POPULAR SONUS. 390 



At a later period, according to the testimony of Jornandes, (lie great (iermanic 

 nation of the Goths possessed no other history tlian the ancient songs which 

 had been preserved as a venerable tradition in the well-stored memory of the 

 people (" quemadmodum et in priscis eorum canninibus pene historico ritu in 

 commune recolitur"). Thus Boulainvilliers remarks with truth, in his 

 " Essay upon the Nobility," " The history of the French is stored up in their 

 historical songs." 



Unfortunately there does not now exist a single one of these songs, which 

 the Gallic bards, according to Diodorus Siculus and Ammianus Marcellinus, 

 were set to compose in Celtic, in order to perpetuate the memory of heroic 

 deeds, and which they sang themselves at their assemblies to the accompani- 

 ment of the harp or the lyre. (See the volume on " The Arts," chapter Music.) 

 We possess nothing of an earlier date than the Latin translation of the first 

 verses of a popular song composed in 622, after the victory won by King 

 Clotaire II. over the Saxons. This song went from mouth to mouth, because 

 it was in the rustic language (jiixta rusticitatcm), and it was repeated by the 

 women, who sang it while dancing and clapping their hands. The popular 

 historical songs became very numerous in Gaul and in Germany, but many of 

 them had disappeared when Charlemagne, who held this ancient literature 

 of the people in high esteem, had them carefully collected in all the countries 

 under his dominion, and it is much to be regretted that this valuable compila- 

 tion, which testified to Charlemagne's esteem for this kind of vulgar poetry, 

 should have been lost. Eginhard mentions in this connection that Charle- 

 magne often sought relief from the cares of state in the songs of some Breton 

 bard or some Scandinavian scald. Upon one occasion he allowed a Lombard 

 juggler (joculator) to execute before him and his court a cantiunciila which 

 that minstrel had composed. There existed, no doubt, some very popular and 

 famous songs of the kind in honour of Charlemagne, for in the tenth century 

 the words were still sung in the German language to the old tune, which is 

 described in a manuscript at Wolfenbuttel as Modus caretmanninc (Charle- 

 magne's tune). 



From the ninth to the twelfth century we can only cite eight or ten 

 popular songs, most of which were written in Latin, and which were, there- 

 fore, the work of clerks or men of letters, viz. a lament on the death of 

 Charlemagne (" Planctus Caroli ") ; a very beautiful song upon the battle of 

 Fontiinet, in 841, by Angilbcrt the Frank ; a song upon the death of Eric, 





