Practically speaking, although in the central parts of France the northern and southern dialects melt each into the other, the Loire may be considered as a line of demarcation between two languages; the term language being employed because, in the Middle Ages, whatever may be their real difference, the northern tongue and the southern tongue were dealt with not as separate dialects, but as distinct languages--the southern being called Provencal, the northern Norman-French. Of these two languages (for so they will in the following pages be called, for the sake of convenience) the southern or Provencal approaches the dialects of Spain; the Valencian of Spain and the Catalonian of Spain being Provencal rather than standard Spanish or Castilian. The southern French is sometimes called the Langue d'Oc, and sometimes the Limousin. It is in the Southern French (Provencal, Langue d'Oc, or Limousin) that we have the following specimen, _viz_., the Oath of Ludwig, sworn A.D. 842. _The Oath of the King._ Pro Deo amur et pro Xristian poblo et nostro commun salvament, d'ist di en avant, in quant Deus savir et podir me dunat, si salvarai eo cist meon fradre Karlo, et in ajudha et in cadhuna cosa, si cum om per dreit son fradra salvar dist, in o quid il mi altresi fazet: et ab Ludher nul plaid nunquam prindrai qui, meon vol, cist meon fradre Karle in damno sit. _The Oath of the People._ Si Loduuigs sagrament, que son fradre Karlo jurat, conservat; et Karlus, meos sendra, de suo part non lo stanit; si io returnar non l'int pois, ne io, ne neuls cui eo returnar int pois, in nulla ajudha contra Lodhuwig num li iver. _The same in Modern French._ Pour de Dieu l'amour et pour du Chr[^e]tien peuple et le notre commun salut, de ce jour en avant, en quant que Dieu savoir et pouvoir me donne {91} assur['e]ment sauverai moi ce mon fr[`e]re Charles, et en aide, et en chacune chose, ainsi comme homme par droit son fr[`e]re sauver doit, en cela que lui [`a] moi pareillement fera: et avec Lothaire nul trait['e] ne onques prendrai qui, [`a] mon vouloir, [`a] ce mien fr[`e]re Charles en dommage soit. * * * * * Si Louis le serment, qu'[`a] son fr[`e]re Charles il jure, conserve; Charles, mon seigneur, de sa part ne le maintient; si je d['e]tourner ne l'en puis, ni moi, ne nul que je d['e]tourner en puis, en nulle aide contre Louis ne lui irai. s. 144. The Norman-French, spoken from the Loire to the confines of Flanders, and called also the Langue d'Oyl, differed from the Provencal in (amongst others) the following circumstances. 1. It was of later origin; the southern parts of Gaul having been colonized at an early period by the Romans. 2. It was in geographical contact, not with the allied languages of Spain, but with the Gothic tongues of Germany and Holland.