New-York tribune., 1900-07-15


incident. At Tortona he found better fortune.
but the lady, who declared she loved him and
spurred him on to the writing Of songs Of her
praise. concluded in the long run that the Mar
qUis NIalespina was better worth her while. and
so sent her lyrical lover to take the road once
more. Still. he was light hearted and deter
mined. Though I lose my lady" he exela.ms,
Il Will not lose my fame and my talent" and
he sets his face toward the wars, singing;
In heat and cold to come and go,
To trOt and gallOp, run and leap
To toll and suffer. scarce 10 sleep
This is the life I'm to know.
My inn the roadside the grove at best.
With iron and steel and asnen spear Opprest,
With stern sirvente instead Of love and song,
The weak will 1 defend against the strong
He is rewarded for his courage At Monrerrat
he finds the Marquis Of that town, BOnifaz L
an old friend. and under his roof he takes new
lease Of life. He fights side by side with his
patron and is knighted by him They share in
all manner of adventures. In one of Raimbauts
poems he tells how the news brought that
a certain Lady Jacobina to be kidnapped
and married in Sardinia against her wiI and
how the poet and the Marquis rode off to rescue
the captive and, after more than one conflict,
brought her safely to Nice They saw her
safely married to her true love, and Bonifaz
procured her a dowry by compelling a relative
of the poor lady to restore the patTimony be-
longing to her which he had usurped- And
presently love re-enters love supported by
poetry Raimbaut adOres the daughter Of his
friend and though for a moment she resents
his presumption she is not proof against his
eIcquence and accepts him her knight and
servitor' Professor Smith lays stress upon the
peculiar character of the relation between The
two. Biatritz gave her troubadOur a lock Of her
hair as the pledge Of her love. but she adJuTes
him first and last Ito excel in word and in deed
and in WORTH and if perchance he won single
kiss, which is doubtful. may be pretty SURE
that he did not achieve another, or that he ex-
pected to. The poem in which on the following
day he celebrates his good fortune is the poem.
as Professor Smith observes mot OF a senti-
mentaIist. but of a courtly soldier, thoroughly
bent upon distinguishing himself and rejoicing
gravely as we'll as profoundly in the acceptance
of his love" Raimbaut wrote many songs for
Biatritz but when the fourth crusade was pro
claimed. and Bonifaz set out for the East. the
troubadour had to accompany him Riches and
honors fell into his hands. but he never saw
his lady again He died by his patrons side
on warike expedition
The 'prncely line of the troubadours in
cIuded men Of other types Among them Pro
fessor Smith counts members of the laborlns
classes srribes and notaries, burghers, members
of gentle families knights lords. viscounts, mar
qufses counts. princes and kings He even
Ieckons in monk, a Jolly troubadour OF Non
taudon. whose name is unknown, but whose per
sonaIity as delineated in this book is most ap-
Dealing Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, however. s
sufficiently representative Of the trouhadours,
anI in temperament. indeed, is thoroughly typi-
cal Of them all They were a valiant clever
race whether kings or simple gentlemen They
wandered through the Midi and into Italy
soothing the passions of robust nobles and hut-
terinc the hearts Of fair ladies some elements
Of grpssness must certainly have entered into
their lives. 1t was as has been Indicated above,
a violent uuscrupulous and immoral age II
was impossible of course, that the love Of the
chivaIrous ages however ideal in theory. should
never lead men and women into dubious Situa-
tions But if songs were sung in those Ear OF
days So indecent that one clean minded man IS
said To have died of modification after hearing
a few Of them the ProVeucaI Jroubaduurs be
dueathcI. on the whole. body Of romantic
verse which is beautiful and pure II IS verse
exalted by a passion which, whether genuine
or merely simulated, not without nobility
IL is verse that possesses for the modern reader
a curious fascination. quite apart from its his
toricaI significance. quite apart from its inti-
mate relation To the European literature that
came after IT, 1t cNerts a potent charm. 1t is
full of romance OF color and Of music. and
though We must maintain, in spite Of Professor
Smiths opinion To the contrary. that il is char