Andre de Coutances

André de Coutances is a Trouvère Normand of the end of.

André de Coutances is the author of the Li Romanz of Franceis , composed before 1204, forces political satire antifrançaise in worms Octosyllabe S and Quatrain S monorimes:

Engleis proudly asallirent,

Franceis merdement defended;

With the first attack went,

And hontosement left themselves there.

Li Romanz of Franceis is the response of Andre de Coutances to a preceding French satire directed against the English and undoubtedly also against the Norman ones, which made fun of Arflet de Northumberland, king of the drinkers of barley beer, fictitious character, but which owes its name to the Saxon king Ælfred Large the as well as King Arthur, to which one made the reproach that one repeated still later with the Breton ones when one wanted to oppose them, to be killed by the large Chapalu cat, which had then conquered England and carried the crown of Arthur.

Andre starts by scoffing poverty at the French satire with an image of the indigence of the French kitchen (constant a Norman which one also finds at Wace): here are what the French, write it, have rhyme “close to the pot where they makes boil six peas”. He will thus answer it “ by icelles meïsmes LEIS ”, i.e. in the same poetic form: the history of Arthur and the cat is only one proven lie, invented by the French, these unhappy, these patarins these evil nourished and brooded late.

Andre de Coutances begins again, with his way the history, of Geoffroy de Monmouth or of its translator Wace, where Arthur, after four other kings d' Angleterre, conquered France and overcome Frolle, king de Paris. It makes a burlesque table of the combat of Arthur and of Passes very close to where the French king is all the time as ridiculous as coward. Thus, before leaving for the combat, which takes place in the “island of Paris”, king Frolle, expect that it will not return from there, gives to the French “commands” that it makes them swear to always hold: “That there is not of them one of you, says it, who fears God and who holds his word; be cruel and without faith; jealously keep your to have, take as much as you will be able of that of others; be good players of dice, good blasphemers of God; in the courses of others large hâbleurs, small makers and large vanteurs; borrow and do not return; hate those which make you good; in short, live like dogs. ” Andre, who ensures that the French accurately observed this will, also reproaches the French of rengorger more especially as they are more honnis, to be untraceable when one needs them, to blame all that they see abroad. Andre also uses the process rabelaisien whimsical etymology to make fun of the oil ( yes ) of the French: when it is asked to him whether he wants to finally rise, Frolle answers: “AOL”. From there would come, ensures André, that the French say “AOL” for yes. In the same way, the king Frolle remainder lying while it is installed “and therefore the French have the habit to be made fit in their bed”.

Andre de Coutances scoffs particularly chicheté at the meals of the French: when the French wants to hold court and give a true festival, he writes, it makes come from the rye bread; one distributes an equitable share of it to each one; one separates the crust from the crumb, then one puts all soups (bread sections) in the pot, because of crockery there is not; but when it is a question of withdrawing them grabuge is seen. Also they often make an arrangement: so that there is no cheating, each one binds its soup of a wire and holds the wire in its hand until it is well soaked; as long as the wire is intact, it is quiet; but if the wire has broken or has been suddenly untied and that soup is detached some, it is a bad deal, because each one says that it is with him. Then one intends to dismember God, to swear the belly, the language, the throat: if these jurements made badly with God, it would not last a long time. There are beautiful quarrels and often more than one blow given. But to put a term at the discussion, the French make another arrangement: they decide that which holds the wire in its hand and which swears that it had bound of it the soup which was detached has the right for him; the discord finishes thus when it proved that it was with him, but it is very often looked at and coveted.

The meat seems to be a rare food product for the French because when they put the pot at fire, ensures André, they place a cook close to the pot; if this last left its station, it would risk large because it is necessary for him to be quite attentive and to hold its spoon in hand to stop the bubble, because if this one had suddenly overflowed, the meat which is in the pot could be trained well outside and a cat or a mouse to carry it. To find the meat in the pot where it cooked, the French, continue André, start by emptying all water and, once it is well removed, they look at, they épient, each one, in a secret prayer, asking God that the piece be found. When they find it, there is in all the country great joy. One brings the knife and one cuts out the meat of pieces, “small if you want, but still well as large as of the tokens to be played”. If there is a piece in addition, one makes come the dice and God gives it to that which has the most points!

The French, continue André, hold their own tablecloths and they do not have there a sorrow, because it is pity to see what they eat. As for the remainders, there is not and the poor do not have anything to withdraw some. The dogs also complain, because they do not even have the bones: or the French ate them any entireties, or it corroded them of so close when it licks them, the dog does not take place to be content. Andre consequently ensures his reader that it is only with this practice to corrode the bones which clean and bleach the teeth to them that the French must have the so white teeth.

Andre concludes his “charter” on a last scatologic note of humor while advising with the French who will read it not to sit down because they will be very droppings.

Returned to more pious feelings on the end of his life, André de Coutances will give a translation of the Gospel of Nicodème.

Works

Li Romanz of Franceis , Geneva, Slatkine, 1839
Three rimées versions of the Gospel of Nicodème by Christian, Andre de Coutances and an anonymity , Gaston Paris and Alphonse Bos, Paris, Didot, 1995

References

Gervais of the Street, historical Tests on the bards, jugglers and trouveres Norman and Anglo-Norman , T. II, Caen, Mancel, 1834
Gaston Paris, Mixtures of French literature of the Middle Ages , ED. Mario Castlings, New York, Burt Franklin, 1912

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