Literary History of the Troubadours

The header "DISCOURSE" refers to the formal introductory essay or treatise that follows the preface.

martial This continues the sentence from the previous page: "...others give themselves over to the fury martial.": some act as the trumpets of fanaticism; others depict customs and rail against disorders; some even deal with philosophy. If Nostradamus original: "Nostradamus"; referring here to Jean de Nostredame (1507–1577), the younger brother of the famous astrologer, who wrote a highly unreliable history of Provençal poets. had only known a portion of the manuscripts of Mr. de Sainte-Palaye Jean-Baptiste de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye (1697–1781), the scholar whose massive collection of medieval documents forms the basis of this work.: however mediocre his talent for thinking and writing might have been, he would have left us at least an instructive and curious work.

I propose in this Discourse, not to highlight the importance of the subject, but to present it from a general point of view, which may allow its connections to be better understood. What was poetry like before nations emerged from their first state of simplicity? What progress did it make during the era of the troubadours? What idea should we have of the customs of their time, and especially of that famous gallantry original: "galanterie"; in this context, it refers to the refined code of courtly love and chivalrous conduct that defined medieval noble society which inspired them unceasingly, because it was like