[84] Paradise Lost, I, 599-602.

[85] Ibid., I, 108-9.

[86] Ibid., IV, 271.

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[87] Poetics, Sec. 9.

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[88] Provencal, the language of southern France, from the southern French oc instead of the northern oil for “yes.”

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[89] Dante acknowledges his debt to Latini (c. 1230-c. 1294), but the latter was probably not his tutor.  He is the author of the Tesoretto, a heptasyllabic Italian poem, and the prose Livres dou Tresor, a sort of encyclopedia of medieval lore, written in French because that language “is more delightful and more widely known.”

[90] Christian of Troyes.  A French poet of the second half of the twelfth century, author of numerous narrative poems dealing with legends of the Round Table.  The present quotation is from the Cliges, ll. 30-39.

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[91] Chaucer’s two favorite stanzas, the seven-line and eight-line stanzas in heroic verse, were imitated from Old French poetry.  See B. ten Brink’s The Language and Meter of Chaucer, 1901, pp. 353-57.

[92] Wolfram von Eschenbach.  A medieval German poet, born in the end of the twelfth century.  His best-known poem is the epic Parzival.

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[93] From Dryden’s Preface to the Fables, 1700.

[94] The Confessio Amantis, the single English poem of John Gower (c. 1330-1408), was in existence in 1392-93.

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[95] souded.  The French soude, soldered, fixed fast.[Arnold.] From the Prioress’s Tale, ed.  Skeat, 1894, B. 1769.  The line should read, “O martir, souded to virginitee.”

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[96] Francois Villon, born in or near Paris in 1431, thief and poet.  His best-known poems are his ballades.  See R.L.  Stevenson’s essay.

[97] The name Heaulmiere is said to be derived from a headdress (helm) worn as a mark by courtesans.  In Villon’s ballad, a poor old creature of this class laments her days of youth and beauty.  The last stanza of the ballad runs thus: 

  “Ainsi le bon temps regretons
  Entre nous, pauvres vieilles sottes,
  Assises bas, a croppetons,
  Tout en ung tas comme pelottes;
  A petit feu de chenevottes
  Tost allumees, tost estainctes. 
  Et jadis fusmes si mignottes! 
  Ainsi en prend a maintz et maintes.”

“Thus amongst ourselves we regret the good time, poor silly old things, low-seated on our heels, all in a heap like so many balls; by a little fire of hemp-stalks, soon lighted, soon spent.  And once we were such darlings!  So fares it with many and many a one."[Arnold.]