148 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF FRENCH LITERATURE. 



more ostensibly demonstrating his passion, attired himself in a wolf's 

 skin, and allowed himself to be hunted by shepherds and dogs in the 

 mountains of Cabaret. This act of insanity, however, nearly cost 

 him his life ; for the dogs, having caught him, wounded him so dan- 

 gerously that he was carried for dead into the house of his beloved 

 Louve, whose husband (the lord of Cabaret) engaging a physician, 

 sh ortly effected a cure.* 



The fates of Geoffroi Rudel are more tragical and mournful than 

 those of Pierre Vidal. In a voyage to the Holy Land he fell vio- 

 lently in love with the Countess of Tripoli, whom he had never 

 seen. He addressed several poems to her, and finally, unable any 

 longer to curb his strange passion, embarked for Africa. During 

 the passage, however, he fell sick, and arrived at Tripoli in so en- 

 feebled a state, as not to be able to leave the vessel. In this lamen- 

 table condition he sent to inform the princess of his situation, and 

 besought her to give him some token of her regard. Touched with 

 the recital of his strange passion, the princess personally visited him 

 on board the vessel where he lay. This unexpected mark of conde- 

 scension was too great for the already exhausted Geoffroi to support , 

 and in a frenzy of love and gratitude the warrior poet expired at her 

 feet. The awful sight so agonized the lovely Countess that she imme- 

 diately renounced all worldly enjoyments, and, secluding herself in a 

 convent, devoted herself to an eternal celibacy. The remains of 

 Geoffroi were buried with the greatest pomp ; and a splendid tomb 

 of porphyry attested to future generations the too fervent passion of 

 the hapless Troubadour.t 



The numerous forms of composition, which were either adopted, 

 or invented in the amatory effusions of the Provengals, are almost in- 

 credible ; each poet appears to have framed some peculiar mode of 

 versification by which to denote his passion. To give a list of the 

 names of all these compositions would afford but little amusement, 

 we shall therefore restrict ourselves to a few of the more important ; 

 referring our readers for the other ones, to the valuable collections 

 of Raynouard. The Albas and SerenasX were stanzas sung by 

 the poets at the break or close of day in honour of their mistresses ; 

 these compositions among which may be ranked some of their most 



• Diez, Geschichte und Werke der Troubadours. 



f Pasquier, Recherches de la France ; JMillot, Hist. L'til. dcs Troub., tom. 

 i., p. 85. 



X Alba in Proven9al signifies " day-break ;" Serena is derived from Sers, 

 signifying *' evening." 



