This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ... Dist k sez compaignos: 'Un petit m'atendez, Tant que mon seignor aie veu et esgardeV 'Dame, disent si home, merci por amor D6! Se li dus le savoit, n'an porron eschaper; Maintenant nos fera toz les mambres coper.' Et respondi la dame: 'llne puet estre el.' Ele se laise h terre de la mule coler, Et trespassa la dame les chevaliers membrez, Qui gisent ou palais es couches lez a lez, Puis vint elle ou palais ou li dus Baimons ert. Tant a plor li dus toz an fu agrevez; Par devant lui ardirent dui grant cirge alume Atant e vos la dame au gent cors honors; Elle ne l'ose mie esveillier ne boter; An la face lo baise coiement et so6, Puis prist andeus ses ganz qui sont il or pare, AprSs, leva 6a main, si 1'a de Deu seigne1: 'Sire dus de Saint Gile, de Deu soiez sauvez! Or somes moi et toi a doleur desevre Que jamais it ma vie des ieuz ne me verez!' Devant l'uis de la chambre ne pot sor piez ester; Li cuers li est paumez, si s'en torne arier." Id., pp. 23, 24. In reading the chansons de geste one feels that as time went on the centre of interest shifted more and more from the married woman to the maid. We know that the Celtic romances and the Provencal courtoise poetry were popular in the North of France from the middle of the twelfth century, a date anterior to the composition of the greater number of the epic poems as we have them. It is natural, then, that many of these poems should have felt these two new influences, especially that of the romances of adventure, in the treatment of woman. How, then, account for the fact that many even of the twelfth and thirteenth century poets adhered to the old style? The explanation is that these poets intentionally maintain the conventional epic tradition by the subordination of woman to an unromantic...