1890-91.] CELTIC, ROMAN AND GREEK TYPES. 197 



of Provence with the factory or shop-keeping populations. Bah ! they 

 were not to be mentioned in the same breath. As for civiHzation, 

 what was it but the possession of many and clear ideas .-' Ideas, he 

 thought, depended upon the words at command to express them. There 

 were several thousand words in Provengal for which there was no exact 

 French equivalent, while for many names of curious flowers, insects and 

 birds there could never be French names used, while the Latin ones used 

 by naturalists were unmeaning to the common folk. Plus de mots, plus 

 didees. Therefore it was better to have the two languages, and in pro- 

 scribing Proven9al, the Government was doing a distinct wrong to the 

 mental standing of the southern people. In a very few generations this 

 interesting language would die out. 



Mr. Castet's opinion was, That the popular speech had endured long, 

 and that it would take ages to disappear. 



I asked if there was any real hostility in feeling between the North and 

 South of France; any bitterness at the evident desire to unify the language 

 of the country. Mr. Breal told me " not at all ; that every body except 

 the literary men who lived by the Rorrance language, and some of those 

 who loved it as their mother tongue, thought the Alpine and Gascon patois 

 ought to be disused, but no harsh measures taken to destroy it." 

 SUNDRY MONTPELLIER ITEMS. 

 At the Congress of Students of the Languedoc, one of the resolutions 

 called for the introduction into the primary schools of translations from 

 the Languedoc into French, for making a knowledge of the Languedoc, 

 Basque, Rousillonais or Breton (according to locality), a sine qua non of 

 the teacher's appointment and of the scholars' certificates. They wished 

 French to be taught by means of the langue d'oc. But these proceed- 

 ings, like those of our own Congress, had a somewhat hollow ring, the 

 people did not seem to be more than half in earnest, and I may say the 

 same of those connected with the placing of a tablet on the Tour des 

 Pins (part of the old walls which dates back to the 12th and 14th 

 centuries) " To the memory of James I. of Arragon, son of Mary de 

 Montpellier," the rest of the inscription being in MontpelHerain of the 

 1 3th century. I transcribe it : — 



En I'an MCCVIII e lo I jorn de Febrier, nasquet en aquesta ciutat 

 en Jaumes I lo conquestaire, Reis d'Arago 

 corns de Barcelona, senher de Montpeslier 

 aquel que pres Tres reialmes als Harrazis 

 Donet Justas leis a sos pobles, amparet los mesquis 

 assostet los lauradors, los mercadiers, los savis els trobadors 

 Renonciet per amor de sant Loyse de la reyna Margarita 

 als dreigs de son linhatge sobre gran part de la lengua d'oc 

 e de la Proven?a, e mori a Valeusa D'Espanha, lo xxvi de Julh 



MCCLXXVI 



