Je  ii'ay  point  dit  ce  que  dessus  pour  seullement  parler 
des  suspections  de  nostre  roy,  mais  pour  dire  que  la 
patience  qu'il  a  porte  en  ses  passions,  semblables  a  celles 
qu'il  a  fait  porter  aux  aultres,  je  la  repute  a  pugnition 
que  Nostre  Seigneur  luy  a  donnee  en  ce  monde  pour  en 
avoir  moins  en  I'aultre,  tant  es  choses  dout  j'ay  parlt^ 
comme  en  ses  malladies,  bien  grandes  et  douloureuses 
pour  lui,  et  qu'il  craignoit  beaucoup  avant  qu'elles  luy 
advinssent ;  et  aussi  affin  que  ceulx  qui  viendront  apres 
luy  soient  ung  peu  plus  piteux  au  peuple  et  moins  aspres 
a  pugnir  qu'il  n'avoit  este,  combien  que  je  ne  luy  vueil 
donner  charge,  ne  dire  avoir  veu  un  meiUeur  prince ;  ^  car, 
se  il  pressoit  ses  subjectz,  toutesfois  il  n'eust  point  souffert 
que  ung  aultre  I'eust  faict,  ne  prive,  ny  estrange. 

(For  full  information  about  De  Comines,  cf.  Eves' 
edition  of  Louis  XI.,  Tragedie,  par  Casimir  Delavigne, 
Cambridge  University  Press,  1894.) 

1  Although  I  would  not  accuse  him  of  it,  and  though  I  declare  I  have 
never  seen  a  better  prince.     Combien  que=qiioique. 


APPENDIX. 


PETRONTUS:    'CENA   TRIMALCHIONIS.' 

Petronius,  if  the  Arbiter  of  that  name,  belongs  to  the  early  part  of 
Nero's  reign.  The  Cena  Trimalchionis  is  valuable  as  giving  speci- 
mens of  the  Latin  spoken  by  the  people  of  the  writer's  time.  The 
best  edition  is  Friedlander's  Gena  Trimalchionis  (Leipzig,  1891) :  it  is 
accompanied  by  a  translation  in  German. 


42.  exce.pitSeleucusfabul-ae 
partem  et  "  ego  "  inquit  "  iioii 
cotidie  lavor  ;  baliscus  enim 
fuUo  est,  aqua  dentes  habet, 
et  cor  nostrum  cotidie  liques- 
cit.  sed  cum  mulsi  pultarium 
obduxi,  frigori  laecasin  dico. 
nee  sane  lavare  potui ;  fui 
enim  hodie  in  funus.  homo 
bell  us,  tam  bonus  Chrysan- 
thus  animam  ebulliit.  modo, 
modo  me  appellavit.  videor 
mihi  cum  illo  loqui.  heu, 
eheu.  litres  inflati  ambu- 
lamus.  minoris  quam  mus- 
cae  sumus,  muscae  tamen 
aliquam  virtutem  habent, 
nos  non  jjluris  svimus  quam 
bullae,  et  quid  si  non  ab- 
stinax  fuisset.  quinque  dies 
aquam  in  os  suum  non  conie- 
cit,  non  micam  panis.  tamen 
abiit  ad  plures.  medici 
ilium  perdiderunt,  immo 
magis  malus  fatus  ;  medicus 
enim   nihil   aliud    est    quam 


§  42.  Hereon  Seleucus 
chimed  in  :  "I  don't  bathe 
every  day.  Your  bath-man  is 
a  regular  fuller ;  ^  your  water 
lias  sharp  teeth  ;  and  my 
stomach  melts  daily  at  the 
thought.  But  when  I've  put 
in  a  good  jar  of  mead,  I  snap 
my  fingers  at  the  cold.  Be- 
sides, I  couldn't  bathe,  for  I 
was  off  to  a  funeral  to-day. 
Fine  fellow,  such  a  good 
fellow  Chrysanthus,  and  he 
has  breathed  his  last :  'twas 
only  just  now  he  accosted 
me :  I  seem  to  be  talking 
with  him  even  now.  Dear  ! 
dear !  we're  just  walking 
bladders  !  We're  of  less 
account  than  flies !  Yet 
flies  have  some  strength  ; 
we're  not  worth  more  than 
so  many  bubbles.  And  if 
onlyhe  hadn't  dieted  himself! 
For  Ave  whole  days  he  never 
put   water   into   his   mouth, 


1  I.e.,  a  man  who  bathes  is  knocked  about  as  a  fuller  knocks  the 
cloth  he  stamps  on  to  clean  it. 


APPENDIX. 


193 


auimi  cousolatio.  tamen 
bene  elatus  est,  vitali  lecto, 
stragulis  bonis,  planctiis  est 
optime — manu  misit  aliquot 
—  etiara  si  maligna  ilium 
ploravit  uxor,  quid  si  nou 
illam  optime  accepisset.  sed 
mulierquae  mulier  milvinum 
genus,  neminem  nihil  boni 
facere  oportet ;  aeque  est 
enim  ac  si  in  puteum  conicias. 
sed  antiquus  amor  cancer 
est." 


43.  molestus  fuit,  Phileros- 
que  proclamavit  :  "  vivorum 
meminerimus.  ille  habet, 
quodsibidebebatur :  honeste 
vixit,  honeste  obiit.  quid 
habet  quod  queratur  ?  ab 
asse  crevit  et  paratus  fuit 
quadrantem  de  stercore  mor- 
dicus  tollere.  itaque  crevit, 
quicquid  crevit,  tauqnam 
favus.  putomehercules  ilium 
reliquisse  solida  centum,  et 
omnia  in  nummis  liabuit. 
de  re  tamen  ego  verum 
dicam,  qui  linguam  caniiiam 
comedi  :  duiae  buccae  fuit, 
linguosus,  discordia,  non 
homo,  frater  eius  fortis  fuit, 
amicus  amico,  manu  plena, 
uncta  mensa.     et  intei'  initia 


nor  a  single  bread  -  crumb. 
Yet  he  has  joined  the  major- 
ity. It  is  the  doctors  who 
have  ruined  him,  or  rather  it 
was  his  evil  fate.  For  your 
doctor  is  nothing  but  a  solace 
to  your  feelings.  But  his 
funeral  was  fine  :  a  mourn- 
ing bed^ — fine  sheets.  The 
mourning  was  fine — he  had 
freed  a  lot — though  his  wife 
was  chary  of  her  tears.  And 
how  would  it  have  been  if  he 
hadn't  treated  her  so  well  ? 
But  women,  one  and  all,  are 
heartless  cats  :  ^  better  do 
none  of  them  a  kindness  :  as 
well  pitch  it  down  a  well. 
But  an  old  flame  is  an  eating 
sore  ! " 

§  43.  He  bored  us,  and 
Phileros  called  out  :  "  Let's 
remember  the  living.  He 
has  his  due  :  he  lived  and 
died  respectable.  Why 
should  he  grumble  ?  He 
began  with  a  farthing  and 
he  was  ready  to  pick  up 
a  copjier  from  a  dung-heap 
with  his  teeth.  And  so  he 
grew,  if  growing  you  can  call 
it,  like  a  honeycomb.^  I 
fancy,  sure  as  my  life,  he 
left  a  clear  hundred  thou- 
sand :  and  he  had  it  all  in 
cash.  And  I'll  speak  the 
truth,  and  I've  eaten  a  dog's 
tongue  :  ^  he  had  a  rough 
tongue,  abusive,^  a  terror, 
not  a  man.     His  brother  was 


1  vitalis  is  used  as  a  exipliemism  for  mortualis. 

-  Lit.,  "  kites  "  :  cats  were  a  later  iiiijwrtation  from  Egypt. 

*  i.e.,  by  petty  ccouomies  like  those  of  the  bee. 

••  This  proverb  is  only  known  here :  cayiis  was  used  for  a 
"  flatterer ":  vid.  Forcellini,  s.v.  Hence  it  may  mean,  "I  too  have 
kissed  the  Blarney  Stone  " — spoken  satirically. 

5  The  lingua  vulgaris  was  very  fond  of  forms  in  -osus  and  -arias. 
See  Olcott,  Studies  in  Word  Formation  of  the  Latin  TnscriiMons,  p. 
205. 

N 


194 


HISTORICAL   READER   OF   EARLY   FRENCH. 


malam  parram  pilavit,  sed 
recorrexit  costas  illius  prima 
vindeinia  :  vendidit  enini 
vinum,  quanti  ipse  vohiit. 
et  quod  illius  mentura  sus- 
tulit,  hereditateni  accepit,  ex 
qua  plus  involavit,  quani  illi 
relictum  est.  et  ille  stips, 
dum  fratri  suo  irascitur, 
nescio  cui  terrae  filio  patri- 
naonium  elegavit.  longe 
fugit,  quisquis  suos  fugit. 
habuit  autem  oracularios 
servos,  qui  ilium  pessum 
dedernnt.  nuuquam  autem 
recte  faciet,  qui  cito  credit, 
utique  homo  negotians. 
tameu  verum  quod  frunitus 
est,  quam  diu  vixit  *  *  * 
cui  datum  est,  non  cui  des- 
tinatum.  plane  Fortunae 
filius,  in  manu  illius  plum- 
bum aurum  fiebat.  facile 
est  autem,  ubi  omnia  quad- 
rata  currunt.  et  quot  putas 
ilium  annos  secum  tulisse  ? 
septuaginta  et  supra.  sed 
corneolus  fuit,  aetatem  bene 
ferebat,  niger  tanquam  cor- 
vus.  noveram  hominem 
dim  oliorum." 

44.  haec  Phileros  dixit,  ilia 
Ganymedes  :  "  narratis  quod 
nee  ad  caelum  nee  ad  terram 
pertinet,  cum  interim  nemo 
curat,  quid  annona  mordet. 
non  mehercules  hodie  buccam 
panis  invenire  potui.  et 
quomodo  siccitas  perseverat. 
iam  annum  esuritio  fuit. 
aediles  male  eveniat,  qui  cum 
j^istoriljus  colludunt.  '  serva 
me,  servabo  te.'  itaque  popu- 
lus  minutus  laborat ;  nam 
isti  maiores  maxillae  semper 
Saturnalia  agunt.  o  si  haber- 
emus  illus  leones,  quos  ego 
hie   inveni,  cum  primum  ex 


a  tine  man,  a  staunch  friend, 
open-handed,  a  good  trencher- 
man. True,  he  began  by 
jjlucking  a  bad  owl :  but  his 
first  vintage  set  him  on  his 
legs  :  he  sold  his  wine  at  his 
own  price.  He  got  a  lift  too 
by  coming  in  for  a  legacy  : 
and  he  pocketed  more  than 
he  was  left.  And  the  block- 
head quarrelled  with  his 
brother  and  left  his  patri- 
mony to  some  son  of  the  soil. 
Blood  is  thicker  than  water. 
He  had  eavesdropping  slaves 
who  brought  him  to  grief. 
He  will  never  get  on  who 
believes  too  soon,  especially 
in  trade.  Anyhow,  he  en- 
joyed himself  while  he  lived. 
He  was  a  lucky  dog  :  lead 
turned  to  gold  in  his  hand. 
But  it's  easy  to  get  on  when 
everything  fits.  And  how 
many  years  think  you  he 
canied  ?  Seventy  and  more. 
But  he  was  as  tough  as  iron :  ^ 
he  wore  his  years  well :  and 
was  as  black  as  a  crow.  I 
knew  the  man  ages  ago  ! '' 

§  44.  Thus  spoke  Phileros. 
Then  said  Ganymedes  : 
"  You're  prating  of  what  has 
no  concern  with  earth  or 
heaven.  Meantime  no  one 
cares  how  the  price  of  corn 
pinches.  I  vow  I  haven't 
been  able  to  find  a  bite  of 
bread  to-day.  And  how  the 
drought  lasts  on  !  We've 
had  a  whole  yeai-'s  famine  ! 
A  plague  on  our  market  com- 
missioners, they're  leagued 
with  the  bakers.  '  Scratch 
me,  I'll  scratch  you  ! '  And 
so  the  small  -  people  go  to 
the  wall.     The  big  jaws  keep 


1  Lit.,  horn. 


2  Cp.  le  menu  peuple. 


APPENDIX. 


195 


Asia  veni.     illud  eiat  vivere. 
similia    sicilia    intei'iores    et 
laiuas  sic  istos  ])ercolopabant, 
ut  illis  lupiter  iiatus  esset. 
[sed]  memini  Safinium  :  tunc 
habitabat  ad  arcum  vetereni, 
lae  puero,  piper,   non  homo, 
is    quacunque    ibat,    terram 
adurebat.       sed    rectus,    sed 
certus,    amicus    aniico,    cum 
quo  audacter  posses  in  tene- 
bris  micare.     in  curia  autem 
quomodo    singulos  [vel]   pil- 
abat  [tractabat],  nee  scbemas 
loquebatur      sed      derectum. 
cum  ageret  porro  in  foro,  sic 
illius  vox  crescebat  tanquam 
tuba.      et     quam     benignus 
resalutare,    noniina    omnium 
reddere,    tanquam    unus   de 
nobis,      itaque   illo   tempore 
annoiia  pro  kito  erat.     asse 
panem    quern    emisses,    non 
potuisses      cum     altero     de- 
vorare.     nunc   oculum   bub- 
lum      vidi     maiorem.       lieu 
heu,    quotidie    peius.      haec 
colonia     retroversus     crescit 
tanquam    coda    vituli.      sed 
quare  nos  habemus  aedilem 
trium    cauniarum,    cpii    sibi 
mavult   assetn    quam    vitam 
nostram  l    itaque  domi  gau- 
det,  pkis  in  die  nummorum 
aecipit,  quam  alter  patrimon- 
ium  habet.    iam  scio,  unde  ac- 
cepeiit  denarios  mille  aureos. 
nunc  populus  est  domi  leones, 
foras  vulpes.      quod   ad   me 
attinet,    iam     pannos    meos 
comedi,  et  si  perseverat  haec 
annona,  casulas  meas  vendam. 
(|uid  enim  futurum  est,  si  nee 
dii  nee  homiueshuiuscoloniae 
miserentur  ?   ita  meos  frunis- 
car,  ut  ego  puto  omnia  ilia  a 
diibus  fieri,     nemo  enim  cae- 
lum    caehnn     putat,     nem<i 
ieiunium  servat,  nemo  lovem 
pili  facit,  sed  cranes  opertis 


the  New  Year  once  and  for 
ever.     I  wish  we  had  those 
fine  beasts  that  I  found  here 
when  I  first  came  from  Asia  ! 
That  was  life  indeed  !  and  if 
the  corn  was  poor,  they  used 
to  knock   about  these  mon- 
sters [i.e.,  the  commissioners] 
so    that    they   cursed    their 
luck.       Yes,      I      remember 
Safinius  :    he  lived   near  the 
old  arch,  in  my  youth  :  he  was 
no   man,    but    pure    pepper. 
As  he  walked  he  scorched  the 
ground.    But  he  was  straight 
and  true,  a  good  friend  :  you 
could   fearlessly   play   morra 
with  him  in  the  dark.     And 
in  the  council  how  he'd  flout 
the    rest   of    them,    and    he 
spoke   no   fine    phrases,   but 
straight  out.    And  when  busi- 
ness called  him  to  the  Forum 
his   voice   got   as    loud  as  a 
trumpet.      And   he   was    so 
courteous  in  returning  greet- 
ings, and  gave  each  his  name, 
quite  like  one  of   ourselves. 
So  that  year  corn  was  dirt- 
cheap.      You   would    buy   a 
farthing  loaf  which  you  and 
another   couldn't    finish    off. 
I've  seen  a  cow's  eye  bigger 
than   a    loaf    is   to-day.      O 
dear  !    Every  day  'tis  worse  ! 
Our  town  is  ^progressing  back- 
ward, like  a  cow's  tail.     But 
why  have  we  a  commissioner 
worth  not  a  fig,  who  would 
give  our  life   for  a   copper  '? 
So  he  makes  merry  at  home, 
and  pockets  more  cash  in  a 
day  than  any  one  else's  for- 
tune !      I    know    now   from 
what  quarter  he  got  a  thou- 
sand gold  pieces.     As  it  is, 
our  jjeople  are  regular  lions 
at  home,  poor  foxes  abroad. 
As   for   me,    I've   eaten    the 
price  of  my  rags,  and  if  the 


196 


IIISTOEICAL    ItEADEK    OF    EARLY   FRENCH. 


oculits  bona  sua  computaiit. 
antea  stolatae  ibaiit  iiudis 
pedibiis  ill  clivum,  passis  ca- 
])illis,  mentibus  puris,  et 
lovem  aqnam  exorabant.  ita- 
que  .statiniurceatini  plovebat: 
aut  tune  aut  nun(|uani  :  et 
omnes  redil^ant  udi  tanquani 
mures.  itaque  dii  pedes 
lanatos  habent,  quia  nos  re- 
ligiosi  noil  sunius." 


drought  holds  on  I  shall  sell 
my  hovels.  For  Avhat  will 
happen  if  neither  gods  nor 
men  take  pity  on  this  town  I 
So  may  I  rejoice  in  my 
kin,  I  think  all  this  comes 
about  by  the  gods.  Why,  no 
one  thinks  that  heaven  is 
heaven  :  no  one  keeps  fast- 
days.  No  one  cares  a  toss 
for  Jove,  no  one  has  an  eye 
but  for  his  ledger.  In  the 
good  old  times  the  women 
donned  their  long  robes  and 
went  barefoot  up  the  Sacred 
hill,  with  flowing  hair  and 
pure  hearts,  and  begged 
water  from  Jove.  And  then 
it  would  rain  pitchers  full, 
then  or  never,  and  all  would 
come  home  like  drowned 
rats.  And  so  the  gods  have 
their  feet  in  wool,^  because 
we  have  no  religion. 

1  I.e.,  probably,  "they  have  the  gout,  and  won't  come  to  help  us." 
It  may  mean,  "  they  wear  their  slippers  "—i.e.,  they  won't  come  out 
to  help  us,  but  sit  at  home. 


INDEX. 


L  A  T  I  N. 


Index  to  principal  names  and  tcords  explained  in  notes. 


alote,  41. 

A]io]linaris,  30. 

Apuleius,  ]6. 

Ausonius,  Decius  Magnus,  27. 

Avitus,  Alcimus  Ecdicius,  .32. 

Lacchic  rites,  3. 

Crecilius,  Cyprianus,  18. 
Cfecilius,  Secimdus,  11. 
canthichiu.s,  36. 
Cicero,  5. 
collocare,  37. 
coraeiitum,  42. 

gasachio,  37. 
genitive  (partitive),  42. 
gerund  (use  of),  44. 
grandis,  Co. 


Hadrian  I.,  45. 
Hezekiah,  44. 

imbolat,  42. 
inde,  42. 

mallus,  36. 
mica,  42. 

open  syllable,  49. 

pasta,  42. 
Paulus,  38. 

scara,  45. 

Symmachus,  Quintus  Aurelius,  24. 

thalasciasco,  36. 
thungine,  37- 


FRENCH. 


Index  to  principal  word^  and  phrases  explained  in  notes. 


a  (=  pendant),  88. 

aanz,  74. 

accent  (on  1st  syllable),  84,  93. 

accusative  absolute,  8."*. 

acointier,  111. 


adobet,  86,  119. 
adrecier,  110. 
agu,  127. 
ainceis,  110. 
ainz,  83,  93. 


active  verbs  (used  in  neuter  sensed     aiud,  76. 
88.  '      aiude,  87. 

adenz,  89.  almaille,  132. 


198 


INDEX. 


autif,  96. 

aourer,  183. 

araisnier,  106. 

areez,  91. 

argiidet,  87. 

arivez,  136. 

asener,  147. 

assonance  (definition  of),  15'^ 

assouvie,  156. 

atargier,  109. 

auferant,  115. 

augreut,  74. 

auret,  71. 

avaler,  11."). 

avertin,  150. 

avoez,  121. 

tacheler,  122. 
baillissent,  S9. 
barnage,  96. 
barnet,  83,  95. 
baucenz,  128. 
bellezour,  71. 
benedist,  86. 
ber,  95. 
besclie,  130. 
bestourua,  175. 
bise,  88. 
boisier,  107. 
braut,  98. 
brocher,  85. 
brouillot,  128. 
bxisiner,  154. 

cadhuna,  69. 
campel,  98. 
cantilenes,  80. 
carrel,  159. 
cercle,  126. 
chaitis,  122. 
chalt,  110. 
chanijiel.  114. 
chapel,  94. 
charnel,  98. 
charoie,  152. 
cliasteier,  108. 
chatel,  130,  142. 
chenude,  88. 
chevances,  184. 
chevestres,  187. 
chiedet,  83,  94. 
chief,  93. 
chii-re,  157. 
chies,  96,  121. 
clamez,  86. 
clinet,  94. 
90,  87. 

codardie,  89. 
colchier,  89. 


conreer,  94. 
contre,  139. 
convenir,  78. 
corage,  100,  145. 
corant,  79. 
cornanz,  83. 
corre,  93. 
com,  107. 
conchies,  161. 
craventer,  105,  122, 
crestans,  119. 
cristal,  99. 
cuider,  135. 
cuidoe,  108. 
cuit,  126. 

dales,  185. 
degnet,  73. 
delgiet,  96. 
demesurance,  124. 
den,  130. 
deurees,  169. 
desfaez,  120. 
dessour,  91. 
dessoz,  89. 
destorbier,  102. 
destriers,  86. 
devenips,  74. 
devers,  89. 
diet,  90. 
dift,  69. 
dimes,  103. 
dotance,  124. 
doter,  121. 
double  negative,  71. 
dm,  167. 
duel,  87. 
Durendal,  82. 

ebaubie,  148. 
eir,  105. 
element,  72. 
elision  (use  of),  108. 
en,  88,  99. 
engien,  128. 
engignier,  106. 
engin,  100. 
enoier,  110. 
envis,  187- 
euz,  92. 
errer,  158. 
escientre,  85,  94. 
escondire,  187. 
escremir,  127. 
escuz,  124. 
esguarder,  93. 
esmaier,  125. 
espaventer,  121. 
espieth,  75. 


r 

I 


INDEX. 


199 


espleitier,  96. 

espoentee,  145. 

espris,  126. 

essillier,  110. 

esteie,  77. 

ester,  117. 

estera,  75. 

esterlin,  151. 

estouz,  143. 

estuet,  115. 

ethical  dative  (use  of),  119. 

eve,  110. 

Evvruins,  74. 

faictis,  161. 
fairs  a,  107. 
fermetez,  117. 
fie,  105. 
lit,  86. 

flageoller,  171. 
flaiels,  76. 
forsener,  159. 
franche,  121. 
fresteler,  121. 
fuiet,  72. 
fuerre,  125. 

gaires,  100. 
gamboison,  162. 
geutilz,  118. 
genz,  92. 

gerundive  (use  of),  79. 
geste,  80. 
gibes,  153. 
glacier,  125. 
gloz,  108. 
gole,  108. 
gonlaiion,  78. 
graiudre,  84. 
greigneur,  160. 
grever,  123. 
guant,  91. 
guarant,  84. 
guaster,  110. 
guencliir,  102. 
guenchirent,  163. 
guerpi,  125. 
guerredon,  102. 

haghent-e,  184. 

hart,  183. 

hauste,  98. 

lieng^vite,  131. 

herberge,  78. 

historical  present  (use  of),  93. 

hober,  172. 

honide,  89. 

liourdeis,  162. 

hueses,  113. 


Hugo,  95. 
hui,  141. 

inortet,  72. 
inversion  (use  of),  91. 
isnelement,  119. 

ja,  83. 
jeu,  99. 
joster,  123. 
jus,  75,  125. 
jut,  90. 

lahe,  130. 
lairroie,  123. 
lange,  181. 
larriz,  84. 
las,  77. 
lei,  86. 

lei  jugier,  109. 
leide,  143. 
lez,  120. 
liez,  93. 
loe,  182. 
loiers,  105. 
los,  82. 
losange,  144. 
losenges,  106. 
lostanit,  70. 
lui,  75. 

maiseler,  79. 
maisniee,  98. 
mal  dahe,  111. 
nialheurte,  156. 
manaide,  110. 
manbote,  133. 
mar,  82,  120. 
marbrins,  94,  113. 
niarchis,  117. 
marregliers,  106. 
Mauny  (Gautier  de),  184. 
mautalent,  126,  142. 
membrez,  98. 
menut,  90. 
mercit,  86. 
nieschever,  188. 
niesfaire,  101. 
meshuy,  156. 
mestier,  111. 
niier,  125. 
mire,  159. 
moiller,  114. 
niostier,  92. 
mourir,  156. 
muder,  90. 

negative,  double  (use  of),  71. 

M         without  pas  (use  of),  120. 


200 


INDEX. 


iieif,  99. 
iieis,  100. 
neiiiel,  100. 
neporquaut,  100. 
neuls,  70. 
Hies,  96,  107. 
iiourriz,  190. 

o(  =  ob),  83. 

olifant,  83,  89. 

om,  69. 

omne,  74. 

ouor,  116. 

Oram,  73. 

ore,  91. 

orie,  88. 

est  (pi.  oz),  82,  177. 

ostel,  98. 

otrei,  116. 

outree,  145. 

paienor,  135. 

paile,  96. 

p.-irentez,  78. 

parfout,  94,  101. 

pudre,  76. 

peuez,  114. 

perdonat,  74. 

jierneies,  78. 

piz,  79. 

placet,  83. 

plaid,  69. 

23leissier,  109. 

ploiist,  97. 

poeste,  101. 

poiii,  98. 

pout,  88. 

porol'rit,  90. 

porpenser,  117. 

vossessive  genitive  (use  of),  176. 

pourtendu,  175. 

jjoverte,  78. 

provaiice,  102. 

provende,  106. 

puis,  77. 

quarz,  75. 
queu,  75. 
quier,  109. 

racatet,  97. 
rame,  113. 
raudoner,  133. 
rarisez,  120. 
reoaner,  147. 
rellambeier,  96. 
regiel,  71. 


remaniements,  80. 
repaidrier,  96. 
robe,  156. 
roe,  141. 
rouvet,  186. 
roveret,  73. 
rovet,  95. 

se  grigner.  186. 

seigniez,  86. 
seins,  136. 
.seiz,  77. 
sendra,  70. 
seuestrier,  125. 
servide,  89. 
s'espede,  87. 
s'esvertudet,  87. 
seule,  73. 
si,  69. 

sqjoruet,  98. 
soldeiers,  97. 
.soller,  113. 
solz,  130. 
somons,  138. 
soulait,  169. 
St  Michael,  91. 

talenz,  84. 
talia,  75. 
tastoner,  114. 
tencent,  124. 
tender,  110. 
tolir,  105. 
tormente,  136. 
traictis,  169. 
tref,  174. 
trencliier,  106. 
tres,  135. 
trestotes,  84. 
trestuit,  74. 

uissier,  176. 

vaillaissant,  117. 
vassal,  85. 
vavassor,  116. 
veier,  111. 
veiutre,  71. 
veirenieut,  89. 
veutaille,  1l2. 
vers,  102. 
viande,  174. 
vilain,  111. 
vis,  93. 
voise,  123. 

were,  133. 


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