The central fact of the _geste_ of Guillaume is the battle of the Archamp or Aliscans, in which perished Guillaume's heroic nephew, Vezian or Vivien, a second Roland. At the eleventh hour he summoned Guillaume to his help against the overwhelming forces of the Saracens. Guillaume arrived too late to help Vivien, was himself defeated, and returned alone to his wife Guibourc, leaving his knights all dead or prisoners. This event is related in a Norman-French transcript of an old French _chanson de geste_, the _Chancun de Willame_--which only was brought to light in 1901 at the sale of the books of Sir Henry Hope Edwardes--in the _Covenant Vivien_, a recension of an older French chanson and in _Aliscans_. _Aliscans_ continues the story, telling how Guillaume obtained reinforcements from Laon, and how, with the help of the comic hero, the scullion Rainouart or Rennewart, he avenged the defeat of Aliscans and his nephew's death. Rainouart turns out to be the brother of Guillaume's wife Guibourc, who was before her marriage the Saracen princess and enchantress Orable. Two other poems are consecrated to his later exploits, _La Bataille Loquifer_, the work of a French Sicilian poet, Jendeu de Brie (fl. 1170), and _Le Moniage Rainouart_. The staring-point of Herbert le duc of Dammartin (fl. 1170) in _Foucon de Candie_ (Candie=Gandia in Spain?) is the return of Guillaume from the battle; and the Italian compilation _I Nerbonesi_, based on these and other _chansons_, seems in some cases to represent an earlier tradition than the later of the French _chansons_, although its author Andrea di Barberino wrote towards the end of the 14th century. The minnesinger Wolfram von Eschenbach based his _Willehalm_ on a French original which must have differed from the versions we have. The variations in the story of the defeat of Aliscans or the Archant, and the numerous inconsistencies of the narratives even when considered separately have occupied many critics. Aliscans (Aleschans, Alyscamps, Elysii Campi) was, however, generally taken to represent the battle of Villedaigne, and to take its name from the famous cemetery outside Arles. Wolfram von Eschenbach even mentions the tombs which studded the field of battle. Indications that this tradition was not unassailable were not lacking before the discovery of the _Chancun de Willame_, which, although preserved in a very corrupt form, represents the earliest recension we have of the story, dating at least from the beginning of the 12th century. It seems probable that the Archant was situated in Spain near Vivien's headquarters at Tortosa, and that Guillaume started from Barcelona, not from Orange, to his nephew's help. The account of the disaster was modified by successive _trouveres_, and the uncertainty of their methods may be judged by the fact that in the _Chancun de Willame_ two consecutive accounts (11. 450-1326 and 11. 1326-2420) of the fight appear to be set side by side as if they were separate episodes. _Le