A Short History of French Literature. Saintsbury George

A Short History of French Literature

not in Lescurel systematised into any regular form.

113

Ed. L. de Mas Latrie. Société de l'Orient Latin, Geneva, 1877. This is a poem not much shorter than the Voir Dit, but continuously octosyllabic and very spirited. The final account of the murder of Pierre (which he provoked by the most brutal oppression of his vassals) is full of power.

114

Ed. P. Paris. Société des Bibliophiles, Paris, 1875. This is a very interesting poem consisting of more than 9000 lines, mostly octosyllabic couplets, with ballades, etc. interspersed, one of which is given at the end of this chapter. It is addressed either to Agnes of Navarre, or, as M. P. Paris thought, to Péronelle d'Armentières, and was written in 1362, when the author was probably very old.

115

Deschamps is said to have been also named Morel. A complete edition of his works has been undertaken for the Old French Text Society by the Marquis de Queux de Saint Hilaire.

116

Ballades, 147, 149. Ed. Queux de St. Hilaire.

117

Ed. Schéler. 3 vols. Brussels, 1870-1872.

118

Ed. Héricault. 2 vols. Paris, 1874. Charles d'Orléans was the son of the Duke of Orleans, who was murdered by the Burgundians, and of Valentina of Milan. He was born in 1391, taken prisoner at Agincourt, ransomed in 1449, and he died in 1465. His son was Louis XII.

119

Ed. Queux de St. Hilaire. Paris, 1868.

120

These, as well as The Ten Virgins and many other pieces soon to be mentioned, are to be found in Monmerqué and Michel, Théâtre François au Moyen Age, Paris, 1874, last ed.; Adam, ed. Luzarches, 1854.

121

Vols. 1-6. Paris, 1876-1881.

122

Ed. G. Paris and G. Raynaud. Paris, 1878.

123

Ed. J. de Rothschild. Vols. i-iii. Paris, 1878-1881.

124

Mystère du Viel Testament, i. 259-272.

125

Miracles de la Vierge, ii. 1-54.

126

See Monmerqué and Michel, op. cit.

127

Ancien Théâtre Français, vols. 1-3. Paris, 1854.

128

Paris, n. d.

129

Ancien Théâtre Français, ii. 64-79.

130

A history of the mediaeval theatre has been undertaken by M. Petit de Julleville, of which two volumes, containing an excellent account of the Mysteries, have appeared (Paris, 1880). Information on other points is rather scattered, but it will be found well summarised in Aubertin, Histoire de la Langue et de la Littérature Française au Moyen Age (Paris, 1876-8), i. 372-570. A complete collection of farces, soties, etc. is hoped for from the Old French Text Society.

131

The chronicle of the pseudo-Turpin is of little real importance in the history of French literature, because it is admitted to have been written in Latin. The busy idleness of critics has however prompted them to discuss at great length the question whether the Chanson de Roland may not possibly have been composed from this chronicle. The facts are these. Tilpin or Turpin was actually archbishop of Rheims from 753-794, but nobody pretends that the chronicle going under his name is authentic. All that is certain is that it is not later than 1165, and that it is probably not earlier than the middle, or at most the beginning, of the eleventh century, while the part of it which is more particularly in question is of the end of that century. Roland is almost certainly of the middle at latest. Curiosity on this point may be gratified by consulting M. Gaston Paris, De pseudo-Turpino, Paris, 1865, or M. Léon Gautier, Epopées Françaises, Paris, 1878. But, from the literary point of view, it is sufficient to say that, while Turpin is of the very smallest literary merit, Roland is among the capital works of the middle ages.

132

Ed. N. de Wailly. Paris, 1874.

133

Ed. P. Paris. 2 vols., 1879-80. It is characteristic of the middle ages that this work usually bore the title of Roman d'Eracle, for no other reason than that the name of Héraclius occurs in the first sentence.

134

Ed. N. de Wailly. Paris, 1874. Besides the Histoire de St. Louis, Joinville has left an interesting Credo, a brief religious manual written much earlier in his life.

135

Ed. Kervyn de Lettenhove. 20 vols., Brussels. Ed. S. Luce, Paris, in course of publication. The edition of Buchon, 3 vols., Paris, 1855, is still the best for general use. Froissart's poems give many biographical details which are interesting, but unimportant. He wandered all his life from court to court, patronised and pensioned by kings, queens, and princes. He was successively curé of Lestines and canon of Chimay. In early life he was much in England, being specially patronised by Edward III. and Philippa.

136

Old Mortality, chap. 35.

137

Ed. Buchon. Paris, 1858.

138

Chastellain has been fortunate, like most Flemish writers, in being excellently and completely edited (by M. Kervyn de Lettenhove. 8 vols., Brussels).

139

Ed. Michaud et Poujoulat.

140

Ed. Michaud et Poujoulat.

141

Ed. Michaud et Poujoulat, in whose collection most of the many authors here mentioned will be also found.

142

Ed. Montaiglon. Paris, 1854.

143

A good example of these is the Saint Voyage de Jérusalem of the Seigneur d'Anglure (1385), edited by MM. Bonnardot and Longnon. Paris, 1878.

144

Nouvelles du 13e et du 14e siècle. Ed. Moland et Héricault. 2 vols. Paris, 1856.

145

Paris, 1876.

146

Paris, 1858.

147

Ed. Settegast. Halle, 1881.

148

Ed. Guichard. Paris, 1843.

149

Ed. Jannet. Paris, 1853; 2nd ed. 1857.

150

Ed. Wright. Paris, 1858.

151

Ed. Fournier, Théâtre Français avant la Renaissance. Paris, n. d.

152

Ed. Kervyn de Lettenhove, viii. 1-259.

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