Dissertation

...several episodes where lovers of Natural Philosophy In the medieval and early modern periods, "Natural Philosophy" referred to the study of nature and the physical universe, the precursor to modern science. may instruct themselves agreeably: partisans of morality will find their account there, as will theologians; astronomers and geometers will read with pleasure what concerns them. In short, one will find traits of wisdom and folly scattered in profusion. It cannot be denied that there are also satirical elements.

Jean de Meun made a profession of slandering Ladies; they grew weary of being the target of his cruel jests. President Fauchet Claude Fauchet (1530–1602), a French historian and magistrate known for his research on medieval French literature. has preserved for us the history of the quarrel that befell this Poet on the occasion of these two verses:

All of you are, shall be, or have been,
In deed or in will, Whores. original: "Toutes êtes, ferez ou fûtes, / De fait ou de volonté Putes." These infamous lines from the Romance of the Rose represent the peak of the poem's late-medieval misogynistic satire.

The Ladies, rightfully stung by such a general verdict, deliberated on how to take their revenge: armed each with a handful of rods Bunches of birch or willow branches used for corporal punishment; here, the women intended to publicly whip the poet., they were going to make him expiate the penalty of his insolence, when the Culprit said to them: "Since I must suffer punishment today, it must be by the hands of the persons I have offended; now, I have only spoken of the wi—" The text breaks off mid-sentence (the word is "méchantes," meaning "wicked" or "evil"). According to the full legend, Jean de Meun escaped the beating by challenging the women, arguing that only those who recognized themselves in his description should strike him. Since no lady would admit to being "wicked," he went unpunished.