There is another very curious contrivance by which the ancient French distinguished the nom. from the acc. sing., and which shows us again how the consciousness of the Latin grammar was by no means entirely lost in the formation of modern French. There are many words in Latin which change their accent in the oblique cases from what it was in the nominative. For instance, _cantátor_, a singer, becomes _cantatórem_, in the accusative. Now in ancient French the nom., corresponding to _cantator_, is _chántere_, but the gen. _chanteór_, and thus again a distinction is established of great importance for grammatical purposes. Most of these words followed the analogy of the second declension, and added an _s_ in the nom. sing., dropped it in the nom. plur., and added it again in the oblique cases of the plural. Thus we get— SINGULAR. PLURAL. Nom. Oblique Cases. Nom. Oblique Cases. _chántere_ _chanteór_ _chanteór_ _chanteórs_ From _baro, _baron_ _baron_ _barons_ baronis_ (O. Fr. _ber_) _latro, _larron_ _larron_ _larrons_ latronis_ (O. Fr. _lierre_) _senior, _seignor_ _seignor_ _seignors_ senioris_ (O. Fr. _sendre_) (sire) Thus we read in the beginning of Joinville’s History:— _A son bon signour Looys, Jehans sires de Joinville salut et amour;_ and immediately afterwards, _Chiers sire_, not _Chiers seigneur_. If we compare this old French declension with the grammar of modern French, we find that the accusative or the oblique form has become the only recognized form, both in the singular and plural. Hence— [Corone] [Ans] [Flors] [Chántere] le chantre. Corone An Flor Chanteór le chanteur. [Corones] [An] [Flors] [Chanteór]. Corones Ans Flors Chanteórs. A few traces only of the old system remain in such words as _fils_, _bras_, _Charles_, _Jacques_, etc. Not less curious than the changes of form are the changes of meaning which have taken place in the French language since the days of Joinville. Thus, _la viande_, which now only means meat, is used by Joinville in its original and more general sense of _victuals_, the Latin _vivenda_. For instance (p. 248 D), “_Et nous requeismes que en nous donnast la viande_,” “And we asked that one might give us something to eat.” And soon after, “_Les viandes que il nous donnèrent, ce furent begniet de fourmaiges qui estoient roti au soliel, pour ce que li ver n’i venissent, et oef dur __ cuit de quatre jours ou de cinc_,” “And the viands which they gave us were cheese-cakes roasted in the sun, that the worms might not get at them, and hard eggs boiled four or five days ago.”