[825] In the French of the Middle Ages these substantives had the termination els, aus, or iaus in the nominative singular plural, and el in the accusative singular and the nominative plural; aus became generally adopted in all cases, but dropped the s.
[826] Vaugelas and his commentators insisted that all words not sanctioned by custom should not be admitted into the French language.
[827] Laurent was a wretched versifier at the time of La Bruyère, who published rhymed descriptions of all kinds of festivals.
[828] For Marot. See page [22], note 79. Philippe Desportes (1555-1606), an imitator of the Italian school of poetry, enjoyed a great reputation in his time.
[829] See page [122], note 228, and page 20, note 72.
[830] The original rondeaux which are given here are not so old as La Bruyère thought they were, and are merely very fair imitations, written probably about the end of the sixteenth century. The hero of the first rondeau is Ogier, generally called le Danois, which does not mean the Dane, but is a contraction of le DʼArdennois, from the Ardennes.
I owe the above translation to Mr. J. E. Barlas, of New College, Oxford, who has endeavoured to imitate the pseudo-antiquated style of the original, and to use several Chaucerian and Spenserian words.
Bien à propos sʼen vint Ogier en France
Pour le païs de mescréans monder:
Jà nʼest besoin de conter sa vaillance