Ch. 12 - Nicolette and Marion - Page 2

"courteous love," which gives the tale a place in the direct line
between Christian of Troyes, Thibaut-le-Grand, and William of
Lorris. Christian of Troyes died in 1175; at least he wrote nothing
of a later date, so far as is certainly known. Richard Coeur-de-Lion
died in 1199, very soon after the death of his half-sister Mary of
Champagne. Thibaut-le-Grand was born in 1201. William of Lorris, who
concluded the line of great "courteous" poets, died in 1260 or
thereabouts. For our purposes, "Aucassins" comes between Christian
of Troyes and William of Lorris; the trouvere or jogleor, who sang,
was a "viel caitif" when the Chartres glass was set up, and the
Charlemagne window designed, about 1210, or perhaps a little later.
When one is not a professor, one has not the right to make inept
guesses, and, when one is not a critic, one should not risk
confusing a difficult question by baseless assumptions; but even a
summer tourist may without offence visit his churches in the order
that suits him best; and, for our tour, "Aucassins" follows
Christian and goes hand in hand with Blondel and the chatelain de
Coucy, as the most exquisite expression of "courteous love." As one
of "Aucassins'" German editors says in his introduction: "Love is
the medium through which alone the hero surveys the world around
him, and for which he contemns everything that the age prized:
knightly honour; deeds of arms; father and mother; hell, and even
heaven; but the mere promise by his father of a kiss from Nicolette
inspires him to superhuman heroism; while the old poet sings and
smiles aside to his audience as though he wished them to understand
that Aucassins, a foolish boy, must not be judged quite seriously,
but that, old as he was himself, he was just as foolish about
Nicolette."

Aucassins was the son of the Count of Beaucaire. Nicolette was a
young girl whom the Viscount of Beaucaire had redeemed as a captive
of the Saracens, and had brought up as a god-daughter in his family.
Aucassins fell in love with Nicolette, and wanted to marry her. The
action turned on marriage, for, to the Counts of Beaucaire, as to
other counts, not to speak of kings, high alliance was not a matter
of choice but of necessity, without which they could not defend
their lives, let alone their counties; and, to make Aucassins'
conduct absolutely treasonable, Beaucaire was at that time
surrounded and besieged, and the Count, Aucassins' father, stood in
dire need of his son's help. Aucassins refused to stir unless he
could have Nicolette. What were honours to him if Nicolette were not
to share them. "S'ele estait empereris de Colstentinoble u
d'Alemaigne u roine de France u