Le roman de la rose

Alchemy original: "Chimie" in this Romance.

I am not speaking here of the principles of alchemy original: "chimie" that some have claimed to perceive in the Sermon of Genius, the Chaplain and Confessor of Lady Nature. It is not yet well-decided whether all the philosophical obscurity found in that place is not a satire by the Preacher against those so-called Philosophers who imagine they can change the order of nature through imaginary transmutations of metals. Nevertheless, what Jean de Meun says about it does not exceed 90 verses, and it remains consistent with what other chemical philosophers have written on the subject. But it appears that our Author had sometimes turned his attention original: "ses foins," likely a typo for "ses soins" meaning "his cares" or "efforts" in that direction, if indeed he composed the Remonstrances of Nature to the Wandering Alchemist original: "Remontrances de Nature à l'Alchimiste errant" which we have printed in the third volume: at least they bear his name in several manuscripts and editions.

Economy and Order of this Romance.

This is therefore a Romance The term "Roman" here refers to a long narrative work in the vernacular language, often involving courtly love and allegory., but it

is not constructed with the conduct and order prescribed by the rules of art. It is also a Poem, but one that holds nothing of what we call heroic. It has nevertheless been given the name of Poem because one finds measured and rhymed verses within it; in poetry, one should seek nothing else. It is a Romance because it is a contrived and imagined story, intended as much to turn one away from love as to provide its rules. But this invention has nothing of what is sought today in such works: that is to say, a foundation of verisimilitude The quality of appearing true or real. that would sometimes make one believe, or at least wish, that the whole were true. The marvelous elements within it are absurd; however, the absurd does not cease to be instructive. But this must be forgiven in our Forefathers; they could do no better. There is, nonetheless, an order to this Romance: things always progress by degrees and with a certain proportion. Thus, the true conclusion is not at the beginning of the work, as in the Amadis Referring to "Amadis de Gaula," a famous prose chivalric romance.. There is a more natural and better-marked order, for the further the Lover goes, the more he engages himself and takes steps toward the real conclusion, which