250 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF FRENCH LITERATURE. 



frequented or soon left these schools for a more appropriate academy 

 in the baronial hall ; the latter class continued long in the trammels 

 of discipline ; and if they did not leave them better and wiser, we 

 can only attribute it to the lamentable ignorance and the culpable 

 negligence of their teachers. 



Whether Charlemagne had himself any pretensions as a scholar 

 is uncertain ; but as he was taught grammar, which had then 

 a very extensive signification, under Peter of Pisa, and could relish 

 the society of Alcuin, the balance inclines evidently in his favour. 

 But whether he himself possessed learning or not, he duly appre- 

 ciated and generously patronized those who did. He pensioned 

 men of letters, associated them to his cabinet, and admitted them 

 to his table. Peter of Pisa, Paul the deacon, Theodulf bishop of 

 Orleans, with numerous other men of letters now unknown, but 

 eminent in their day, were munificently rewarded. The Anglo- 

 Saxon Alcuin, whose name, if not his merits, is more familiar to 

 us, will be thought rewarded to the full extent of his merits, in the 

 possession of three abbeys and twenty thousand slaves. The literary 

 labours of Eginhart, his secretary and biographer, were crowned 

 with the more valuable gift of a daughter. 



By order of Charlemagne was compiled a grammar of the German 

 language, which, with the Latin, was then the language of his 

 court ; he does not, however, appear to have taken any notice of 

 the popular dialect, which, in acknowledgement, as it were, of its 

 Latin origin, was called Romane or Romance. 



The earliest known specimen of Romance is the oath taken, at 

 Strasburgh, A.D. 842* by Lewis of Germany to Charles the Bald, 

 when they conspired against their eldest brother, the Emperor Lo- 

 thaire ; there are also some poetical fragments of nearly the same date, 

 though their authors are now unknown. Thus we find that, in the 

 beginning of the ninth century, France possessed (what Italy did not 

 yet) a popular dialect subjected to certain grammatical rules, em- 

 ployed in official documents, and serving to express in poetry the 

 popular opinions, passions, and prejudices. 



* We subjoin the oath as a specimen of the Romance : — 



" Pro Deu amur et pro christian poblo et nostro commun salvament. 



" Diest di en avant in quant Deu savir et prodir me dunat si salvarai jo 

 cist mein fradre Karl. 



" Et in adjudha er in cadhuna, cosa si cum om per dreit son fradre sarvar 

 dist in o quid il me altrezi forzet. 



" Et ab Ludher nui plaid nunquam prindrai qui meon voi cist meon fradre 

 Karl id damno sit." 



