468 AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF FRENCH LITERATURE. 
in alternate couplets of contest and altercation, exhibited their 
powers before a brilliant audience, and contended for the mastery of 
‘verse. The subjects chosen for these poetical debates were, as may 
be imagined, generally of a chivalrous or amatory nature; and not 
unfrequently in these, as in graver consultations, each party, after 
exhibiting all possible ingenuity and zeal in the defence of his 
own, and the refutation of his opponent’s views, remained of the 
same opinion at the conclusion as at the commencement of the argu- 
ment. The decisions were, however, generally referred to particu- 
lar arbitrators, or otherwise to the Courts of Love, which we shall 
presently notice. It is not a little remarkable that, with the ex- 
ception of those recorded by the Courts of Love, we possess the 
decision of only one arbitrator. This solitary relique is to be found 
in a ¢enson between Giraud Riquier and Guillaume de Mur, in 
which the former proposes the following question as the subject of 
debate. “‘ Of two wealthy barons, which is the more estimable, he 
who expends his wealth for the benefit of his friends and compa- 
nions, to the exclusion of strangers, or he who spends his all among 
strangers, forgetful of his own kindred and friends?” After some 
argument an arbitrator is chosen, who thus pronounces his decision : 
“Guillaume and Giraut have requested my decision in a contest 
which both have carried on with wit and genius. Guillaume has 
ably contended for the baron who gives his wealth to strangers, and 
Giraut has defended the one who expends it on his friends, to the 
exclusion of foreigners. I, therefore, wishing to speak the truth, 
now decide, and say that though it be estimable to do good to all 
men, yet the greater praise is due to him who first benefits his own 
friends.”* 
RICHARD. RICHARD. 
Si bel trop affansia No nymph my heart can wound 
Ja de vos non partrai If favour she divide, 
Que major honorai And smiles on all around, 
Sol en votre deman Unwilling to decide: 
Que sautra des beisan I'd rather hatred bear 
Tot can de vos volria. Than love with others share. 
See Percy, Reliques of English Poetry, p. 29-31; Burney, History of Music, 
vol. ii, p. 236-8; Favine, Theatre of Honowr and Knighthood, tom, ii, p. 49 
Fauchet, Recueil de la Langue Frangoise, p. 93. 
* A modern French translation of this Provengal version of the old saying, 
“charity begins at home,” will be found in Millot, Hist. Litt. des Troub. tom. 
iii, p. 109. The original Provengal, which we have here given, is printed 
also in Raynouard, Choix des Poesies des Troubadours, tom. ii, p. 107; and in 
Diez, Poesie der Troub. p. 191. 
