En icele forest, dont vos m'oez conter, nesune male choze ne puet laianz entrer. li home ne les bestes n'i ozent converser, onques en nesun tans ne vit hon yverner ne trop froit ne trop chaut ne neger ne geler. ce conte l'escripture que hom n'i doit entrer, se il nen at talent de conquerre ou d'amer. les deuesses d'amors i doivent habiter, car c'est lor paradix ou el doivent entrer, li rois de Macedoine en a oi parler, qui cercha les merveilles dou mont et de la mer, et ce fist il meismes enz ou fons avaler en un vessel de voirre, ce ne puet n'on fausser, qu'il fist faire il meismes fort et reont et cler et enclorre de fer qu'il ne peust quasser, s'il l'esteust a roche ou aillors ahurter, et si que il poet bien par mi outre esgarder, por veoir les poissons tornoier et joster et faire lor agaiz et sovent cembeler. et quant il vint a terre, nou mist a oublier: la prist la sapience dou mont a conquester et faire ses agaiz et sa gent ordener et conduire les oz et sagement mener, car ce fust toz li mieudres qui ainz peust monter en cheval por conquerre ne de lance joster, li gentiz et li larges et ii prex por doner. la forest des puceles ot oi deviser, cil qui tot volt conquerre i ot talent d'aler: souz ciel n'a home en terre qui l'en peust torner. While the figure of Alexander served as centre to one group of fictions, most of which were composed in Chanson form, the octosyllabic metre, which had made the Arthurian romances its own, was used for the versification of another numerous class, most of which dealt with the tale of Troy divine. [Sidenote: Roman de Troie.] Here also the poems were neither entirely fictitious, nor on the other hand based upon the best authorities. Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis, with some epitomes of Homer, were the chief sources of information. The principal poem of this class is the _Roman de Troie_ of Benoist de Sainte More (_c._ 1160). This work[58], which extends to more than thirty thousand verses, has the redundancy and the long-windedness which characterise many, if not most, early French poems written in its metre. But it has one merit which ought to conciliate English readers to Benoist. It contains the undoubted original of Shakespeare's Cressida. The fortunes of Cressid (or Briseida, as the French trouvere names her) have been carefully traced out by MM. Moland, Hericault[59], and Joly, and form a very curious chapter of literary history. Nor is this episode the only one of merit in Benoist. His verse is always fluent and facile, and not seldom picturesque, as the following extract (Andromache's remonstrance with Hector) will show:--