Produced by Chris Curnow, Lindy Walsh, David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net [Illustration] Tales from the Old French Translated by Isabel Butler London Constable & Co. Ltd. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston and New York Mdccccx COPYRIGHT 1910 BY ISABEL BUTLER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED [Illustration] Contents ¶ Lais THE LAY OF THE BIRD 3 THE WOFUL KNIGHT _Marie de France_ 17 THE TWO LOVERS _Marie de France_ 26 ELIDUC _Marie de France_ 35 MELION 73 THE LAY OF THE HORN _Robert Biquet_ 93 ¶ Fabliaux THE DIVIDED BLANKET _Bernier_ 111 OF THE CHURL WHO WON PARADISE 125 THE GRAY PALFREY _Huon Leroi_ 131 ¶ Contes dévots et didactiques THE KNIGHT OF THE LITTLE CASK 173 THE ANGEL AND THE HERMIT 207 THE JOUSTING OF OUR LADY 228 THE ORDER OF CHIVALRY 232 ¶ Epilogue 249 ¶ Bibliography 263 ¶ Translator's Note 264 Lais The Lay of the Bird [Illustration] Once upon a time, a hundred years and more agone, there lived a rich villein; his name I know not for certain, but he was rich as beseemeth a great lord in woodland, stream and meadow, and in whatsoever else longeth to a puissant man. And to tell you the sum thereof, his manor was so goodly no town, or burg, or castle hath its like, for to tell you true, in all the world is none other so fair and delectable; and if any were to show you its form and fashion, the tale would seem to you but fable, for none, methinketh, could ever make such a keep, or so mighty a tower. Round about it ran a river, encircling all the close, that the orchard, which was of great price, was all walled in by wood and water. Wise was the gentle knight who contrived it, but from him it went to his son, who sold it to this villein; so passed it from hand to hand: and wit ye well, an ill heir ofttimes bringeth thorpe and manor into dishonour.