Literary History of the Troubadours

A well-known academician A member of one of the royal academies, likely the Académie française or the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres., whose profound erudition is accompanied by all the graces of the mind and all the insights of criticism; whose society, like that of Mr. de Sainte-Palaye, is equally pleasant and beneficial for his friends; and who cannot escape praise, although he does not permit me to name him, had previously composed several lives of our troubadours * Lyric poets and musicians of the 11th to 13th centuries who wrote in Old Occitan, the language of Southern France.. I have profited greatly from his work, while regretting that he did not extend it further. It encompassed genealogies, chronology, historical discussions, and literary observations. He alone could have fulfilled such a vast plan. For my part, I had to be brief, at the risk of being tedious without benefit.

Another man of letters original: "homme de Lettres"; a scholar or professional writer., no longer living, had taken it upon himself to finish the work on the same plan. What he wrote on this subject was not fit for publication original: "ne pouvoit soutenir l'impression"; suggesting the work was either too unpolished or of insufficient quality for the standards of the time.. But I found there most of the necessary materials:

* These troubadours are Arnaut Daniel, Arnaut de Mareuil, Aimeric de Peguilhan, Bernart de Ventadorn, Jaufre Rudel, William IX Count of Poitou, and Guillem de Cabestany. The editor uses the French spellings: Arnaud Daniel, Arnaud de Marveil, Aimeri de Péguilain, Bernard de Ventadour, Geoffroi Rudel, Guillaume IX, and Guillaume de Cabestaing.