The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-24

sitions before tho northern dialect sup
planted tho Provencal among the upper
classes in the country south OF the Loire. Tho
"Chanson do Roland is generally accepted as
tho Oldest example of primitive French epic
| noe,ry. although neither the date nor author
shin Is definitely known. later poem OF tho
| Same class tho "Roman du Rou.' was writ
ten in Norman French under tho patronage OF
| Henry ii. OF England. This anonymous epic
| represents the first rude attempt at the Alex
| andrinc metre. which was to becomethe stereo-
| typed form OF French herolcvers Atthistime
| the rules Of rhyme were not rs yet iramed'
| much less vigorously applied. AS many i'hes
| were mndc to rhyme as could conveniently ee
| managed. but there was no endearor Mt variety
| OF consonance through alterations OF maze
| and female rhymes. There wore lyrics as well
ms epics In the Old French Of this period
though In general tho trouvcres. or northern
minstrcls. wrote descriptive poems in con-
tradistinctlon to tho ProvenGal trouba-
dours. who preferred songs. Mr.. koene
recalls tho interesting fact that OF
lyric written by Richard C,eur de Lion while
in prison. wc have two versions when disc'oSo
the differences between the 'nn0ne doit ana
the hngue DOC at an early stage OF their no.
spective developments 1t IL also to DO noted
that. although most prose- compositions were
Mt this period written In monkish Latin. ono
great prose- writer IN Old French appearod In
viilehardouin. who composed the history OF
tho Fourth Crusade. Mr. Kcene mentions two
events which hud an important bearing on the
evolution OF French. namely. the conquest OF
Normandy by Philip Augustus and tho CRU
sndes which terminated under his grand
son. The former mado French the stan
dnrd instrument Of thought through
out tho region north Of the Loire. whilo by
the EXPEDITIONS to tho Fast new ideas
With new expressions were brought into tho
popular mind. between those events occurred
a third the Albigensinn Crusade. which settled
the question whether French or PIovencal
would BIO tho literary tongue OF the whole
country designated as Gaul by tho Romans.
Scarcely had the Provenrnl civilization bean
ovorthrown in the south than satirical COM
positions began to appear In French. dsclos-
ing the sly dspnragemcnt with which tho
common people had begun to regard the upper
classes. One Of tho first known instances OF
All educnted French plebeian outside tho ranks
OF the clergy is encountered in tho vagabond
Rutebeuf. thirteenth century prototype
OF William. His dialogue between Il Cru
sader and q non-Crusuder Is full Of caustic
filings at chlvary and at the clergy Whether
the Roman do Renart" was originally COM
posed In French is uncertain. but about 1926 Il
French work Of the kind appeared under the
title OF "Goupil le Rcnard." Tho exploits OF the
fox. as exemplifyng the triumph OF mind over
matter. were listened TO by the lower classes
with eager sympathy. more direct vein OF
satire was opened in tho Roman de la Rose
begun in the middle of the thirteenth century
and finished in the early years Of the four
teenth. Although in this fantastic allesory
the poverty OF ideas is rendered moro
intolerable by n labored dction. the common
people were pleased BY the ridicule poured
on the pretensons Of the nobility. Tho only
other poet OF tho thirteenth century worth
mentioning is Marie do France. not prin-
cess. as her appellation would suggest. but
q woman belonging to the ranks of
the people who owed her name. apparently. to
the fact that she wrote In England. Besides
collection Of lays and lyrics. she left a number
Of fables In which Mr.. Keene thinks he can
discern faint forecast of La Fontaine. The
great prose writer OF tho thirteenth century
is. OF course. tho Sire dc Joinvillc. the COM
rade and historian Of 81. Louis 1t is note
worthy when wo remember that Joinville's
temporary. Dante. was in doubt whether he
ought not to write the Divine Comedy in Pro-
yencal. that about Il century previously an Ital-
ian writer OF distinction had deliberately made
choice Of French on the ground that it was moro
agreeable and more widely spoken than any
other contemporary language
The Hundred Years War" against Eng
land nippcd the growth Of French literature
the only distinguished prose writer of the
period being Froissart. Two poets. however
belonging to this epoch occupy an honorable
place in the history Of French verso. One.
Charles d'Orleans. is commonly described as
the last Of tho trouveres. but the tone OF his
lyrics is really curlously modern. Alain Char
IN hn1 MI Iy1c ND
deaux. history Of Charles VII. in a style SO
careful and harmonious that he has hecn sur
named the father Of French eloquencc. Alain
Charter had Il remarkably ugly face: never
theloss when tho Scottish wife OF the Dauphin
afterward Louis ~. found him asleep she
stopped down to kiss his lips. and explained
to her astonished followers that she did not
kiss the man. but tho fountain whence sprane
SO many golden words or tho lyrical out
burst which followed the expulsion Of the
English. the first representative Is Francois
Corbucil. better known by his nickname Of
Tillon. the precursor Of the gifted Boz
homians. Of whom Musset and Murgar are the
best known modern types. There Is no doubt
that Nillon must be characterized as u
swindcr and Jail bird twice saved from tho
gnIlows. yet it is equally certain that his few
cNtant compositions. where they can be
cleansed froEl foulDcSS. urs fraught with IL
tender and exquisite grace. Mr. Kecnc quotes
some Of tho familiar verses ending with
the refrain. on sont les nrigrs Tdniunt"
which have been so admirably trans
lated III Rossctti's. Where are the SHOWS Of
yester yenrY' One Of Villon's contempo-
raries who marks the transition between mo-
1Tval and modern prose Is Philippe do Com
mos. in who's" chronicles We have no longer IL
mere description Of Journeys and battles but
an analysis OF political transactions and cha.-
acter. To tho same period belongs the germ
OF French comedy. the production Of the FARGO
OF Tho Advocate Patelin. to which We owe tie
stock quotation "Reycrous il nos moutoIs
Tho Age Of AdOlnscenc5 begins with tho
French invasion OF Italy, whore tho classical
Renaissance was already fully esta blishcl. The
resultant civilizing influence was. of course.
signally furthcrcd by the recent invention If
printing. The first impulse toward II reawak-
cning OF literary activity came. however. from
above; the King. Francis l.. was Il type Of the
French Renaissance as conspicuous Tor taste
and cultivation rs for lack OF principle; the