840.5
M43
B 380952
וה
ARTES
1837
SCIENTIA
VERITAS
LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
PLURI
TUEBOR
SI-QUERIS PENINSULAK AMⱭNAM
CIRCUMSPICE
CIST AND CIL
840.5
M43
A SYNTACTICAL STUDY
A Dissertation
SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD OF UNIVERSITY STUDIES OF THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
IN CONFORMITY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
BY
CHARLES EUGLEY MATHEWS
J.
H.
BALTIMORE
FURST
COMPANY
1907
TO
A. C. S.
AS A TOKEN OF GRATITUDE AND AFFECTION
THIS DISSERTATION
IS DEDICATED.
182372
PREFACE.
Among the first questions of interest which presented them-
selves to my mind after I began the study of Romance Phi-
lology was that of the demonstratives in Old French. My
interest in this subject was quickened by certain observations
and suggestions made by Associate Professor Edward C.
Armstrong of the Department of Romance Languages in the
Johns Hopkins University. I therefore decided to attempt an
investigation, which should deal especially with the syntax of
cist and cil during the period extending from the time of the
earliest Old French monuments down to about the year 1500.
3
The demonstratives in Old French have already been treated
by the grammarians who have studied the language from an
historical point of view, and also in special works by E. Gess-
ner,¹ A. Giesecke,2 and Karl Ganzlin. Ganzlin studies exclu-
sively the phonology and morphology of the demonstratives;
Gessner and Giesecke present valuable observations on both the
formal and the syntactical side of the question. It is hoped
that the present work may add some results to those already
obtained in this subject by previous writers.
The material for the following monograph was collected
during the years 1903 and 1904 from a group of Old French
texts, a list of which is found on pages IX and x. Of these
texts, which belong to the period between the time of the
earliest Old French monuments and circa 1500, about two-
Zur Lehre vom französischen Pronomen, von Dr. E. Gessner, Pro-
gramme d'invitation a l'examen public du collège royal français fixé au
26 septembre 1873, Berlin.
2 Die Demonstrativa im Altfranzösischen mit Einschluss des XVI
Jahrhunderts, von A. Giesecke, Rostock, 1880.
Die Pronomina demonstrativa im Altfranzösischen, von Karl Ganzlin,
Greifswald, 1888.
V
vi
Preface.
thirds, some twenty odd, are in verse, the other third in
prose. In selecting them an attempt was made to choose for
each period works that represent the more important Old
French dialects.
CHARLES EUGLEY MATHEWS.
PRINCETON, May, 1907.
NOTE. Just as this dissertation was about to be submitted
to the proper authorities of the Johns Hopkins University, the
publication by Erich Lemme, Die Syntax des Demonstrativ-
pronomens im Altfranzösischen, Rostock, 1906, was brought
to my attention. I completed my monograph independently
of Lemme, and submitted it before I had seen his work. The
present work is published, notwithstanding the appearance of
Lemme's dissertation, because it differs from the latter in plan,
execution, and results.
CONTENTS.
PREFACE.
CONTENTS
•
LIST OF TEXTS
INTRODUCTION .
• •
·
CHAPTER I.-DEMONSTRATIVE FORCE OF Cist..
PAGE.
V
vii
ix
1
3-25
1. Cist - Temporal Nearness..
3-7
2. Cist Local Nearness..
a. Cist used because Speaker assumes Attitude of Spec-
7-12
tator
13-16
•
3. Cist
b. Cist =
Nearness in Interest..
Cist... Cist Indefinite..
16-20
•
20-21
4. Weakening of Demonstrative Force of Cist and Introduc-
tion of Strengthening -ci, là….
21-25
CHAPTER II.-DEMONSTRATIVE FORCE OF Cil.
26-63
1. Cil-Temporal Remoteness.
26-33
•
2.
Cil Local Remoteness.
33-38
•
α.
Cil used with Historical Present because Speaker main-
tains Attitude of Narrator..
38-40
1
α.
3.
•
C.
over that of Nearness of Interest.
Cil" the other
Cil. Cil Indefinite
•
Cil used because the Idea of Local Remoteness prevails
40-42
"
•
42-45
46
•
4. Cil. Cele in Expressions of Totality.
47
•
5.
Cil weakened to Personal Pronoun...
47-54
6. Weakening of Demonstrative Force of Cil and Introduc-
tion of Strengthening -ci, là.
54-58
•
7. Cist and Oil in Juxtaposition...
58-63
CHAPTER III. DETERMINATIVE FORCE OF THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRO-
NOUNS IN LATIN AND IN MODERN FRENCH.
CHAPTER IV.-DETERMINATIVE FORCE OF Cist.
A. The Pronoun Cist..
1. With a following Relative Clause.
2. With a following de-phrase
B. The Adjective Cist..
•
1. With a following Relative Clause.
2. With a following de-phrase.
3.
With a following Adjective..
•
• •
• •
4. With self-evident Determinator omitted.
•
vii
64-72
73-79
73-75
73-74
74-75
75-79
75-77
77-78
78
78-79
viii
Contents.
CHAPTER V.-DETERMINATIVE FORCE OF Cil.
A. The Pronoun Cil....
80-100
80-95
1.
With a following Relative Clause.
80-85
•
a. Come cil qui….
85-88
2.
b. N'i a cel qui…..
With a following de-phrase..
3. With other Prepositional Phrases.
4. With a following Adjective..
5. With a following Adverb.
B. The Adjective Oil…….
•
88-90
90-94
94
95
95
95-100
1.
With a following Relative Clause...
95-97
•
2. With self-evident Determinator omitted.
97-100
CHAPTER VI.-Cist AND Oil EQUIVALENT TO DEFINITE ARTICLE..
101-103
CHAPTER VII.-Cil PRONOUN ... Cist ADJECTIVE.
104-106
•
CHAPTER VIII.-Cist, Cil . . . Icist, Icil..
107-117
1. Extent of Use of I-Forms..
107-109
2. Differentiation of I-Forms and Simple Forms..
109-117
a. In Poetry-I-Forms at Beginning of Line and after
or before Caesura...
109-115
b. In Prose-I-Forms at Beginning of Sentence or
Word-group
115-117
LIFE...
119
LIST OF TEXTS AND ABBREVIATIONS.
The citations in this dissertation are drawn from the following works,
for the majority of which the abbreviations employed by Tobler in his
Vermischte Beiträge are used:
Alex.-La vie de Saint Alexis
Am. et Am.-Amis et Amiles
1882.
Auc.-Aucassin und Nicolete
1899.
-
-
-
-
p. p. Gaston Paris, Paris, 1903.
herausg. v. Conrad Hofmann, Erlangen,
herausg. v. Hermann Suchier, Paderborn,
Chart C.-Le curial par Alain Chartier
Halle, 1899.
Ch. II esp.-Li Chevaliers as deus espees
Halle, 1877.
-
-
p. p. Ferdinand Heuckenkamp,
herausg. v. Wendelin Foerster,
Ch. lyon-Der Löwenritter von Christian von Troyes herausg. v. Wen-
delin Foerster, Halle, 1902.
-
-
p. p. Gaston Paris, Paris, 1875.
Ch. XVS.-Chansons du XVe Siècle
Com.-Mémoires de Philippe de Commynes
1881.
-
C. Orl.-Les Poésies du duc Charles d'Orléans
Figeac, Paris, 1842.
-
- p. p. R. Chantelauze, Paris,
►
p. p. Aimé Champollion-
C. Pis. L. E.-Le Livre du Chemin de Long Estude par Cristine de Pizan
p. p. Robert Püschel, Berlin, 1881.
C. Pis. P.-Oeuvres Poétiques de Christine de Pisan
Paris, 1886.
Dial. Gr.-Li Dialoge Gregoire lo Pape
Halle, 1876.
Froiss. Chr.-Oeuvres de Froissart
hove, Bruxelles, 1875.
p. p. Maurice Roy,
-
-
herausg. v. Wendelin Foerster,
p. p. M. le Baron Kervyn de Letten-
Froiss. P.-Oeuvres de Froissart, Poésies
elles, 1870.
p. p. Auguste Scheler, Brux-
-
herausg. v. Wendelin
Ille-Ille und Galeron von Walter von Arras
Foerster, Halle, 1891.
Joinv.-Histoire de Saint Louis par Jean sire de Joinville
de Wailly, nouvelle édition, Paris, 1890.
-
p. p. Natalis
Karls R.-Karls des Grossen Reise nach Jerusalem und Constantinopel
herausg. v. Eduard Koschwitz, Leipzig, 1900.
L. Man.-Le Livre des manières par Etienne de Fougère
Angers, 1877.
L. Mest.-Le Livre des Métiers d'Etienne Boileau
nasse et François Bonnardot, Paris, 1879.
p. p. Talbert,
p. p. René de Lespi-
ix
X
List of Texts and Abbreviations.
·
p. p. LeRoux de Lincy, Paris,
L. Rois-Les quatre Livres des Rois
1841.
Mer.-Meraugis von Portlesguez von Raoul von Houdenc herausg. v.
Mathias Friedwagner, Halle, 1897.
-
-
Meyer Rec.-Recueil d'anciens textes bas-latins, provençaux et français
p. p. Paul Meyer, Paris, 1877.
M. Fce.-Die Lais der Marie de France -- herausg. v. Karl Warnke, Halle,
1900.
Fa.-Die Fabeln der Marie de France
1898.
Oaths.-Oaths of Strasburg
-
·
·
-
herausg. v. Karl Warnke, Halle,
p. p. Eduard Koschwitz in Les plus anciens
monuments, Leipzig, 1902.
XV Joies-Les quinze Joyes de mariage
-
Paris, Jannet, 1853.
Rob. et Mar.-Le Jeu de Robin et Marion par Adam le Bossu
nest Langlois, Paris, 1896.
R. G. S.-Recueil Général des Sotties
Rol.-Das altfranzösische Rolandslied
1900.
-
·
P. p. Er-
-
p. p. Emile Picot, Paris, 1902.
herausg. v. E. Stengel, Leipzig,
·
Rose-Le Roman de la Rose par Guillaume de Lorris et Jean de Meung
p. p. Francisque Michel, Paris, 1864.
-
Rou-Maistre Waces Roman de Rou et des ducs de Normandie her-
ausg. v. Hugo Andresen, Heilbronn, 1877-1879.
Ruteb.-Rustebeuf's Gedichte
1885.
-
herausg. v. Adolf Kressner, Wolfenbüttel,
Villeh.-La Conquête de Constantinople par Geoffroi de Ville-Hardouin
p. p. Natalis de Wailly, Paris, 1872.
Villon-Oeuvres Complètes de François Villon
Paris, 1892.
-
p. p. Auguste Longnon,
Gildersleeve-Lodge-Latin Grammar, third edition, 1894.
INTRODUCTION.
The demonstratives cist and cil played an important part
in the French Language of the Middle Ages, a part much more
important than that which their corresponding representatives
play in the modern language. The use of the forms cil and
cist was more extensive in Old French than that of the corres-
ponding celui and ce(t) in Modern French, not only because
each of these words was employed both as pronoun and adjec-
tive, but also because they fulfilled various functions that have
been performed in later times by other parts of speech, for
example, by the personal pronoun or by the relative. This
prominence of the demonstrative in Old French is due in great
measure to the nature of the literature at the epoch in question.
One of the striking characteristics of this literature is its
comparative simplicity of construction, due more perhaps than
to any other single cause to a marked tendency to parataxis.
In many cases where the Modern French subordinates one
proposition to another by means of the use of a relative or of
some other part of speech or locution, the old language pre-
ferred a coördination of ideas and construction. The use of
a demonstrative as subject of the second member of such a
coördinative construction was natural and common in Old
French.
Again, the old literature is in the main objective and narra-
tive. This characteristic invited the frequent use of demon-
stratives, particularly of cil. Its prototype, ille, was used in
Latin (and we shall see that the same was true of cil in
French, at least to a certain degree) to refer to persons,
objects or events which were at a distance from the speaker.
A word of such inherent value was exceedingly convenient and
fitting for the jongleurs, the composers of romances, the anna-
1
2
Introduction.
lists and historians, who wrote in the majority of cases of
personages and events that belonged to past ages, to distant
and sometimes mythical lands.
Another characteristic of the Old French literature is its
vividness of presentation, an effect to which the nature of
demonstrative words greatly contributes.
CHAPTER I.
DEMONSTRATIVE FORCE OF CIST.
Demonstrative words in themselves are of no absolute in-
herent value. They are dependent for the force they may be
made to possess on movement and situation. A nod of the
head, a glance of the eye, or a pointing with the finger often
gives to the word "this," for example, an unmistakable and
considerable force which would be wholly lacking without the
accompanying nod, glance, or gesture. Again, "this" in the
phrases "this place" and "this moment" conveys no definite
demonstrative idea until the local and temporal circumstances
in which the phrases are uttered are known. In investigating
the demonstrative force of cist, or of any other similar word,
it is therefore necessary always to consider the situation in
which it is employed. The question of gesture, although of
less importance, cannot be disregarded.
Having called attention to the importance of the situation,
or point of view, as the basis for a study of the demonstrative
force of any word, let us see what an examination of our
representative series of Old French texts reveals in regard to
the demonstrative force of cist.
1. Cist TEMPORAL NEARNESS.
Cist, expressing the concept of nearness,¹ is used with demon-
'For the demonstrative force of iste, the Latin prototype of cist, as
well as for a general treatment of the other demonstratives in Latin, see
Gildersleeve-Lodge, p. 192. A knowledge of what took place with refer-
ence to the principal demonstratives in the transition from Latin to Old
French is here presupposed. Hic, the so-called pronoun of the first person,
used in Latin to designate objects or persons that stood in a relation of
nearness to the speaker, disappeared except in its neuter form. Iste,
whose fundamental meaning in Latin was "this of yours," took the place
3
4
Cist and Cil.
strative force in Old French in expressions of present time or
of present situation. The point of view is either that of the
writer or that of one of his characters.
Merchi, dame, ce est noiens
De mon seior a ceste fois,
Ch. II esp., 7144-7145.
With the words hour, day, week, month, season, year, mortal
life:
E Deu out... dit à Samuel: Demain à cest 2 ure, te enveierai
un barun de terre de Benjamin,
des iceste hore,³
a ceste eure,
L. Rois, IV, IV.
Dial. Gr., 18, 21.
Ch. II esp., 3207.
dont [trésor] tu ne te peus à ceste heure aidier,
pour ceste heure,
d'ist di in avant,
Ja ne passera
Cist jorz.
Que n'aiiez fet le mariage,
Purquei nus a Deu à cest jur si descunfiz?,
Joinv., 587.
R. G. S., 126, 153.
Oaths.
Ch. lyon, 2132-2134.
L. Rois, I, IV.
of hic, and in a general way was used in Old French to refer to all those
persons or objects which do not lie in the domain of Latin ille, that is,
in the domain of the more or less remote with reference to the speaker.
The latter pronoun, roughly speaking, maintained in Old French its Latin
force. Both iste and ille were augmented in the popular Latin by the
exclamation ecce; cf. Gust. Rydberg, Zur Geschichte des französischen ǝ,
Leipzig, 1898, pp. 295 et seq.
2 The French here corresponds to the words of the Latin version: hac
ipsa hora. In this and subsequent cases where the Latin is cited in
connection with corresponding passages from L. Rois, I quote from the
edition of The Kings by LeRoux de Lincy; see list of texts and abbrevi-
ations, pp. ix-x.
8 Latin: ex hac hora; cf. Foerster's edition of the Dial. Gr.; see list
of texts and abbreviations, pp. ix-x.
Cist and Cil.
5
LO
Puis icest ior en avant,
Ch. II esp., 6662.
encore en parlerons-nous . . . de ceste journée,
Joinv., 242.
Locutions like "ui cest jorn," "cest ior d'ui," correspond-
ing to "aujourd'hui" of the Modern French, "hodie " of the
Latin, are very common:
Poruec en est ui cest jorn onorez,
ge lasseiz de la voie hui cest ior non puis pas eissir,
Hui an cest jor sont les huitaves,
Alex., CIX.
Dial. Gr., 23, 10.
Ch. lyon, 2575.
A cest jur de ui n'en iert nuls ocis, car à cest jur ad Deu fait salu
en Israel,
Puis icest ior d'ui vous desfi,
Mes a tant en prendra sa part
L. Rois, I, XI.
Ch. II esp., 6266.
Jusqu'a .I. an de cest jor d'ui,
Mer., 1128-1129.
Grant grace, fist-il, devons à Nostre Signour de ce qu'il nous a fait
tiex dous honnours en ceste semaine,
Ja ne verrat passer cest premier meis,
Quar je n'ai doseine ne fes,
en ma meson,
Joinv., 279.
Rol., 83.
De busche por ceste seson,
Ruteb., 6, 69-71.
Ja vostre cors de cest an n'isse,
Rose, I, 302.
A vivre en ceste mortel vie,
Ruteb., 29, 65.
Forms of cist are also used in referring to various Church
festivals of a current year:
pour aler en France à ceste Pasque qui vient,
Joinv., 610.
que vous alez en Acre à ce quaresme,
Ibid., 616.
• Latin: in die hac.
6
Cist and Cil.
Before leaving the consideration of those cases in which cist
has an evident demonstrative force in combination with words
of time, let us notice the two following examples. In the first
the father of Aucassin is speaking to him about Nicolette:
si li donra [li visquens] un de ces jors un baceler,
Veniciens et Fleurentins
Avecquez Franchoys, notez bien
Qu'on verra ung de ces matins
Que l'assemblement n'en vault rien,
Auc., 2, 31.
R. G. S., 230, 550-553.
Here we find illustrated a use of cist which is not uncom-
mon in the Old French and which is met with frequently in
the modern language. The temporal idea expressed in such
locutions as un de ces jours is of an indefinite nature. The
explanation of the use here of cist lies in the fact that the
realization of the action may be expected at any point of a
period of future time to which the speaker is looking forward,
and which is coming ever nearer.
In addition to being used in temporal expressions with words
actually signifying time, cist occurs very frequently referring
to a present object, condition, state of affairs, etc.
Cist duels l'avrat encui par acorede,
Alex., LXXX.
Par Deu, ço dist l'escolte, cist gas est bels et bons,
Karls R., 505.
Veeir pöez dolente riereguarde;
Ki ceste fait jamais nen ferat altre,
Rol., 1104-1105.
Ne vos movez por nule rien
Tant que cist diaus soit abeissiez,
Ch. lyon, 1310-1311.
Mielz nus venist que senz seignur
fussuns tut tens qu'aveir cestui,
Fa., XIX, 14-15.
Si murrad Jonathas ki ad fait icest grant salu en Israel?,
L. Rois, I, XIV.
Vint ans a ja duré ceste guerre, c'onques ne pot iestre acievee par
home,
Auc., 10, 39-40.
Cist and Cil.
7
Or pri a Dieu que il li plese
Ceste dolor, ceste mesese
Et ceste enfance
M'atort a vraie penitance,
Ruteb., 4, 134-137.
Sire, aourez soies-tu de ceste soufraite que tu me fais,
Joinv., 416.
Quant le roy de France, père a ce roy Charles, fut de ce siècle
trespassé,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 75.
Other examples in which cist is used with a temporal force,
either with words of time or in expressions of a present situa-
tion, are common.5 In the texts examined no instance has
come to my attention in which, if the situation involves merely
a concept of present time, any other demonstrative than cist
is used.
2. Cist = LOCAL NEARNESS.
Cist, expressing the concept of nearness, is used with demon-
strative force in Old French in expressions of place. The point
of view is either that of the writer or that of one of his char-
acters.
5
Compare:
Alex., XXXVIII, LXIV, CI.
Karls R., 578, 616.
Rol., 242, 1280, 2107, 2751.
Rou, II, 698; II, 2215; II, 2217.
L. Rois, I, IV; I, V; I, VIII; I, X; I, XXVI; II, XII; II, XVI;
III, II; III, VIII; IV, IV.
Dial. Gr., 14, 13; 21, 9; 46, 8.
Villeh., 41.
Mer., 1090.
Ch. II esp., 1538, 3701, 6245, 8461, 8995.
Rose, I, 260; I, 270; I, 290.
Ruteb., 5, 37; 5, 49; 29, 90; 65, 102; 69, 64; 212, 238.
Rob. et Mar., 16, 285.
Joinv., 44, 49, 59, 204, 225, 278, 342, 395, 416, 500, 616, 653, 754.
C. Pis. L. E., 185.
R. G. S., 7, 34; 18, 40; 39, 338; 39, 340; 40, 361; 68, 42; 105, 468;
133, 300; 133, 301.
8
Cist and Cil.
Aust est, e requerrai Deu qu'il face tuner e pluie enveit en terre
encuntre le usage de cest païs à icest cuntemple,
L. Rois, I, XII.
This example illustrates the use of cist both as a temporal and
local qualifier.
Se ieo respas,
Jeo ferai a cest lieu honur,
Rou, 1, 615-616.
With the words city, country, land, kingdom, world, etc.:
Tenez les clés de ceste citét large,
Rol., 654.
Li queiz Basiles nient apres long tens en icest Romain borc fut
ars de fou,
Seignor, nos avons ceste vile conquise,
Dial. Gr., 19, 9.
nos ne troveriens mie
marchié en autre leu, et ceste vile si est mult riche,
Villeh., 86.
Sire, fait ele, ne vos esmaiiés pas; que dusqu'a pou le vos arai en
ćeste vile amenee,
Auc., 40, 25-26.
Et lera semer par dotance
Ypocrisie sa semance
Qui est dame de ceste vile,
Car je ferai acheter toutes les viandes en ceste ville,
En cest païs ad set anz osteiét,
Jeo ne puis par mei sul maintener cest pais,
Ruteb., 24, 48.
Joinv., 400.
Rol., 35.
Rou, II, 1443.
Seignor, je sai plus del couvine de cest païs que vos ne faites,
Villeh., 130.
Quant il estoit en cest pais,
vous n'avez pooir de demourer en cest païs,
Ruteb., 75, 63.
Joinv., 423.
le roy de France envoia en cest pays messire Rogier d'Espaigne,
S'or me conoissent mi parent d'este terre,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 73.
Latin: in hac Romana urbe.
Cist and Cil.
9
Il me prendront par pri o par podeste,
Rou cunquist ceste terre cume pruz e hardiz,
Moie est la ville et l'annors qui apent,
Ceste terre est a mon commandement,
Molt en avons de sa nature
En ceste terre,
Or est fors mis de cest roiaume
Alex., XLI.
Rou, II, 1454.
Am. et Am., 2134-2135.
Ruteb., 68, 26-27.
Li bons preudom,
Ibid., 82, 47-48.
Ge toi coniur . . . ke ie ne face sor toi set iors en icest mont,'
Ne les panriez por tout l'or de cest mond,
Dial. Gr., 32, 11.
Am. et Am., 635.
Homs qui aime ne puet bien faire,
N'a nul preu de ce monde entendre,
Je te cuit conduire de fait
En autre monde plus parfait,
Ou tu pourras trop plus aprendre
Que ne pues en cestui comprendre,
Rose, I, 99.
C. Pis. L. E., 649-652.
A group of examples, interesting as showing the demonstra-
tive force of cist, is that in which we have a reference by the
author himself to the work he is writing. 8
Del rei Henri voil faire ceste premiere page,
Rou, Chronique ascendante, 17.
Et bien tesmoigne Joffrois li marechaus de Champaigne, qui cestre
oevre dita,
Mes tant com cist siecles durra,
Durra cist contes en grant pris,
Bien les devise cis Romans,
Villeh., 120.
Mer., 22-23.
Rose, I, 67.
'Latin: In hoc mundo.
8 For hic with similar force in Latin, see Gildersleeve-Lodge, § 305, 4.
The use of ce in such a connection as the one here noted is common in
Modern French.
10
Cist and Cil.
li quel . . . loerent moult ceste oevre,
L. Mest., Préambule.
Joinv., 17.
En la dareniere partie de cest livre parlerons de sa fin,
Sicomme il est contenu cy-dessus ou premier volume de cestes
croniques,
Pour vous donner matiere aucunement
De soulacier, ay fait presentement
Cestui dictié que j'ay en termes mis,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 16.
Et a dieu te commande par cest escript,
C. Pis. L. E., 35-37.
Chart. C., 27, 22.
Intimately connected with the examples just cited, in which
we have a suggestion of "this . . . of mine," are those cases
where the possessive word is actually expressed. Here, in
addition to the local idea, one of closer personal relationship
with the speaker is implied."
0
si salvarai eo cist meon fradre Karlo,
Dist Blancandins: "Par ceste meie destre,"
Cest mien seignur en bataille faillirent,
Vostre terre, dist il, vus rent par cest mien gant,
Mes or metez an vostre doi
Cest mien anel, que je vos prest,
Me garantist et cors et teste
Forré d'agniaus cist miens buriaus
Vallés tu t'en iras,
Cest mien escu en porteras,
Oaths.
Rol., 47.
Ibid., 2718.
Rou, II, 664.
Ch. lyon, 2600-2601.
Rose, I, 301
Ch. II esp., 6239-6240.
Again, cist is used by the writer or speaker in a sense ex-
Compare use of cil, “that .. of yours," infra, pp. 36-37. In Modern
French ce is occasionally used in archaic and familiar style with the
possessive adjective mien. See Littré, under ce and mien.
Cist and Cil.
11
pressing even closer relationship than that noted in the pre-
ceding examples; cist is here the speaker himself.¹
Que fet que ne se tue
Cist las, qui joie s'est tolue,
10
Sire Diex, que fera cist dolenz esbahiz,
Ch. lyon, 3531-3532.
Ruteb., 216, 396.
Et s'i ne vous plait, si vous preigne pitie de ceste chietive qui ci gist,
Il sent donc le jaulne,
Se vieillard!,
Villeh., 399.
R. G. S., 33, 253-254.
There is still another large group of examples in which cist
has a strong demonstrative force in a local sense. Either the
context, or some word or clause in the sentence itself, shows
that the person or object referred to is in immediate proximity.
Sire huem Deu, n'en aies pas en despit ma anme ne les anmes à ces tes
serfs ki od mei sunt,
L. Rois, IV, I.
Al ure que Giezi cuntad cume Helysen out le mort suscited, este
vus la dame e ses fiz od li ki li prophète out suscited, e requist le
rei de ses dreiz e de sun herited: Sire, Sire, fist Giezi, ço est la
femme e cist est ses fiz de ki jo t'ai cunted,"
Ibid., IV, VIII.
10 Compare similar use of hic in Latin, Gildersleeve-Lodge, § 305, 1.
Ce is found occasionally in like constructions in Modern French; see
Victor Hugo, Hernani, III, IV:
Hélas! j'ai blasphémé! Si j'étais a ta place,
Doña Sol, j'en aurais assez, je serais lasse
De ce fou furieux, de ce sombre insensé
Qui ne sait caresser qu'après qu'il a blessé.
•
"This example is interesting not only as it shows the local demonstra-
tive force of cist, but also that it combines a Latin and a French con-
struction in connection with the pronoun standing before the verb être
and a predicate noun. The Latin of the passage is: Dixitque Giezi:
Domine rex, haec est mulier, et hic est filius ejus, quem suscitavit Eliseus.
The Latin construction, in which a demonstrative before a copulative
verb accords with a predicate noun, was rare in Old French, and even
in the oldest monuments the invariable neuter ce, instead of an inflected
form of the demonstrative, is found to be the established rule.
12
Cist and Cil.
Lores parlad li reis, si dist: Ceste dit: mes fiz vit e li tuns est
morz, e ceste altre respunt: Nun est si, mais morz est li tuns, e
li miens est vifs,
Ibid., III, III.
Both of the persons referred to are in the presence of the king.
As each ceste was pronounced, it was accompanied by a gesture.
Cil a l'espee
De cui fief cist castiaus est ci,
Ch. II esp., 8084-8085.
Joinv., 670.
Cist arcevesque et cist evesque qui ci sont m'ont chargié,
en cest livre que je tieing en ma main,
Ibid., 26.
Ysaï menad Samuel Aminadab. Respundi Samuel: Ne cestui n'ad
pas Deu eslit. Dunc fist avant venir Samma. Respundi Samuel:
Ne cestui ¹ n'ad pas Deu eslit. Dunc menad Ysaï ses set fiz devant
Samuel, e il redist: Nul de ces 14 n'ad Deu eslit.
14 n'ad Deu eslit. Dun ne n'as-tu
plus fiz? Respundi Ysaï: Ol, un petit ki guarded noz brebiz. Fist
Samuel: Fai-le venir, kar nus ne mangeruns si que il seit venuz.
Mandez fut. E vint; e fud alques russet e de bel semblant, e de
bele chière. Dist nostre Seignur a Samuel: Liève, si l'enuing;
cist 5 est mis esliz,
L. Rois, I, XVI.
The examples of cist just cited are typical of the several
large groups to which they belong. All cases in our texts where
cist is used with local force, either with words of place or in
expressions where the context shows that the object referred to
stands in a relation of proximity to the speaker, fall into one
or another of the above groups. 16 In no case have I found an
example in which, if the situation involved merely a concept
of local nearness, any other demonstrative than cist is used.
12 Latin: Nec hunc elegit Dominus.
13 Latin: Etiam hunc non elegit.
14 Latin: Non elegit ex istis.
15 Latin: Surge, unge eum, ipse est enim.
16 For additional cases of local cist, see:
Myer Rec., 197, 206.
Alex., XIV, LXXIII, LXXIV, CI, CIV, CVII.
Karls R., 149, 320, 528, 551, 557, 562.
Rol., 17, 134, 197, 266, 276, 515, 1023, 1100, 1166, 1393, 1479, 2183,
2282, 2583, 3343.
Cist and Cil.
13
a.
Cist used because Speaker assumes Attitude of Spectator.
At this point I would note a process by which a new situation
that makes the use of cist natural was frequently created. The
Old French writers had a tendency, when they described events
that had taken place previously to their writing or in a distant
land, to change their point of view from time to time in the
course of the narrative; that is, to transfer themselves into the
milieu of the events in question. Whenever this tendency be-
came reality, a new situation was created. From the point of
view of this new situation, action that was in the past is now
Rou, 11, 109; 11, 207; 11, 495; 11, 1258; 11, 2298.
L. Rois, I, I; I, VI; I, IX; I, XII; I, XVI; I, XV II; I, XXI; I,
XXV; II, XVI; II, XXIV; III, VIII; III, XV; III, XVIII;
IV, XVIII; IV, XX.
M. Fce., 4, 55; 6, 22.
Fa., I, 8; II, 11; XIII, 14.
Am. et Am., 103, 1419, 2934.
Ch. lyon, 334, 398, 341, 1023, 1066, 1067, 1127, 1263, 2114, 5729, 5970.
Dial. Gr., 11, 8; 17, 17; 17, 24; 19, 23; 21, 24; 27, 13; 37, 1; 38,
7; 38, 20; 39, 17; 48, 62.
Villeh., 59, 62, 63, 86, 122, 484.
Auc., 2, 29-30; 4, 5; 5, 21; 6, 13; 11, 39; 18, 19; 22, 17; 22, 30;
22, 32; 22, 35; 24, 38; 24, 43; 26, 17.
Mer., 374.
Ch. II esp., 415, 796, 997, 1292, 1312, 1541, 2805, 2831, 3797, 3974,
4407, 4967, 4989, 5551, 5685, 7278, 7279, 7295, 7327, 9017, 11267.
Rose, I, 20; I, 65; I, 179; I, 210; I, 211; I, 315.
Ruteb., 23, 173; 31, 192; 47, 34; 52, 8; 58, 1; 58, 9; 59, 49; 65, 71;
78, 4; 197, 55; 198, 91; 207, 49; 211, 186; 216, 392; 220, 574;
222, 640; 222, 652; 236, 622; 239, 770.
L. Mest., VIII, IV; X, V; LI, XVI.
Rob. et Mar., 23, 24.
Joinv., 4, 15, 18, 24, 25, 26, 35, 36, 38, 41, 61, 69, 116, 189, 234, 238,
242, 253, 332, 371, 372, 398, 399, 400, 419, 423, 462, 485, 510, 580,
586, 641, 650, 653, 738, 756, 759, 768.
1
C. Pis. L. E., 37, 79, 118, 165, 315, 688, 889, 959, 1007, 1009, 1098.
Froiss. Chr., Prog. II, 7; IX, 141; IX, 159; XI, 5; XI, 35; XI, 41.
R. G. S., 23, 108; 24, 117; 28, 178; 29, 188; 32, 235; 33, 246; 33,
256; 40, 360; 41, 370; 41, 377; 42, 390; 85, 234; 107, 494.
Chart. C., 5, 9.
O. Orl., 170, 22.
14
Cist and Cil.
in the present, hence the use of verb forms in the present tense
instead of in the past as they were used before; the objects
that were removed in time, place, or both, are now near, hence
cist is the demonstrative that is used in referring to them.
The following examples, in which we have a combination of
verb forms in the present and forms out of ecce + iste, are
among the many that might be cited from the domain of Old
French literature to illustrate the change of situation, or point
of view, of the author. Some of them are also excellent ex-
amples of vividness of style.
Nel reconourent ne ne l'ont enterciet.
Damz Alexis en lodet Deu del ciel
D'icez sons sers cui il est almosniers;
Il fut lour sire, ore est lour provendiers,
Alex., XXV.
In the first of these lines, and in the first half of the fourth,
the author is writing from the historian's point of view; that
is, about events that happened in the past and in a distant
country. This is shown by the use of the verb forms in the
past. In the second and third lines, however, comes a change
in the point of view; the author allows his imagination to
carry him back to a point in time and place from which he
views the picture that passes before his eyes. It is for this
reason that we have in these lines verb forms in the present,
instead of in the past, and icez, instead of a corresponding form
out of ecce + ille.
Mult est vassals Carles de France dulce;
Li amiralz il nel crient ne ne dutet.
Cez lor espees tutes nües i mustrent,
Sur cez escuz mult granz cols s'entredunent,
Trenchent cez fuz et cez quirs ki sont duble,
Chieent li clou; si pecieent les bucles,
Puis fierent il nud a nud sur lur bronies;
Des helmes clers li fous en escarbunclet.
Ceste bataille ne poet remaneir unkes,
Josque li uns sun tort i reconuisset,
Rol., 3579-3588.
The picture here is exceedingly vivid; the writer is an eye-
Cist and Cil.
15
witness of the events described; he is so near in his imagina-
tion to the two hostile armies that everything takes place before
him. The swords, the shields, the lances, etc., are "these
swords, these shields, these lances here before me." 17
Li barun e li cunte, li viel e li puisné
Virent le gentil regne a grant hunte atorné;
Veient les mustiers ars e le pueple tué
Veient la felunie, veient la cruelté
Des Normanz e de Rou, ki le regne unt gasté:
Marcheant aler n'osent n'a chastel n'a cité,
Vilains n'osent en vigne laburer ne en pré.
Se ceste chose dure, mult aurunt grant chierté,
Ja tant cum guerre seit n'en aurunt grant plenté.
Face paiz as Normanz, trop a cist mals duré,
Rou, II, 1067-1080.
In this example special attention is called to the verb forms,
virent, preterit on the one hand, and on the other, veient, osent,
unt gasté, aurunt, face, a duré, all of which are either present
or rest on a concept of present time. These verb forms and
the forms of the pronoun, ceste and cist, clearly show the
change in point of view by the writer.
il vit an une valee
Tot seul pasturer un chevruel.
Cestui prandra il,
Ch. lyon, 3444-3446.
Et quant il furent assamblé [les barons] al paveillon le fil l'empereor
Sursac, si lor conte ceste novele,
Villeh., 183.
Et Aucassins les comenca a regarder se s'en esmervella mout durement.
Aucassins est arestés
sor son arcon acoutés,
si coumence a regarder
će plenier estor canpel,
Auc., 30, 18-19, 31, 1-4.
17
Compare in this connection cist equivalent to definite article, infra,
pp. 101-103.
16
Cist and Cil.
Et apries.
Rois Estrangares seoir uint,
Li rois Bruaus
A pres cestui siet et meniue,
Ch. II esp., 104-110.
Dunkes entrerent li Franc l'oratoire, si comenc (i) erent forsenant a
querre Libertin, a crieir Libertin, la u il gisoit ius esterneiz en orison.
Merueilhouse est ceste chose.
Dial. Gr., 12, 5.
In the last example, as in those preceding it, we have a change
of situation, but the citation from the Dial. Gr. presents a new
feature in the direction of the change. Here the speaker, when
he pronounces the words "Merueilhouse est ceste chose," is
moving an event of the past up to the present, to his own time
and place, whereas in the case of the other examples cited thus
far, the speaker or writer transfers himself from the present
back into the past, to the time and place of the event he is¹8
describing.
b. Cist Nearness in Interest.
18
Cist is used with demonstrative force in Old French in ex-
pressions that imply nearness in point of present interest.
Cist is here used to refer back to persons, objects, conditions,
events, place, time, words, etc., which have just been mentioned
in the course of the narrative or conversation, and which are
therefore momentarily present to the mind of the writer or
speaker. 19
La u cist furent des altres i out bien,
Rol., 108.
The author has just mentioned in the preceding lines those
knights who were with Charles.
Is In connection with the above question of the combination of forms
out of ecce+iste and verb forms in the present tense, compare what is
said on forms of cil and past tenses, infra, pp. 29-131.
19 For corresponding use of hic in Latin, see Gildersleeve-Lodge, § 305, 5.
Cf. the historical cil, infra, pp. 30-31.
Cist and Cil.
17
E Charles tint France e Burguine
Cist Charles fu Charles li Chals,
!
Rou, I, 297-298.
Uns prudums mest en Bethleem; Ysaï out num, pères fud David de
qui devant partie est tuchié, e out uit fiz. E cist Ysaï al tens Saül
fud de grant eage,
20
L. Rois, I, XVII.
After mentioning the six sons of David, the text continues:
Li sistes out nun Jethram; fiz fud Eggla la muiller David.
21 furent nez en Ebron,
E ces
Se nus de cez deus la requiert,
Ja contredite ne li iert,
Ibid., II, III.
Ch. lyon, 689-690.
cez refers to Keu and Gauvain who have just been mentioned;
la refers to the combat in question.
A la glise de cestui fut mult grande povreteiz,
Dial. Gr., 34, 2.
Boniface, the subject of the discourse, has just been mentioned
and is therefore present in the mind of the writer.
Sire, tes cousins est morz; tu voiz le domage qui a la terre d'outremer
est avenuz. Por Dieu te volons proier que tu preignes la croiz et
sequeures la terre d'outremer el leu cestui,
Du roiaume des Illes sui
Cheualiers, fix d'un uauasor,
Si n'i a ne roi ne seignour
En cest pais fors une dame,
Villeh., 38.
Ch. Il esp., 2798-2801.
We have here an excellent example of the cist of present
interest. Although the country referred to by the knight is at
a distance and would therefore naturally be designated by the
demonstrative of remoteness, the fact that the idea of it fills
20 And in the commentary to this passage we read: Mais entre ces uit,
uns sis niès, Nathan par nun, fud anumbrez.
21 Latin: Hi nati sunt David in Hebron.
22 Latin: Huius ecclesiae gravis valde paupertas inerat.
18
Cist and Cil.
4
the mind of the speaker at the time he refers to it causes the
use of the pronoun of nearness.
Et ancois k'eust bien contees
Ces nouieles, ele l'acole
Tant lie k'ele ne parole
De grant piece, et il aussi li;
Et quant cis acolers fali
La dame dist,
Ceste gent dont je vous parole
S'estoient pris à la carole,
Car ge metroie trop à dire
Les fais Néron, le cruel home,
Cis ot les cuers plus durs que pierre,
Ch. II esp., 8354-8359.
Rose, I, 24.
Icist bons preudom
Ibid., I, 206.
Preudome crut,
Ruteb., 76, 82-83.
En cest estat et sans assaillir, tint il ses ennemis plus de quinze
jours,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 33.
Froissart has just described the state of affairs alluded to in
the text. In like manner Joinville, in speaking of a difficulty
he had to get a certain sum of money, says:
En ceste mesaise de cuer je fu quatre jours,
Joinv., 414.
Of very common occurrence is the use of the cist of present
interest in expressions of transition in which the author or
speaker refers back to what has just been mentioned as "this
thing," "these things," "this word," "these words," etc.:
Mes sachiez bien, que des or mes
N'avroiz de moi triues ne pes.
A cest mot nos antrevenimes,
Quant cez choses furent assises,
cez choses sunt mult vraies cui tu dis,
Ch. lyon, 515-517.
Ibid., 3314.
Dial. Gr., 24, 22.
Cist and Cil.
19
De ces noveles furent il mult troblé,
L'avoir que il ont amassé
Et li ombres d'un viel fossé
Villeh., 336.
Ces deus choses ont un semblant,
Ruteb., 48, 46-48.
Aler m'en vueil. Prie por moi.
A cest mot s'est de lui partie,
Et ceste chose fist li soudans,
Ibid., 244, 962-963.
Joinv., 286.
Tandis que il estoient en ces paroles, uns siens chevaliers li escria,
Ibid., 556.
A ces propos respondy Ferrant Galopes,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 11.
With this group are to be classified all those cases in which
Marie de France and other fabulists use a form of cist in the
moral of a fable, referring back to the fable itself.
Par iceste signefiance
poum entendre quel creance
deivent aveir li mort es vis,
Fa., XXV, 37.
As cist is used to refer back to what the author has just ex-
pressed, so it may stand in anticipation of what is to follow,
usually in the form of direct discourse.28
E la dame lur fist cest respuns: Ço dirrez a celi ki chà vus enveiad,
L. Rois, IV, XXII.
Ces 2 furent princes en la curt le rei Salomon: [the list of princes
follows],
Des or croi je bien cest latin:
Mals voisins done mal matin,
Ibid., III, IV.
Ruteb., 77, 119-120.
Cist tytres parole des Fevres Couteliers de Paris [the regulations
follow],
Crisostome, ce n'est pas guille,
Dit dessus Mathieu l'evangille
Cestes meismes propres paroles
L. Mest., XVI.
23 For corresponding use of hic in Latin, see Gildersleeve-Lodge, § 305, 6.
24 Latin: Et hi principes quos habebat.
20
Cist and Cil.
Que je diray, non pas frivoles,
C. Pis. L. E., 4193-4196.
Examples of the cist of present interest referring to some-
thing just mentioned, might be added indefinitely. With few
exceptions I have cited all those cases that occur in our texts
where the cist refers to what follows.
3. Cist... Cist INDEFINITE.
There is in Old French a use of cist in which this word is
employed with an indefinite force, to express in a general way
the idea" one
another," "such and such a one." 25 This
indefinite cist was originally demonstrative, as is shown by the
following example:
E li Franceis trebuchent a turbes en la plaigne;
Cist trebuche, cist gist, e cist muert e cist saigne,
Rou, II, 800-801.
The author here assumes the attitude of a spectator, and natur-
ally designates, perhaps with a gesture, each victim as
"this
one," for he falls or lies dead right before his eyes. Note also
the following citation in which cist has about the same demon-
strative force as in the example from Rou:
Et dit chascuns et cist et cist:
Antre nos est cil, qui l'ocist,
Ch. lyon, 1199-1200.
In the following examples, which belong to a later period than
the two just cited, we have forms of the indefinite cist that no
longer possess any demonstrative force at all.
25
25
Se Beguine se marie
S'est sa conversacion;
Ses veuz, sa prophecion
N'est pas a tote sa vie.
Cest an plore et cest an prie,
Compare infra, p. 46.
Cist and Cil.
21
Et cest an penra baron,
Ruteb., 63, 11-16.
Autrefois dit à la fléuste
C'onques fame ne trova juste.
Il n'est nule que ne se rie,
S'ele oit parler de lécherie;
Ceste est pute, ceste se farde,
Et ceste folement se garde
Ceste est vilaine, ceste est fole,
Et ceste nicement parole.
Male-Bouche, qui riens n'esperne,
Trueve a chascune quelque herne,
Rose, I, 129.
Again, Froissart, regretting the decline of chivalry, speaks of
young knights, who, having won honor on the field of battle,
were formerly pointed out in public places by admirers who
said:
Vela cesti qui mist ceste cevaucie ou ceste armee sus, et qui ordonna
ceste bataille si faiticement et le gouverna si sagement . . . ou qui
entreprist ceste besogne si hardiement,
Froiss. Chr., II, 9.
4. WEAKENING OF DEMONSTRATIVE FORCE OF Cist, AND
INTRODUCTION OF STRENGTHENING -ci, là.
In an endeavor to give examples of all those groups in which
cist has a demonstrative force, I have cited thus far in the
discussion of my subject only such sentences as contain the
simple unaugmented form. The nature of the question under
consideration has precluded the possibility of using as illustra-
tions of cist with demonstrative value any of the forms com-
bined with ci and là (with which we are familiar in later
French), for the mere presence of the strengthening particles
is an indication that the original, inherent Latin force of the
pronoun is weakened. Otherwise ci would be superfluous, and
là in direct contradiction to the idea of nearness expressed
by cist. The majority of the examples cited above are from
texts that belong to periods prior to the end of the first quarter
of the fourteenth century. If I have made occasional citations
22
Cist and Cil.
from authors of a later date than this, it is because the weak-
ening of the original demonstrative force was a gradual process,
so that, for a considerable time after the use of such forms as
cist-ci and cist-là became frequent, the traditional force of cist
in itself was still felt. Let us now see what light is thrown
on this question of the augmented forms by our examples.
Nyrop 20 cites the following:
26
Dont feres vous chestuy chi delivrer,
Huon de Bordeaux, 5817
This example, from a text that belongs to the twelfth century,
is interesting only as it shows an early occurrence of the com-
bination. The presence of the chi here makes the meaning of
the demonstrative more specific, that is, it limits the general
idea of nearness that cist may express to one of local proximity,
but signifies no lack of demonstrative force in chestuy. The
same is true of the particle of the augmented forms found in
Meraugis and the Chevaliers as deus espees, texts of the first
third of the thirteenth century.
Ainçois m'avrez mieuz coneü
Et en autres places veü,
Se il vos plest, qu'en ceste ci,
De quoi servent cist prison ci?,
Mer., 457-459.
Ibid., 5654.
Raoul de Houdan employs forms out of ecce+iste one hun-
dred and fifty-six times in Meraugis; of these only in the two
cases just cited is the particle ci added.
cist in combination with là.
Si m'a si gastee ma terre
Et a mes manoirs les plus biaus
Ke ie n'ai de .IIII. castiaus
De remanant ke cestui ci,
In no case does he use
Ch. II esp., 4430-4433.
se il uous plaisoit
Et a tous ces cheualiers ci
Grammaire Historique de la Langue Française, 1903, II, 401.
!
23
Cist and Cil.
Vous uauroie
Querre .I. don,
Ibid., 9952-9955.
In the Chevaliers as deus espees the combination of cist with
ci is used four times; the simple forms occur one hundred and
fifty-four times. In no case is cist combined with là.
In the other texts of the thirteenth century, even in those of
the last part, there is no perceptible increase in the frequency
of the strengthened forms. They do not occur in either of the
two parts of the Rose, nor in Rutebeuf, nor in the Livre des
Métiers. Joinville (1224-1319) did not employ them, at least
in his Histoire de St. Louis, written at the beginning of the
fourteenth century. I do not wish to imply that cist-ci, and
even cist-là, may not be encountered sporadically in other texts
of the thirteeth century, but the proportion of augmented to
simple forms would probably be no greater in any of them than
it is in Meraugis and the Chevaliers as deus espees. Further-
more, cist-ci expresses at this epoch no idea that could not have
been given equally well by the corresponding unaugmented
form. In view of these facts, I conclude that the simple cist
was sufficient adequately to express the concept of nearness to
the speaker throughout the whole strictly Old French period,
that is, from the time of the earliest monuments down to a
date corresponding roughly with that of the coming of the first
Valois king.
When we come to Froissart (1337-1410), however, we find
a noticeable increase in the use of the augmented forms. From
many cases in which the combination of cist with ci occurs, I
cite the following:
Car par une nuyt de Saint-Nicolas en yver l'an de grâce mil CCCLXII.
le conte de Fois prinst assés du Mont-de-Marsen en bataille le conte
Jehan d'Armeignach, l'aieul de cestuy icy,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 32.
chastel, ung moult vail-
j'en parle pour tant que messire Garsis du
lant chevalier de ce pays-icy . . . estoit alé querre le duc d'Angou,
Ibid., XI, 41.
meteray un tel trouble entre ceste ville chi et le conte que coustera
cent mille vies,
Ibid., IX, 169.
24
Cist and Cil.
On the other hand, I have found cases in which the same
author writes cist in combination with là, which shows clearly
that cist was assuming in the fourteenth century merely a
neutral force as regards the expression of any relation of near-
ness or remoteness. The incongruity of cist, originally "this
here" + là, "there," was not felt; cist in such combinations
as this was rather determinative than demonstrative, and the
essential pointing-out force of cist-là lay in the particle.
le conte de Fois prinst. . . le conte Jehan d'Armeignach . . . et en
rechupt en deniers tous appareilliés pour dix fois cent mille frans
seulement de cest prinse là,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 32.
Lyon:
Adont je demanday a messire Espang de
"Et ce messire Rogier d'Espaigne, que estoit-il a messire Charles
d'Espaigne . . . ?" Lors me respondi
ces Espaignols-là,
Il n'est esbanois qui ne passe.
De cesti là nous partesins,
.
CC
'Ce n'est pas mie de
Ibid., XI, 39.
Froiss. P., Esp. A., 1127-1128.
If we judge by examples taken from representative passages,
the proportion of simple to augmented forms of cist in Frois-
sart is about as 25 to 1. The same proportion holds for the
works of Christine de Pisan (1363-1431).
In the fifteenth century we meet no new features of special
importance with reference to the loss of the demonstrative value
of the pronoun. More numerous examples of cist in combi-
nation with ci and là than in the texts of the fourteenth century
indicate that the inherent force of the simple form was already
a matter of tradition.
Cestuy cy y vient de travers.
Et l'aultre est venu par deriere,
Vrayment ceste cy est moye,
R. G. S., 25, 133-134.
Ch. XVS., 60, 30.
Car j'ay plus belle matiere de le faire que cette-cy n'est,
Mais en ce debat cy nous sommes,
XV Joies, 163.
Villon, 83, 1467.
Cist and Cil.
25
L'aultre est filz . . .
Cestuy la est mon amy,
Item, à maistre Andry Courault,
Les Contreditz Franc-Gontier mande:
Quant du Tirant seant en hault,
A cestuy là riens ne demande,
Je y ay esté ce temps là avec le roy Loys,
Oh. XVS., 99, 24.
Villon, 82, 1457-1460.
Com., 51.
et si est presque impossible que beaucoup de grans personnages en-
semble et de semblable estat se puissent longuement entretenir, sinon
qu'il y ait chief par dessus tous: et ce seroit besoing que cestui là
fust sage et bien estimé,
Ibid., 81.
In connection with the question of the weakening of the
original demonstrative force of cist, as shown by the presence
of the particles ci and là in later Old French, it is interesting
to note that not until the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries
were forms out of ecce + iste used with any degree of fre-
quency as determinative qualifiers. 27
27 See infra, pp. 73-79.
CHAPTER II.
DEMONSTRATIVE FORCE OF CIL.
1. Cil TEMPORAL REMOTENESS.
Cil, expressing the concept of remoteness, 28 is used with
demonstrative force in Old French in expressions of time or
situation other than the present. The point of view is that
of the writer or speaker.
E Saül e li suen alèrent d'une part del munt, e David e li suen del
altre part, si que David despérad que à cele feiz eschapast,
L. Rois, I, XXIII.
A cele foiz ne se porent acorder,
Villeh., 11.
In connection with the words time (tempus), hour, day, night,
week, season, etc.
Quant infans fud donc a ciels temps
Al rei lo duistrent soi parent,
Tuit esteient Normant a cel tens apelé,
Dis e noef anz fu reis, a cel terme murut,
En cel cuntemple, fud une cité Sylo,
en icel termine,
Meyer Rec., 194, 13-14.
Rou, II, 432.
Ibid., Chronique ascendante, 135.
L. Rois, I,I.
Villeh., 392.
L. Rois, I, XXVIII.
A cel 29 ure li Philistien firent lur ban,
Que que il parloient einsi,
Li rois fors de la chanbre issi,
Ou il ot fet longue demore,
Que dormi ot jusqu'a cele ore,
Ch. lyon, 649-652.
"For the force of ille, the Latin prototype of cil, see Gildersleeve-Lodge,
p. 192.
29 Latin: in diebus illis,
26
Oist and Cil.
27
en icele 30 hore,
Dial. Gr., 18, 22.
il vint devant la porte et fist une grande escarmouche. A celle propre
heure chevauchoit sur le pays le seneschal de Thoulouse,
E poro fut presentede Maximiien
Chi rex eret a cels dis sovre pagiens,
Paschas furent in eps cel di,
Cel jorn i out cent mil lairmes ploredes,
Nanteis a cel iur aueit nun,
Cel jur meïsme ainz relevee
fu la dame el vergier alee,
Mes sire Yvains cele nuit ot
Mout buen ostel,
Et cil cheualiers por uoir fu
Gaus, li fils le roi de Norual,
Uns des mellors, ki sor cheual
En cel ior en sante montast,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 28.
Meyer Rec., 193, 11-12.
Ibid., 195, 80.
Alex., CXIX.
Rou, I, 396.
M. Fce., 15, 261-262.
Ch. lyon, 791-792.
Oh. II esp., 10842-10845.
Et dist l'on que nous estiens trestuit perdu dès celle journée,
Joinv., 236.
Ibid., 110.
Tout celle semainne fumes en feste et en quarole,
C'est Douls Regars. Celle saison
Apoursievoit d'Amors la chace,
Froiss. P., I, 28.
Examples similar to those just cited, in which we have a word
expressing time in combination with a form of cil referring
to a more or less distant past, abound in Old French texts.31
80 Latin: in ea hora.
81
Compare among others:
Meyer Rec., 194, 15; 195, 32.
Alex., XXVIII.
Rol., 664.
Rou, I, 464; II, 432; II, 579; II, 808.
L. Rois, IV, VIII.
Ch. lyon, 42, 213.
M. Fce., 6, 27; 7, 55.
28:
Cist and Cil.
In this connection are to be noted several examples in which
the definite article with demonstrative force stands instead of
cil. In all such cases that I have found, the accompanying
noun is either the word "jour" or "nuit."
Onques en Rome nen out si grant leticie
Come out le jorn as povres ed as riches,
Unz des serjanz Saül fud al 2 jur al tabernacle,
83
David s'en parti d'iloc e fuid al jur le rei Saül,
34
Alex., CVIII.
L. Rois, I, XXI.
Ibid., I, XXI.
E bien sout tut li poples al jur que morz n'i fud Abner par le rei,
85
Quant li baron orent la nuit soupé,
Ibid., II, III.
Qu'el les ot le jor coneüz
As cous doner et recevoir
Que ce furent li dui por voir
Qui mieuz le firent en l'estor,
Et qui plus li plorent le jor,
Et Kex serui le iour as tables,
Am. et Am., 1153.
Mer., 390-394.
Ch. II esp., 123.
Before leaving the consideration of cases dealing with forms
of cil expressing temporal remoteness in connection with actual
words of time and referring to a past situation, attention should
be called to a sentence in the Histoire de St. Louis, & 433.
St. Louis had called together the knights, who were with him
in the East, in order to obtain their opinion in regard to the
advisability of returning to France. The majority of them
counselled him to return. Joinville, however, was of the
Dial. Gr., 10, 24; 11, 25; 17, 9; 20, 10; 21, 9; 23, 13.
Joinv., 102, 125, 201, 206, 237, 247, 276, 296, 515, 520, 521, 558, 563,
617, 618.
Froiss. Chr., XI, 37; XI, 67.
82 Latin: in die illa.
38 Latin: in die illa.
*Latin: in die illa.
85
Compare Am. et Am., 1639, 1644.
Cist and Cil.
29
opinion that Louis ought to remain where he was. The king
dismissed the council, asking for a week's time in which to
arrive at a conclusion. Some moments later he came to Join-
ville:
Or soiés touz aises, dist-il, car je vous sai mout bon grei de ce que
vous m'avez loei; mais ne le dites à nullui toute celle semainne.
The king is evidently referring to the week that has just begun,
so that there is every reason why we should have ceste in this
place instead of celle.
36
We have now to consider another large group of examples, in
which cil, although it is not used in connection with actual
words of time, marks none the less temporal remoteness.
Attention has already been called to the change of view-point,
by which an author transfers himself from his own milieu to
the milieu of the events under consideration.37 There results
from this change of view-point a treatment of the subject-
matter as though it were in immediate proximity to the writer
in time and place. Under such conditions one readily under-
stands the use of verb forms in the present tense and of forms
of cist, the pronoun of nearness. This manner of regarding
certain passages of his narrative was frequent with the Old
French writer. It was not, however, the regular procedure on
8 The careful uniform distinction that Joinville makes between cist
(= this... near) and cil (that . . . remote) leads me to question
the correctness of de Wailly's reading of "celle semainne" in this passage.
If celle is the correct reading of the manuscripts, there can be only one
explanation of its use here. Joinville, writing some years after the epi-
sode in question happened, forgot for the instant that he was citing the
king's own words in this passage, and was led to write celle by a momen-
tary conception of the remoteness of the event. The king's own words
were: mais ne le dites à nullui toute ceste semainne. Joinville had in
mind: Li rois me dist que ne le diroie à nullui toute celle semaine. Com-
pare another possible example of the confusion of direct and indirect dis-
course, affecting the choice of the demonstrative, in the Pélerinage de
Charlemagne, 513: Puis la [pelote] larrai aller tres par mi cel palais.
William of Orange, who is "gabbing" must have said cest palais, since
he is in the palace itself at the time.
87 See supra, p. 13-16.
30
Cist and Cil.
his part. More often he looked upon the events he was de
scribing as something historical, as having happened at a period
more or less prior to his own time. From the latter point of
view, the action is naturally expressed by verb forms in past
tenses, and the persons or things that are referred to in the
action are designated by forms of cil. The pronoun thus used
by a writer in narrative that is historical from his own point of
view might be designated in general the historical cil.38 As
Old French literature is mainly of a narrative nature examples
of this historical cil are very numerous.
Ad une spede li roveret tolir lo chief.
La domnizelle celle kose non contredist,
Li chanceliers, cui li metiers en eret,
Cil list la chartre,
Meyer Rec., 194, 22-23.
Li reis fait en sa chambre aconduire sa fille;
Portendue est trestote de palies et cortines.
Cele out la charn tant blanche come flor en espine,
Alex., LXXVI.
Karls R., 705-707.
This example, which is a typical one, shows the facility with
which Old French authors wrote, now as eye-witnesses, now as
historians.
Tuz premerains len respunt Falsarons,
Icil ert frere al rei Marsiliun,
Rol., 879-880.
E la furent treiz des fiz Sarvie: Joab e Abisaï e Asael. E cil Asael
fud si delivres del pied e si ignels cume uns cheverols,
En l'espeisse d'un grant buissun
vit une bisse od sun foün.
Tute fu blanche cele beste,
L. Rois, II, II.
M. Fce., 8, 89-92.
et des chevaliers, fu li uns Johans de Friaize et Roberz de Bove. Et
cil jurerent sor sains loialemente que
•
Villeh., 105.
38 This term might be applied with equal propriety to the forms of cil
in the examples on pp. 26-27 in which the author uses the pronoun of
remoteness to refer to a past time.
Cist and Cil.
31
La nes u Nicolete estoit estoit le roi de Cartage, et cil estoit ses peres,
La fëauté
Li font de bone volenté
Trestuit, fors Melianz de Liz.
Cil la jura trop a enviz,
Une autre en i ot apelée
Franchise; cele iert empenée
De Valor et de Cortoisie,
Haubanier furent ancienement establi a un
puis mist i bons rois Phelippe cel mui de
Li droit aus clers firent la cort
Quar cil i firent lor voloir,
Auc., 36, 2.
Mer., 5562-5564.
Rose, I, 31.
mui de vin paier. Et
vin a VIs de parisis,
L. Mest., I, VIII.
Ruteb., 79, 56-57.
il avoit changié le commendeour dou palais . . . et cil me rendi mes
deniers,
Joinv., 414.
Et quant de sa
devant luy avoit
En tel estat que vous oyés le conte de Fois vivoit.
chambre a mye nuit venoit pour souper en sa salle,
douze torches alumées que douze varlets portoient, et icelles douze
torces tenues estoient devant sa table,
Par semblant fu fort et durable
Si sembla bien femme honnorable,
Quoie, atrempée et de grant sens
Et maistresse de tous ses sens
Celle dame, ce me sembla,
Examples of the historical cil abound.39
39 See for further examples:
Froiss. Chr., XI, 87.
C. Pis. L. E., 471-475.
Meyer Rec., 194, 11; 195, 19; 195, 25; 195, 43; 195, 49; 195, 55-56;
195, 56; 195, 65; 195, 79; 196, 101; 196, 105-106; 196, 148; 196,
149; 197, 179; 197, 197; 197, 205; 198, 209-210; 198, 205.
Alex., VIII, XXXV, XXXVII, XLVII, LVI, LXXVI, C, CVI, CXXIII.
Karls R., 123.
Rol., 887, 1214, 1998, 2008, 2094, 2283, 2745.
Rou, I, 45; I, 53; I, 200; I, 345; I 520; II, 30; II, 66; II, 66;
II, 152; II, 255; II, 556; II, 574; II, 840; II, 1135; II, 1272; II,
1553; II, 1187; II, 2148; II, 3652; II, 3654; III, 603; III, 608;
Chronique ascendante, 31, 138, 232.
L. Rois, I, IX; II, IV; II, XI; III, III; III, IV; III, VII; III, IX;
IV, XX.
2
32
Cist and Cil.
Lastly, the demonstrative force of cil expressing temporal
remoteness is further seen in the following group of examples.
These examples differ from those already cited above in this
chapter in that they involve a situation, not of past, but of
future, time.
E dunc dist li Sires a Samuel: Un ovre frai en Israel, e tele serra
ke cornerunt li les orilles à celui qui l'orrad. En cel jur susciterai
encuntre Hély tuit ço que jo ai parlé sur lui e sur sa maignée,
De m'amor seroiz maz et haves,
Se vos n'estes a icel jor
Ceanz,
L. Rois, I, III.
Se m'amie m'eust forfait,
U le cuer de mon ventre trait,
Por que un mot peusce parler,
Ch. lyon, 2576-2578.
M. Fce., 14, 224; 14, 243.
Fa., XLIII, 21; LXXXIII, 14.
Ch. lyon, 1060, 1101, 1409, 2441, 2699, 2832, 3256, 3926,
Dial. Gr., 6, 25; 8, 17; 9, 2; 9, 9; 9, 15; 9, 19; 10, 13; 10, 22; 11,
1;11, 17; 12, 23; 13, 11; 14, 4; 15, 4; 16, 11; 17, 1; 18, 16;
18, 24; 19, 4; 19, 5; 19, 13; 19, 16; 19, 18; 20, 4; 20, 20; 21,
20; 21, 24; 22, 8; 22, 13; 22, 25; 25, 13; 29, 8; 31, 17; 32, 1;
32, 3; 34, 1; 34, 5; 34, 9; 38, 1; 42, 13; 43, 20-21; 45, 15; 49,
10; 48, 4; 55, 8; 57, 17; 59, 20.
Villeh., 1, 3, 48, 51, 70, 85, 99, 114, 135, 141, 151, 152, 153, 165, 172,
220 279, 283, 305, 308, 312.
Auc., 16, 6; 32, 1.
Mer., 5061, 5129.
Ch. II esp., 126, 825, 1276, 1455, 2004, 7361, 7418, 12124.
Rose, I, 2; I, 31; I, 32; I, 39; I, 41; I, 49; I, 54; I, 121; I, 221.
L. Mest., XLVIII, IV; LI, XVI.
Ruteb., 79, 61; 222, 656; 238, 720; 240, 780; 241, 886.
Joinv., 74, 95, 98, 103, 158, 194, 199, 200, 226, 246, 257, 261, 267, 270,
275, 276, 282, 291, 313, 354, 367, 424, 434, 439, 468, 477, 483,
486, 490, 498, 550, 551, 564, 639, 650, 657, 682, 728.
Froiss. Chr., II, 135; IX, 162; IX, 168; IX, 178; IX, 171; IX, 387;
IX, 388; IX, 389; XI, 13; XI, 19; XI, 20; XI, 21; XI, 29;
XI, 30; XI, 38; XI, 43; XI, 61; XI, 73; XI, 87; XI, 88;
XIV, 164; XIV, 206; XIV, 211.
Froiss. P., I, 7; I, 114; I, 129; I, 132.
.
C. Pis. L. E., 114, 225, 435, 808, 2463, 2466, 4675, 6169.
C. Pis. P., I, 2; I, 4.
Com., 143.
Cist and Cil.
33
Cil seroit de li mercier,
Quant li derreniers jors vendra,
Partonopeus de Blois, 4529-4532.
Que Mors son droit des cors prendra:
Car icel jor, bien le recors,
Ne nous toldra fors que le cors,
Car tant est grans ma maladie
Que noient parler ne poroie
Ne ja le voir ne n'en diroie
Tant que je fuisse en celle paine,
Pour ce, quant fait commandement,
Tenir le doit premierement,
Et puis ses subgiez l'ensiwront
Et plus voulentiers le feroit,
N'oseront contredire au roy,
Qui meismes tendra celle loy,
Rose, I, 270.
Froiss. P., I, 21.
C. Pis. L. E., 5599-5604.
2. Cil LOCAL REMOTENESS.
Cil, expressing the concept of remoteness, is used with demon-
strative force in Old French in expressions of place. Striking
examples of this use of cil are those in which the demonstrative
is used in connection with words meaning place, town, city,
country, kingdom, land, direction, etc.
Por ço fud apeled cel liu li champs des forz en Gabaon,
Quant Marie ot parler de Dieu
Por qui ele vint en cel leu,
Ad Ostedun, a cilla ciu,
Dom sc. L. vai asalir,
L. Rois, II, II.
Ruteb., 239, 773-779.
Meyer Rec., 196, 139-140.
s'il savoit
Rien du roi ki assise avoit
Cele cite,
Ch. II esp., 333-335.
En celle citei sourt une fonteinne que l'on appele Jour,
Joinv., 570.
•
s'en vint
Or advint depuis que le pere du conte d'Armeignach,
eschieller de nuit et prendre la ville de Cassères, et y furent bien deux
34
Cist and Cil.
cens hommes d'armes, et monstroient que celle ville ils vouloient
tenir de puissance,
Tuit li omne de ciel païs
Froiss. Chr., XI, 32.
Trestuit a(n) presdrent a venir,
Meyer Rec., 198, 212-213.
Nanteis a cel iur aueit nun
Cele cuntree d'enuirun,
Rou, I, 396-397.
assez estoit renez quant il de celle perillouse terre eschapoit,
Joinv., 617.
Pur co la maidnée lu rei turnad cele part,
L. Rois, II, XX.
Les autres nés qui n'erent mie cela part guenchies,
Villeh., 125.
Li quens Bougars de Valence oï dire c'on penderoit Aucassin son
anemi si venoit cele part,
Tantost cele part s'adrecierent,
Auc., 10, 32.
Ch. II esp., 2422.
il se traitrent en celle part,
Joinv., 551.
The demonstrative force of cil to express local remoteness is
also seen in the following examples. Either the context, or
some word or phrase in the sentence itself shows that the person
or place referred to by a form of cil is distant from the speaker.
The point of view here is not that of the author as in the pre-
ceding examples, but that of one of his characters.
E, dame, ou est cil reis?,
Puis si m'en irai jo la defors en cel plain,
Ferons procession la dedenz cel enclos,
Envers icele gent sunt li nostre frarin,
Karls R., 19.
Ibid., 472.
Ibid., 808.
Rou, II, 2694.
Dist la guaite: Mei est vis que li primiers de ces ki en vient est
Achimas le fiz Sadoch. Respundi li reis: Pruzdum est cil e bone
nuvele porte,
En mi cel pre en un guascel
fussuns ore ambesdous mult bel,
Un païsant voi en cel pré couchié,
L. Rois, II, XVIII.
Fa., III, 37.
Cist and Cil.
35
G'irai véoir, qu'il fait là ne qu'il quiert,
De la forest an une lande
Antrai et vi une bretesche
Am. et Am., 947-948.
Cele part ving plus que le pas,
Ch. lyon, 190-194.
Montés sor un ceval, fait il, s'alés selonc cele forest esbanoïïer,
Diex, aie!
Cil ua querre cheualerie,
Icil nouelles me dira,
Auc., 20, 22.
Ch. II esp., 2756-2757.
Puis qu'il se vuet a nos offerre
Viengne en cel val
Sanz compaignie et sanz cheval,
Ruteb., 211, 189-191.
parlés a vostre frere le conte de Poitiers, qui est en cel autre vessel,
Bien ensus je voi Franc Voloir
Qui l'attent à trois levriers voir,
Et à cel autre tristre voi
Desir et Oir par ma foi,
Et le nom te vueil enseignier
Des dames que tu vois baignier,
A quoy ententivement muses:
On les appelle les neuf muses.
Celles gouvernent la fontaine,
Joinv., 389.
Froiss. P., I, 28.
C. Pis. L. E., 989-993.
Cil, expressing local relation, occurs sporadically in cases
where cist might be used quite as correctly:
Aués uous ueu le despit
Ke cil cheualier ci fait ont,
Ki deuant moi assis se sont
Ne ne sui de nul arraisniés ?
>
Et uous ne saués,
Sire rois, quels gens uous aués
Ci devant uous. Ie uous dirai
Ki il sont,
Cil cheualier sont tuit a moi,
Ch. II esp., 1932-1935.
Ibid., 2085-2091.
In both of these examples the context shows that the knights in
36
Cist and Cil.
question are in immediate proximity to the king. There is,
however, no necessary contradiction involved here, as cil may
refer to persons or objects which are near enough to a given
point to lie within the field indicated by ci, but which are
nevertheless removed from it, however short the distance which
separates them from it. Cist might have been used in both
of these cases.
In fact the domain of cist and that of cil
may overlap, according as the speaker measures space about
him on a greater or smaller scale.
Numerous other examples containing forms of cil with evi-
dent demonstrative force in a local sense might be cited.41
Attention should here be called to a group of examples in
which we have forms of cil referring to an object that belongs
to, or is in the possession of, a person addressed. As the Latin
iste assumes the rôle of Latin hic in Old French, we are not
surprised to find that the descendants of ille are used to express
the concept "that . . . of yours.
"42
Par mon chief, ço dist Charles, orendreit lem direz,
O jo vos ferai ja cele teste colper,
41
Compare among others:
Meyer Rec., 196, 111; 197, 177.
Karls R., 41-42.
Karls R., 105, 137, 508, 521, 555, 594, 607, 756, 760, 766.
Rol., 272, 1086, 1789, 2603, 2630.
Rou, II, 857; II, 1853; II, 1949; II, 3674.
L. Rois, I, IV; II, XX.
Ch. lyon, 185, 217, 475, 732, 972, 2061.
M. Fce., 15, 254; 15, 256.
Fa., XVIII, 13.
Am. et Am., 1256.
Dial. Gr., 10, 21; 11, 5; 11, 23; 15, 8; 15, 9; 18, 2; 28, 14; 28, 18;
31, 12; 31, 14; 56, 18.
Mer., 522.
Ch. II esp., 452, 660, 2173, 3716.
Rose, I, 107.
Ruteb., 42, 31; 61, 69; 87, 49; 209, 114; 238, 711.
Joinv., 14, 95, 97, 128, 144, 188, 321, 390, 391, 450, 474, 616.
Froiss. Chr., XI, 16; XI, 21; XI, 39.
C. Pis. L. E., 383, 1770, 1786, 2451.
Compare use of cist, this . . . of mine," supra, p. 10.
:
་་
Cist and Cil.
37
Lors l'irai je l'empereor conter,
Si voz fera celle teste coper,
Sire Hardré, nel lairai nel voz die,
Moult voz iert celle chiere abaissie;
Ancui aurez celle teste tranchie
Et celle pance estroée et percie,
Am. et Am., 712-713.
Ibid., 1345-1348.
A like use of cil occurs in Am. et Am., 753, 1561, 1356,
1362-1363.
Ja dix ne m'aït, fait Aucassins, se vos ne le m'afies se je ne vous
fać ja cele teste voler,
Cil vos iert escuz et haubers,
Auc., 10, 77.
Ch. lyon, 2610.
The lady, who is speaking, refers to a ring which she has just
given to Yvain.
A cui manes li honorables Fortuneiz donat aigue benite disanz:
Va mult tost, si gette celei sor lo cors del gisant,
Atendés, dist il, tant k'il uiegne
U Gauuains u Gerfles u Tors,
S'a cief n'est trais par lor effors
Cil afaires, ne sai ke dire,
Dial. Gr., 47, 9.
Ch. II esp., 1488-1491.
One would expect cist here, as the king is speaking to the
maiden about an affair which is engrossing the attention of
both at the present time, but cil is justifiable, if we interpret
it as meaning "that . . . of yours."
Et dist: Dame, i'assaieroie,
S'il uous plaisoit, se ie poroie
Cele espee pour nule rien
Deschaindre,
Ma volenté m'as assovie
Quant tu m'as aporté celui,
Ibid., 1365-1368. .
Ruteb., 245, 1042-1043.
Context: Zozimas has brought the communion bread and wine
38
Cist and Cil.
to Marie. He holds them while Marie speaks, hence celui
(6
means that which you have in your possession.'
Sire,
..
Marions.
Quelle beste est che sour vo main?
Li chevaliers.
Ch'est uns faucons.
Marions.
Menjue il pain?
Li chevaliers.
Non mais boine char.
Marions.
""
Chelle beste?
Rob. et Mar., 47-51.
a.
Cil used with Historical Present because Speaker
maintains attitude of Narrator.
In treating cist we have met with that pronoun in many
examples in which the author uses it to refer to something just
mentioned, and hence momentarily present in his mind.43
Yet, when the narrative is historical, the verb forms that accom-
pany the cist of present interest are frequently in a past tense,
thus showing that a change of view-point on the part of the
author is not effected in regard to the entire thought of the
sentence, as in the case of the examples cited in which we have
cista present tense, 44 but only with reference to the demon-
strative. We now have to consider a group of cases in which
the conditions are the opposite to those just noted; the author
still regards the object he is treating as something belonging
to the past, wholly apart from himself, and consequently refers
to it by the demonstrative of remoteness, but at the same time
he employs verb forms in the present, or resting on a concept
of present time. In other words the action is viewed as pres-
ent, but the object remains in its historical setting.
48 See supra, pp. 16-19.
**See supra, pp. 13-16.
Cist and Cil.
39
Deprient Deu que conseil lour en doinst
D'icel saint ome par cui il guariront,
En la terre n'out dame ki sun seignur tant hée,
Alex., LXII.
ke de cele nuuele ne seit tute esfrée [e],
Rou, II, 2080-2081.
Puis si comande a Deu le roi
Et toz les autres fors celui,
Bel les deçoit
Cele dou fol et cil dou feu,
Cele li oste endementiers
Le hiaume
Cele,
. si k'a plain le uoit
Si en i ot d'autre moison
Qui se traient à lor soison,
Et s'aprestoient d'espanir,
Et cil ne font pas à haïr,
Et celle dame adont s'arreste
Coste l'esponde de mon lit,
Ch. lyon, 2778-2779.
Mer.,
5050-5051.
Ch. II esp., 4544-4548.
Rose, I, 54.
C. Pis. L. E., 486-487.
Other examples, in which the use of cil may be explained in
a similar way might be cited. 45
Remark.-Attention has now been called to the fact that in
many examples of the Old French we have a combination of
cist with an historical present tense 46 and of cil with a past
45
Compare:
Alex., XL, LIV, LXI, LXVI, CIV, CVI, CXIII, CXVIII, CXXI.
Karls R., 358, 790, 821.
Rol., 113, 2457, 2622, 2495, 2498, 2555, 3028, 3941.
Rou, II, 1680.
M. Fce., 8, 80.
Am. et Am., 768, 1531, 3225.
Mer., 130, 2808, 4931, 5055, 5713, 5714.
Ch. II esp., 674, 5756, 6523, 7764.
Froiss. Chr., XI, 63; XI, 64.
C. Pis. L. E., 1773, 1777.
* See supra, pp. 13-16.
40
Cist and Cil.
49
tense.47
I have used the cases in which these respective combi-
nations occur as evidence to prove that the point of view of the
Old French writer was, now that of an eye-witness, now that
of an historian. Citations from historical narrative have been
made, however, in some of which cist occurs in combination
with a past tense 48 while others contain cil in combination
with a present tense. The question arises as to how far an
historical present tense in Old French demanded cist, and to
what extent a past tense required cil. The texts show that the
Old French writers followed no sharply defined rule in regard
to the above mentioned combinations. In this respect, as in
so many others, usage was vacillating during the entire Old
French period. There was, however, a tendency toward con-
sistency and stability in the point of view of the author. If
the whole body of examples is considered in which he describes
events that happened prior to his time, it will be seen that in
the majority of cases either cist + a present tense is used, or
cil + a past tense. An idea of the number of cases in which
we have a mixing of the two combinations, and of the causes
that produced this mixing, may be obtained from a study and
a comparison of the four passages that are referred to in the
footnotes to this remark.
b. Cil used because the idea of Local Remoteness prevails
over that of Nearness of Interest.
The pronoun of remoteness is frequently used, like the cist
of present interest already commented on, 50 to refer to
objects that exist at the present time or prospectively and
which are engrossing the attention of an author or speaker at
the present time. The choice of cil in such cases, rather than
"See supra, pp. 29-31.
48 See supra, pp. 16-19.
49 See supra, pp. 38-39.
5º See supra, pp. 16-19.
K
Cist and Cil.
41
that of cist, is determined by the fact that the idea of local
remoteness prevails over that of nearness in interest.
De l'altre part sunt Aleneis;
De deuers Scitie veisins
Deuers Norwege plus prochains.
Ultre est Palu Meotida
E puis Jeta e Sarmata.
Cels sunt unes genz mult diuerses
Mult cuntraires et mult peruerses,
Rou, I, 183-190.
Dous boés nus dunez, et tuit cil prophète eslisent e retiengent le un
e facent cel boef tut en pieces colper, e puis busche sur lur altel
demeine ruer e sur la busche les piesches de cel lur boef ordenéement,
De teus i a, qui ce qu'il öent
N'antandent pas et si le löent;
Et cil n'an ont mes que l'oïe
Des que li cuers n'i antant mie,
Tels purchace le mal d'altrui
que cil meïsme vient sur lui,
Li pelerin qui vont parmi l'estrée,
Cil sevent où lor tombe est posée,
Il clerc qui sevent l'escriture
Qu'est jugement et qu'est dreiture
Qu'est leialté et qu'est mesure
Icil n'ont el mes de Dé cure,
L. Rois, III, XVIII.
Ch. lyon, 153-156.
Fa., LXVIII, 57-58.
Am. et Am., 3497-3498.
L. Man., 9, 4-7.
Et quant il [le coeur] soi por lo condescendement des pluisors az
deforienes choses espart, meismes cant il desiret les deuentrienes, a
iceles senz dotance repairet il menres,
Dial. Gr., 6, 5.
Mais en infer voil jou aler; car en infer vont li bel clerc,
Aveuc ciax voi jou aler,
Auc., 6, 35.
Et lors seroient pris doze des plus sages de l'ost des pelerins e douse
des Venisiens, et cil departiroient les fiez et les honors par les homes,
Villeh., 234.
Biax sire, dist il, ce n'ala
Onques mais si en nulle terre,
Ke cheualiers qui alast querre
Autre, por soi combatre a lui,
N'atendist tant ke ambedui
42
Cist and Cil.
Fuissent arme, s'il auenist
Ke cil desarme le ueist,
Ch. II esp., 2957-2964.
Se li mestre treuve pain meschevé. . . li mestres auroit tout le pain
meschevé, et de celui feroit li mestres sa volanté et son plaisir,
L. Mest., I, XL.
Estienne Boiliaue, garde de la prevosté de Paris, a toz les bourgois
et a touz les residens de Paris, et a touz ceus qui dedens les bonnes
de cel meisme lieu venront, as quex ce apartendra, saluz,
Mais li vrai ami lor demorent
Qui les cuers ont de tex noblesces,
Qu'il n'aiment pas por les richesces,
Ne por nul preu qu'il en atendent;
Cil les secorent et desfendent,
Ibid., Préambule.
Rose, I, 165.
Je croi bien des preudomes i ait a grant plenté,
Mes cil ne sont oï fors tant qu'il ont chanté,
Ruteb., 59, 42.
par quoy grant poour doit avoir que celle mezelerie li dure tant
comme Diex yert en paradis,
Joinv., 28.
il fault en la ville de Gand que uns ancyëns usage qui jadis fu soit
recouvrés et renouvellés: c'est que li blanc cappron soient remis avant,
et cil blanc cappron aient un chief au quel il se puissent tout retraire
et raloyer,
N'il n'est nulz biens fors de vertus,
Et ceula sont tousdis en vertus,
Item, a sire Iehan Perdrier,
Riens n'à Françoys, son second frere.
Cilz m'ont tousiours voulu aidier,
Froiss. Chr., IX, 170.
C. Pis. L. E., 257-258.
C. Cil
the other."
"51
Villon, 80, 1406-1408.
We have in Old French a use of cil which seems to have
escaped the notice of scholars who have treated the syntax of
the Old French demonstratives. When in the course of narra-
tive two personages or groups of personages are in play, cil is
¹ For a corresponding use of ille in Latin, see Lane, Latin Grammar,
1899, § 2360.
Cist and Cil.
43
frequently used, chiefly at the beginning of a sentence or
phrase, to designate "the other" as distinguished from the
person or group of persons that is the active agent of the pre-
ceding sentence or phrase. This function of cil is wholly con-
sistent with the inherent force which it has inherited from its
Latin etymon, and which has been preserved in Old French.
Cil "the other" may stand in contrast to cist.
Einsi Gorvain Cadruz avint.
Et ses compainz qui o lui vint,
Meraugis qui Gorvain amot
De lui ravint que, quant il ot
Un poi a la dame parlé,
Se cil l'ama por sa beauté,
Cist ama tant d'autre partie
Sa valor et sa cortoisie
Et ses cointes diz affetiez
Qu'il fu C. tanz plus enlaciez
D'amors que ses compainz n'estoit,
Mer., 469-479.
Here the two persons in consideration are Gorvain and Mer-
augis. In the sentence beginning, "Et ses compainz," the
active agent of the principle element is Meraugis; and, as that
knight is for the moment the character of present interest,
the author refers to him quite properly in line 475 as cist.
When, however, in line 474 the author has occasion to speak
of Gorvain, we see that he uses cil, as the friend of Meraugis
(Gorvain) is momentarily the more remote in point of interest.
Cil, here, therefore, refers to "the other;" that is, to Gorvain
as opposed to Meraugis, the subject of the principal element
of the sentence.52
Sometimes cil- "the other" stands in contrast to another
•
52 In this connection the question naturally suggests itself whether cil
cist were employed in Old French, as the modern celui-là . . . celui-ci,
with the force of "the former" "the latter." Sporadic cases are
found where the two pronouns standing in the same sentence may be
translated by "the former " "the latter," but the Old French knew
no established rule in regard to such a correlative use of the demon-
stratives.
44
Cist and Cil.
cil, often the historical cil; more frequently, however, it forms
a pendant to a noun.
Cil s'en ala senz sa dreiture
pur le luier, dunt cil prist cure,
Einsi fuit cil et cil le chace
Si pres, qu'a po qu'il ne l'anbrace,
Ad portum, dist il, Veneris
Cent nes ariuent, ceo vus dis.
Gart dunc, dient cil, en l'escript
Et cil redist ceo qu'il out dit,
Fa., LVI, 31-32.
Ch. lyon, 885-886.
Rou, I, 510-513.
Cel son serjant at a sei apelet.
Quier mei, bels fredre, ed enque e parchemin
Ed une pene, ço pri, toue mercit.”
Cil li aportet, receit les Alexis,
Alex., LVI-LVII.
Charlemaignes l'en rent amistez et saluz.
Cil [li patriarches] li fist aporter et li reis les reçut,
Karls R., 190-191.
Sil cumandat as cous de sa maisun,
Tut le plus maistre en apelet Besgun:
Cil le receit,
Rol., 1817-1821.
L. Rois, II, XIV.
Respundi li reis: Quel busuin as a faire? Cele respundi:,
Sun vaslet apela avant.
Amis, fait il, va tost poignant!
Fai mes compaignuns returner;
Kar je voldrai a els parler.
Cil point avant, e il remaint,
Tel chose li cunseille a faire
dunt cil ne puet a nul chief traire,
Maintenant Lunete la leisse:
Cele retorne, et cele an va,
Un sien filluel a devant lui mandé,
Et cil i vint,
M. Fce., 10, 133-137.
Fa., XII, 33-34.
Ch. lyon, 5008-5009.
Am. et Am., 1608-1609.
et trova son seignor le conte Tibaut malade et deshaitié; et si fu
mult liez de sa venue. Et quant cil li ot contée la novele . . . si
fu liez,
:
Villeh., 35.
Cist and Cil.
45
troverent Libertin gisant en orison. A cui quant il disoient: Lieve
sus, pren ton cheval! icil respondit:
Ensemble o lui est venuz
Uns suens compainz, Gorvain Cadruz,
Qui mout l'amoit et celui lui,
Cil as .II. espees a tant
S'en part et prent a cheuaucier,
Cil se metent au repairier,
>
Dial. Gr., 11, 19.
Mer., 351-353.
Ch. II esp., 1800-1802.
The chevalier, on the one hand, and four other knights, on the
other, are in question here.
Il me grèvera moult forment.
Je, qui de ce ne soi noient,
Vois par le vergier à délivre
Et cil pensa bien moi sivre,
Voz povre voisins soz marchiez,
Aussi bien a leanz marchiez
Vendre voz blez et vostre aumaille
Com cele autre povre pietaille,
Rose, I, 44.
Ruteb., 31, 159-162.
Rutebeuf is taking the young squires to task for not doing their
duties as knights, and for doing things unworthy of them.
The squires, on the one hand, and the common people, on the
other, are in question here, and we actually have the word
autre expressed with the cele.
•
uns Sarrazins li commença à escrier que il jousteroit à li se
il vouloit; et cil li dist que si feroit-il volentiers,
Joinv., 548.
et là fut sur le point d'estre desconfit Ernaulton de Sainte Coulombe
.. d'un escuier de ce païs que l'on appelle Guillonnet de Salenges
et l'avoit celluy mené jusques a la grosse alainne,
Froiss., Chr., XI, 60.
Other examples of cil="the other" might be cited.53
53 In addition to the examples noted above compare:
Alex., XXVI, XXXV, XXXVII, LXV, LXXI, CVI.
Karls R., 12, 280, 331, 716, 725.
46
Cist and Cil.
3. Cil... Cil INDEFINITE.
Cil, followed by another cil, is used in certain cases where
it is difficult to see in it anything but an indefinite value,
equivalent to the English "one . . . another, some
others." 54
There is a similar use of cist.55
"" 66
•
Li reis me cumandad un afaire, e si me dist que nuls ne seust pur
quei il m'ad enveied, e quel cumandement m'ad duned; pur ço ai dit
as miens que cil alast là e cil là.
Sire, mout dites que vaillanz!
Vostre pooirs sera mout granz.
Nos iron tuit, nus qui vos aint
N'i remaindra; qui ci remaint,
Honiz soit il! Vendrez i vos?
Font cil a ceus,
L. Rois. I, XXI.
Mer., 5179-5184.
Rou, I, 564, 642; II, 34, 48, 64, 100, 163, 202, 306, 1250, 1757, 1839,
3276.
L. Rois, I, VI; IV, IV; IV, VI.
M. Fce., 16, 292.
Fa., VII, 10; XII, 37; XXV, 33; XXXVII, 39; LXV, 59.
Ch. lyon, 891, 954, 969, 1053, 1339, 1508, 2409, 2842, 2976, 3111,
4835-4836, 4970-4974, 5374, 5934, 6357-6362.
Am. et Am., 177.
Villeh., 66, 116, 178, 299, 323.
Dial. Gr., 14, 11; 14, 13; 15, 16; 21, 23.
Auc., 18, 22; 22, 15; 23, 26-30.
Mer., 668, 668-673, 679-685, 755, 1972-1979, 3325, 4486, 4620.
Ch. II esp., 214, 269, 294, 421, 813, 836, 1086, 1378, 1414, 1548, 1659,
2024, 2056, 2658, 2680, 2778, 2928, 2946, 3003, 3017, 3044, 3107,
3120, 3446, 3476, 3480, 3489, 3520, 3526, 3610, 3614, 3657, 3658,
3751, 3854, 3943, 3960, 3964, 4000, 4046, 4562, 5605, 6289, 6534-
6535, 7625, 7627, 11382, 11384, 11574.
Rose, I, 43, 48, 158, 190, 207, 271, 281.
Ruteb., 66, 126; 79, 37; 236, 609; 239, 751; 239, 756; 239, 776; 240,
808; 240, 814; 241, 825; 241, 827; 241, 830; 243, 919; 244, 964;
245, 1023; 246, 1075.
Joinv., 285, 494, 650.
Froiss. Chr., XIV, 207; XIV, 208.
"Compare Gildersleeve-Lodge, p. 193, Remark 2.
55 Compare supra, pp. 20-21.
56 Latin: nam et pueris condixi in illum et illum locum.
1
Cist and Cil.
47
4. Cil... Cele IN EXPRESSIONS OF TOTALITY.
Forms of cil, repeated in the masculine and feminine gen-
ders, seem to be employed in some cases to emphasize the idea
of the totality of mankind or of the members of a class of
persons. (Compare the English expression, "man, woman and
child.")
Vous ne autres ne le saués,
Non sot onques ne cil ne cele,
Droituriere sui droit parmi
Tous ceuls aussi et toutes celles,
Soient dames ou damoiselles,
Qui d'amor veut joïr sans faille
Fruit i doit querre et cil et cele,
Quel qu'ele soit, dame ou pucele,
Ch. II esp., 2848-2849.
Froiss. P., I, 17.
Rose, 1, 153.
5. Cil WEAKENED TO PERSONAL PRONOUN.
The question has perhaps already presented itself to those
who have examined the examples in the section treating of
cil "the other " as to whether we were not dealing there
with a cil that approaches in force the personal pronoun il.
The question of confusion between the demonstrative and the
personal pronoun is furthermore natural from the fact that
cil and il have a common etymon in the Latin ille, which might
readily have led to syntactical confusion of the two words in
French. Again, it will be seen later that il is sometimes used
for cil in sentences that involve a determinative construction.57
Add to this that cil adjective is often equivalent to le, the defi-
nite article, in Old French.58 The question here is, then: Is
the demonstrative form of cil ever equivalent to the personal
pronoun il in Old French? The following series of repre-
sentative examples will throw some light on this subject.
57 See infra, pp. 84-85.
58 See infra, pp. 101-103.
48
Cist and Cil.
(1)
Oliviers gist el lit lez la fille le rei,
Devers sei l'at tornet, si la baisat treis feiz,
Icele fut bien cointe, et il dist que corteis,
(2)
Mais l'uns de l'autre ne set mot,
Ne Illes nel set de celi;
Ne Galerons que cil aint li;
Car cele est si tres haute cose
Que cil descouvrir ne li ose,
N'ele ne li descoverroit
Premierement por rien qui soit,
(3)
"Ne vos puis veoir con je suel.”
Et cele entent bien qu'il veut dire,
(4)
Lanval, ki mult fu enseigniez,
Cuntre eles s'est levez en piez.
Celes l'unt primes saluế,
(5a)
""
"Di va," fet el, "nel me celer!
Vuelt il mei par amurs amer?
Il li respunt: Ceo m'est a vis,"
(5b)
"Nel receut il pur druërie?
Karls R., 714-716.
Ille, 1216-1222.
Ibid., 1863-1866.
M. Fce., 88, 67-69.
Ibid., 199, 419-421.
Puet cel estre, jeo sui traïe?"
Cil li a dit: "Par fei, ne sai,”
Ibid., 200, 431-433.
(6)
La damoisele, c'est la voire,
Estoit amie a un provoire.
Molt l'amoit cil et ele lui,
(7)
Cil qui se jut ne pot tere:
"Dame orde
Bien pert que por fol me tenez.”
Cele se tut et cil s'esfroie,
(8)
Cele se tut, si ne dist mot.
Ruteb., 123, 19-21.
Ibid., 125, 120-125.
Cist and Cil.
49
Quant cil oit qu'el ne se desfent,
Par un petit d'iror ne fent,
(9)
Cil li done et ele l'usa,"
59
+
Ibid., 126, 130-132.
(10)
S'el n'obéist, cil se corroce,
Et la lédenge; et s'ele groce,
Estes-le-vous en ire mis,
(11)
Sire, dist-ele, o moi l'amain,
Si vous pri qu'il ne vous desplèse.
Maint honor m'a fait et maint èse.
Cil me soustient, cil me conforte,
S'il ne fust, de fain fusse morte,
(12)
Et por ce le blasme et despit
Ibid., 246, 1075.
Rose, I, 315.
Ibid., I, 349.
C'onques, ce dist, cil ne l'ot chiere,
Ibid., I, 356.
(13)
Si qu'il cuit que cele un gré prengne
Ce qu'el ne prise une chastengne,
Ibid., II, 115.
(14)
Lors escrit cil, et cele dite,
(15)
60
Pymalions lors s'agenoille,
Qui de lermes sa face moille,
Son gage tent, si li amende;
Mais el n'a cure de s'amende,
Car el n'entent riens, ne ne sent,
Ne de li ne de son présent,
Si que cil crient perdre sa paine,
(16)
Un [usage] en y ot: tel fu que quant un homme
En fais d'armes s'en aloit en voyage,
Ibid., II, 276.
Ibid., II, 323.
50 In this example, which is from the Vie de Sainte Marie l'Egyptienne,
cil refers to Zozimas, the hermit, who has just brought and presented
the sacrament, and ele to Marie.
60 Cil refers to Genius, writing under the dictation of Dame Nature,
who has just finished a series of recommendations.
50
Cist and Cil.
S'il faisoit la aucun beau vasselage,
Après, quant ert a Romme retourné,
Cellui estoit, pour pris de son bernage,
Digne d'estre de lorier couronné,
(17)
C'est fort chose qu'une nef se conduise
Es fortunes de mer, a tout par elle,
Sanz maronnier ou patron qui la duise,
Et le voile soit au vent qui ventelle;
Se sauvement a bon port tourne celle,
En verité c'est chose aventureuse,
(18)
Je leurs respons que ceulz qui ce escriprent
En leurs livres, je trouve qu'ils ne quistrent
En leurs vies fors femmes decepvoir;
N'en pouoient yceulx assez avoir,
(19)
De dames veismes grant route
Encontre de nous venir.
Par gracïeux maintenir,
Si nous saluerent celles;
Nous tournames tost vers elles,
(20)
Car moult chierement l'amoye;
Et adonc cellui larmoye,
Quant si me voit empirié;
Si l'ay près de moy tirié
Et l'acol par amour chiere
Et il me dist: "Dieux! quel chiere
Faites vous?"
C. Pis. P. I, 2, 3-8.
Ibid., I, 14, 1-6.
Ibid., II, 11, 313-316.
Ibid., III, 63, 134-137.
Ibid., III, 110, 1666-1675.
Now, in each of the above citations it will be seen that
there is a form of cil standing in analogous relation to a form
of il. The two words are interchangeable, at least in the
nominative case, as is shown by individual examples or by a
comparison of examples. For instance, in 2 it would be pos-
sible to substitute cele for ele in the sixth line, if the meter
would allow it, and ele for cele in the fourth line. In 5a and
5b, where the situation is identical, Marie de France uses, now
il, now cil. In 11 there seems to be no difference in force
Cist and Cil.
51
between the two cils of the fourth line and the il of the fifth,
the latter being used here again on account of the exigencies
of the meter. It might be objected that the two cils of the
fourth line have a demonstrative force, and mean celui-là, but
it is impossible to see any difference, as far as force is con-
cerned, between them and the personal pronoun il of the first
line. In 7 and 9 the conditions are the same, yet in the first
we have the two personages indicated by cele cil, and
in the second by cil. . . ele. In 16 the subject of the sen-
tence, un homme, is repeated first by il, and then by cellui.
18 presents another example of the same thing. The fact,
then, seems to be established that cil was used in certain cases
in Old French as the exact equivalent of il.
(6
•
There is a distinction to be made between cil il and cil
the other," although the two constructions are very closely
allied. The latter may be used only when there is a change
in the agent of two actions that follow one upon the other; 61
the use of the former does not necessarily depend on such a
change of agent, as is shown by 16, 17, and 18 above, and by
the following additional examples:
Illes le fiert par grant angoisse;
Car cil l'ataint a descovert,
Le costé li a entrovert,62
Assez ont parlé ambedui,
Cil l'a esgardée et el lui,
Nous passasmes en Ethiope,
Qui a si tres haulte la crope
Qu'aucun poete maintenoit
Que celle le ciel soustenoit,
Ille, 1112-1114.
Ruteb., 241, 865-866.
C. Pis. L. E., 1457-1460.
So far, in the treatment of cilil, the examples, with
one exception (2), that have been cited contain only forms of
cil as conjunctive subjects of verbs. The use of cil for il was,
61
Compare supra, pp. 42-45.
62 The cil cannot refer to anyone but Ille in this sentence.
52
Cist and Cil.
however, not restricted to this position. In the following ex-
ample, for instance, we have a cil= eux, the nominative dis-
junctive personal pronoun:
Li dus si cointement le fait
Que bien le cuident tot si home
Qu'aut a .S. Jake et cil a Rome,
Ille, 5523-5525.
Note also the following, in which occur oblique forms of cil
either as object of a verb or of a preposition that are equiv-
alent in force to corresponding forms of the personal pronoun:
63
Ice k'ele est cortoise et bele
Plus que ne soit el mont pucele
Fait celui a s'amor entendre
Et si tres haute amor emprendre.
Et tout içou ra en celui
Et ce fait ele entendre a lui,
L'aler gesir tant li reproche
Por pou le morcel en la boche
Ne fet celui aler gesir,
La furent de par li venu
Petit enfant et povre et nu
Qu'ele meisme fist venir;
Ne lor estoit dure n'amere;
Li enfant l'apeloient mere,
A cels aloit ele environ,
Cels metoit ele en son giron,
A le pucele vait parler.
A paines qu'il i ose aler.
Mout a grant honte de celi:
Crient que n'ait vilené vers li,
Un aigle d'or ot desus mis;
de cel ne sai dire le pris,69
Compare with the above example the following:
Mult anguissusement plurot
e pur l'alme de li preiot,
La dameisele respundi
quant le cunseil de lui oï,
Ille, 902-907.
Ruteb., 124, 69-71.
Ibid., 270, 881-891.
Ille, 4644-4647.
M. Fce., 89, 87-88.
M. Fce., 217, 975-976.
M. Fce., 198, 365-366.
Cist and Cil.
53
La font entr'eus lor armonies.
N'est riens qui par celes ne chant,
Si s'est alors avertie
D'une dame qui servie
L'ot aucques toute sa vie.
Se elle la porroit
Ravoir se voult essaier;
Si escript sans deslaier
Ces lettres ycy a celle
Et rot la response d'elle,
Rose, II, 201.
C. Pis P., III, 160, 3152-3163.
As to the extent of the use of cil
observations are as follows:
il, the results of my
1. At all periods of the Old French il was much more
commonly employed to express the pronominal idea than was
cil.
2. Cil with the force of a personal pronoun is not encoun-
tered often before the middle of the twelfth century. Examples
from texts of an earlier date than this in which we have cil
and il standing in parallel construction are not conclusive, as
cil in such cases may be cil
(6 the other."
3. It is in the Roman de la Rose, the writings of Rutebeuf,
and other texts of the end of the thirteenth century that cil
il is found frequently.
4. Christine de Pisan, who writes the language of the upper
classes of the second half of the fourteenth century, makes
use of cil as a personal pronoun, but there seems to be no
increase in the frequency of its use over that of the thirteenth
century. This condition continues until the end of the Old
French period.
Cil and il became confused in Old French for two very
apparent reasons. In the first place, they were both descended
from the Latin ille, as already remarked, which made them
bear a strong resemblance to each other in their forms. In
54
Cist and Cil.
the second place, cil was used from the time of the earliest
texts in the sense of "the other," a meaning from which it is
only a short step to "he," "she," or "it." Thus cil="that
one" was early used as cil="the other," and finally as
he."
cil
66
6. WEAKENING OF DEMONSTRATIVE FORCE OF Cil AND
INTRODUCTION OF STRENGTHENING -ci, là.
There is evidence that the inherent demonstrative force
of cil began to weaken in the fourteenth century. Before
that epoch, cil was sufficient in itself to express the concept
of remoteness from the writer or speaker. It will be recalled
that parallel conditions were found to exist in regard to cist.64
The evidence that would point to conclusions in this matter
is offered, in the first place, by those cases where the strength-
ening particles, ci and là, are joined to the simple cil. .If cil
is repeatedly strengthened by là, the supposition is that it
is no longer sufficient in itself to express the idea of remote-
ness. And if, on the other hand, cil stands in conjunction
with ci, the particle of nearness, the combination affords in-
contestable proof that the original demonstrative force no lon-
ger attached itself to the pronoun.
Let us now trace the augmented forms of cil. As in the
case of cist, examples from texts of a date prior to the four-
teenth century, and in which cil strengthened by a particle
occurs, will be given, since they are of interest with reference
to the origin of the combination. In no one of them, how-
ever, does the là signify a lack of demonstrative force in the
accompanying unaugmented form:
Si s'estut loing cele part la,
Ch. lyon, 1957.
As far as I have observed, this is the only instance in the
** See supra, pp. 21-25.
Cist and Cil.
55
"
Chevalier au lyon, of the occurrence of a form of cil in com-
bination with là. Cil + ci is not found in this text.
Vos veez bien cele tor la
En mi cele isle,
En la fin nos entrabatron
Mer., 2955-2956.
Joste la mer en cel val la,
Ibid., 3246-3247.
Raoul de Houdan employs forms out of ecce + ille two hun-
dred and eighty-eight times in Meraugis; of these only in the
two cases just cited is the particle là added. In no case does
he use cil in combination with ci.
Et li hermites le uoit bien
Et dist a son uilain: Cha uien!
Si pren cele quignie la,
Cil cheualiers la m'aatist
De bataille,
Ch. II esp., 3805-3807.
Ibid., 4616-4617.
In the Chevaliers as deus espees the combination of cil with
là is used only in the two passages just cited; the simple forms
occur six hundred and twenty-seven times. In no case is cil
combined with ci.
Other texts of the thirteenth century show no perceptible
increase in the frequency of the strengthened forms. They
do not occur in either part of the Rose, or in Rutebeuf, or
in the Livre des Métiers. Joinville did not employ them in
his Histoire de St. Louis, written at the beginning of the
fourteenth century.
When we come to Froissart we see that the augmented forms
of cil are employed more frequently than they were in the
preceding century. A like condition was noted in the section
of the present monograph on the weakening of the force of
cist, 65
The parallelism, however, which it is possible to ob-
serve, in later Old French between the pronoun of nearness
65 See supra, pp. 21-25.
56
Cist and Cil.
•
and the pronoun of remoteness in their loss of original demon-
strative force, as shown by the employment of the particles
ci and là in combination with them, cannot be extended beyond
the beginning of the fourteenth century. For, whereas Frois-
sart uses forms of cist in combination with both ci and là
about once in every twenty-five times that he has occasion to
employ the demonstrative out of ecce + iste, the same author,
to judge from representative passages of the Chronicle, writes
cil + là in comparatively few places, while cil + ci is of ex-
ceedingly rare occurrence. The proportion of augmented to
simple forms of cil in Froissart is no greater than 1 to 50.
In view of this fact we are led to the conclusion that cil in
Old French was more tenacious of its original inherent demon-
strative force than was cist.
il passa Nerbonne qui est la première cité dou royaume de France
à cel lés là,
Froiss. Chr., VII, 230.
le sire de Coucy, qui est regart souverain de par le roy es marches
de par decha, est ou dit voiage. De lui n'avons garde, ne du duc
de Berry; car cellui là se tient a Paris,
A celle fois ichi, li Englès nous rueront jus:
A celle fois chi, en auerés-vous raison,
Ibid., XIV, 165.
Ibid., I, 157.
Ibid., II, 230.
In the fifteenth century the augmented forms of cil are
somewhat more common than in the fourteenth. Yet, even
at this epoch, the proportion of augmented to simple forms
is so small that we must believe that cil still possessed a con-
siderable traditional demonstrative force. To arrive at a date
when it was necessary to use cil-là in order to express the
idea of remoteness, one would have to go beyond the year 1500.
The following examples, among others, 66 of cil augmented by
a particle have come to my attention in texts of the fifteenth
century:
66
Compare Com., 25, 39, 65, 100, 115, 117,
Cist and Cil.
57
Gens envieux,
Qui sont de guerre curieux
Et vivent tousjours en murmure,
Et jamais de paix n'eurent cure,
Ceulx la ont mon gouvernement,
R. G. S., 127, 167-171.
+
car nous ne occupions point les rivieres d'au dessus, qui sont trois,
c'est assavoir Marne, Yonne et Seine, et plusieurs petites rivieres
qui entrent en ceulx là,
Com., 51.
Ilz ont des gouverneurs à qui on parle de leurs affaires, à eulx riens:
et ceulx là disposent de leurs affaires,
Ibid., 62.
Mais c'est grant follie a ceulx qui s'estiment si bons et si saiges,
que de penser que leur presence peust paciffier si grans princes, et
si soubstilz comme estoient ceulz cy,
Ibid., 82.
If we had no other proofs of the weakening of the demon-
strative force of cil in later Old French than those afforded
by the presence of the particles ci and là, in the use of which
it has been seen there was only a slight gradual increase in
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the contention that there
was a weakening at that epoch might with good reason be
questioned. There are, however, in Froissart and Christine
de Pisan the three following examples that tend to strengthen
the probability of the correctness of the contention.
Comment, Aymerigot? Qui vous a mandé, ne fait venir celle part?
Froiss. Chr., XIV, 208.
The speaker is here referring to the place in which he actually
is at the present time.
en ces lieus
Dont souverains est li douls dieus
D'amours li mestres et li sires.
Ses royaulmes et ses empires
S'estent partout celle contrée,
Froiss. P., I, 30.
Plaisance is speaking about the country in which she and
Froissart are at the present moment.
58
Cist and Cil.
Car tout d'amours sera cilz miens rommans, 67
C. Pis. P., II, 51, 53.
Again, it cannot be a matter of mere coincidence that cil
came to be used so frequently as a personal pronoun in the
latter part of the thirteenth century and during the two follow-
ing centuries. 68
Its employment for the personal pronoun
is directly connected with the relinquishing of its original force.
7. Cist AND Cil IN JUXTAPOSITION.6
69
I have attempted in the preceding pages of this mono-
graph to classify, in a number of well-defined groups, all
the examples found in the texts examined in which cist and
cil have a demonstrative force. The following examples, which
contain forms of cist and cil in juxtaposition and standing
often in contrast to each other may serve as still more striking
illustrations of the conclusions that I have reached with refer-
ence to the demonstrative force of the two pronouns.
Com bone peine, Deus, e com bon servisie
Fist cil sainz om en ceste mortel vide,
Alex., CXXIII.
The cil here is the historical cil; the ceste needs no comment.
En icest siecle nos achat pais e joie,
Ed en cel altre la plus durable glorie,
Par Deu, co dist l'escolte, cist hoem est enragiez!
Onques Deus ne vos doinst cel gap a comencier!
Ibid., CXXV.
Karls R., 528-529.
Cist is employed here because the man is still present near
the spy; "the gab," to which the man has just given utterance,
is already a thing of the past, hence cel is correctly used in
referring to it.
67
Compare with all those cases in which we have cist + miens, supra,
p. 10.
08 See supra, pp. 47-54.
69
Compare supra, p. 43, note.
Cist and Cil.
59
La guaite ki esteit al sumet de la porte vit venir Achimas, si criad
al rei ke il vit un sul hume venir. Li reis respundi: Si il vient
suls, dunc porte bone nuvele. Cume cil aprechad, la guaite vit un
altre venir, si criad amunt que uns altres veneit tut suls. Respundi
li reis: E cist ported bone nuvele,
L. Rois, II, XVIII.
The cil is the historical cil; the cist is that of present interest.
E li prudum chalt pas se escriad e encuntre cel altel parlad, si
dist: Uns enfès naistrad del lignage David, si aurad num Josias,
cil cez fals pruveires sur cest altel sacrefierad,
Ibid., III, XIII.
The cel here is the historical cel,70 the cil is explained by the
fact that the idea of local remoteness prevails over that of
present interest; the cez is determinative in nature,71 the cest
is explained by the context of the passage.
Se voz de ceste ne voz poez oster,
Je voz ferai celle teste coper,
Am. et Am., 752-753.
The ceste, used here instead of the more common neuter form
out of ecce + hic, refers to the present situation; celle, equiv-
alent to that . . of yours," has already been commented
on. 72
(C
Et quant ie esgarde cele chose cui ge ai perdue, si devient ceste
plus greualz cui ie porte,"
Meliadus dit cest recort
A Meraugis. "Beaus sire, entrez
En ceste nef et si passez
En cele isle,
Dial. Gr., 6, 6.
Mer., 2934-2937.
This example is an excellent one for illustrating the local
7⁰ It is also possible to see in this cel its use as a definite article;
compare infra, pp. 101-103.
71 See infra, pp. 78-79.
72 See supra, pp. 36-38.
78 Latin: dumque intueor illud quod perdidi, fit hoc gravius quod porto.
60
Cist and Cil.
demonstrative forces of cist and cil; the ship is close at hand,
the island is some distance away.
Non est, d'autre compas
Est cist. Cil ert .I. fous, .I. lez,
Cist est uns sages, uns bien fez,
Uns cortois; cist ne semble l'autre
Nes qu'escarlate semble fautre,
Ibid., 5680-5684.
Lidoine is speaking of Meraugis (cist), whom she has just
seen joust, and who, she is told, is the same knight of whom
she had been afraid, under other circumstances, at a previous
time.
Car sachiés que tex préeschierres,
Combien qu'il as autres profit,
A soi ne fait-il nul profit.
Car bone prédicacion
Vient bien de male entencion
Qui n'a riens à celi valu,
Tant face-ele as autres salu;
Car cil i prenent bon exemple,
Et cis de vaine gloire s'emple,
Rose, I, 170.
The celi is used here because the idea of local remoteness
prevails over that of present interest. The cil is the cil
"the other," the two parties in consideration being the preacher,
on the one hand, and the hearers, on the other. When, how-
ever, in the last line, the author wishes to refer again to the
preacher, he uses cis, as the latter, who is the active agent of
the principal element of the sentence, is momentarily the char-
acter of more immediate interest.74
66
""
As cist... cist and cil . . . cil are employed in certain
passages with very little, if any, demonstrative force, to mean
in a general way one . . another,' "such and such a
so the combination, cist . . . cil, is encountered not
infrequently with the same meaning.
one," 75
Compare the example from Meraugis, supra, p. 43.
* See supra, pp. 20-21 and 46.
Cist and Cil.
61
1. They refer indiscriminately to one and the other of
two definite personages already mentioned. Cist . . . cil in
these cases is equivalent to the Modern French "l'un
l'autre."
Le iugement que Richard fist,
Ne cil ne cist ne cuntredist,
Rou., III, 465-466.
Cil . . . cist refer here to an angel and a devil, who disputed
the soul of a monk, drowned while going to a rendez-vous
with a certain lady friend.
Chascuns l'escu devant son chief,
Si s'entrevienent au devant.
Ne sai li queus feri avant,
Ne li queus plus ne li queus mains,
Mes les espees de lor mains
Errent et vont plus tost que vent.
Se cil li paie, cist li rent
Tot cop a cop sanz plus atendre,
L'Outredotez
Fu par mi les destres costez
Feïst par soi, qu'il ne porroit;
Feruz
•
.Meraugis fu
Ne sai en quel maniere
Il en garisse; trop seroit
Forz a garir, mes orendroit
Ne le sent il, ne cil nel set,
Ne cist ne cil por mal qu'il ait
Ne s'esmaient, en piez revienent,
Mer., 710-717.
Ibid., 4487-4499.
As the first cil in this passage is undoubtedly equal to cil
"the other," cist and the second cil may refer discriminately
to the two combatants; that is, cist to Meraugis, and cil to
Outredotez. In the light of other similar examples, how-
ever, the meaning seems rather to be "ni l'un ni l'autre."
Des braz se sont entrembraciez
Par les testes; ilueques sont
Entrapoiié que riens ne font,
Riens ne dïent, ne il n'i a
62
Cist and Cil.
Celui des .II. qui .I. esta
Feist par soi, qu'il ne porroit;
Que se cist n'estoit, cil cherroit,
Ibid., 4610-4616.
one and another of
2. They refer indiscriminately to one
several indefinite personages.
Mais il n'orent seignur ne duc ne cheuetaigne
Pur qui cist auant alt, ne pur qui cil remaigne,
Rou, II, 794-795.
Di a Joab qu'il ne se déhaite pas, kar diverses sunt les aventures de
bataille, e ore chiet cist e ore li altres,
L. Rois, II, XI.
The translator might have written here, instead of cist
li altres, cist . . cil.78
A tant issirent de leenz
Li baron, et les dames vienent.
Veez com cez robes avienent;
Se ceste est bele et cele plus,
Dames i ot plus de .c. pere
Lors est comenciez tot de bot
Li murmures et li estris.
Ça .II., ça .III., ça .V., ça .VI.
Vont par escoles conseillant.
Se ceste dit son bon avant,
Ceste redit le suen aprés;
Et quant cele a parlé adés
L'autre redit greignor reson.
Ceste se test et cele non.
Lors encontrerent sanz plus dire
Mer., 906-909.
Ibid., 916-936.
Ceus qui vindrent sor les chevaus.
Meliadus li seneschaus
Salue Meraugis avant.
Lors li vienent tuit au devant,
Et tuit le saluent ensemble
Et il eus et a eus s'assemble.
Einsi se metent el retor
Et li pueples li vient entor,
76 Latin: haec dices Joab: Non te frangat ista res: varius enim eventues
est belli; nunc hunc, et nunc illum consumit gladius.
Cist and Cil.
63
Qui l'esgardent com a merveille.
Se cist parole, cist conseille
A cel autre, et cil le regarde.
Mes Meraugis ne se prent garde
De quan qu'il dient.
Ibid., 2908-2921.
Remark. The Meraugis of Raoul de Houdan is the most
interesting text I have found for the study of the demonstra-
tives in Old French. This fact would seem to indicate that
the demonstrative system in the Old French reached the height
of its development during the first quarter of the thirteenth
century.
CHAPTER III.
DETERMINATIVE FORCE OF THE DEMONSTRA-
TIVE PRONOUNS IN LATIN AND IN
MODERN FRENCH.
In those cases where it is possible, by the aid of a gesture,
or by a suggestion arising from the situation, to express a defi-
nite concept of relative nearness or remoteness, in place, time,
or moral relationship, cist and cil, when employed under such
conditions, possess per se a more or less strongly marked dem-
onstrative force. The demonstrative value of the two pro-
nouns constitutes the subject of investigation in the preceding
chapters. It will be the purpose of the present section of
this dissertation to study what is commonly called by the gram-
marians the determinative use of cist and cil; that is, the use
of these words, no longer with demonstrative force, but as
individualizing determinators, which refer to persons or things
that must have a more specific designation than that offered
by the demonstratives alone before the thought of the writer
or speaker can be adequately expressed. The specific desig-
nation of an entity that is determined by one of the demonstra-
tives may be contained in Old French in a following relative
clause, a prepositional phrase, an adjective, or an adverb.
It may be well to consider, before taking up the study of cist
and cil determinative in Old French, the question of the de-
terminative use of the demonstratives in Latin and in Modern
French.78
•
78 The word, determinative, first employed by Diez, and now generally
accepted, to mean a demonstrative that serves to fix more definitely the
idea of an entity whose adequate designation is contained in some com-
plementary expression, is convenient, but, strictly speaking, not ac-
curate. Or rather, a technical limitation is assigned to the word, which,
as applied to demonstratives, the nature of these pronouns does not war-
rant. For every demonstrative is in reality determinative of the idea
64
Cist and Cil.
65
In Classical Latin the regular, and only, determinative pro-
noun and adjective is is.
Nullae sunt occultiores insidiae quam eae, quae latent in simulatione
officii; nam eum, qui palam est adversarius, facile cavendo vitare
possis,
Cic. Verr., 1, 15, 39.
Multa me sollicitant et ex reipublicae tanto motu et ex iis peri-
culis, quae mihi ipsi intenduntur et sexcenta sunt,
Cic., Att., 2, 19, 1.
Is is not always expressed with the relative; it may be under-
stood, not only when it would be in the same case as the relative,
but sometimes even when it would have been in a different
case. 79
•
Xerxes . praemium proposuit (ei) qui inuenisset nouam uolop-
tatem,
Cic. Tusc., 5, 20.
CC
of the entity to which it refers, and in this capacity has a complement.
This complement may be inherent in the demonstrative itself, and is
suggested by the situation, and sometimes also by the movement, of the
speaker. If I say, for example, to a third person, referring to a man in
my presence: This man is my friend," the full force of this is
"this man who is here, near me, or, at whom I am looking, or, at whom
I am pointing." But the complement in cases like this is not expressed,
it is only felt, and the adjective, which fulfils its function in and by
itself, is said to be demonstrative. Occasions arise, however, in which
the speaker is no longer in a position where a demonstrative may ad-
equately express per se his idea, but where additional words that convey
a further designation of the entity referred to must take the place of
a suggestion which in other circumstances would arise from the situa-
tion or a gesture. Suppose that I have put myself into such a position
as that just described, and wish to refer to the man mentioned in the
example given above. What do I say? Something like this:
"That
man with whom you saw me is my friend." "That" is here said to
be determinative, and the complement, in the form of a relative clause
in this case, could not well be omitted. If it were omitted, it would
be because the man had been mentioned previously in the conversation,
in which case the complement would be mentally supplied both by the
speaker and the person addressed. The distinction between demonstra-
tives and determinatives is arbitrary, and in not a few cases it is quite
impossible to discern just where the domain of the former ends and
that of the latter begins.
Compare infra, p. 84.
66
Cist and Cil.
non nouam potestatem nactus, sed (ea) quam habebat usus iniuste,
Cic. De Rep., 2, 51.
If is, determinative, stands frequently with a following rela-
tive clause, as in the first two examples cited above from
Cicero, it cannot, in Classical Latin, be used with a following
genitive to refer to an entity previously mentioned. 80 In such
a case the substantive expressed in what precedes may always
be repeated.
Scipionis orationes meliores sunt orationibus Laelii
It would not be possible to say, Scipionis orationes meliores
sunt iis Laelii, which construction would correspond to the
English, Scipio's orations are better than those of Laelius,
and to the French, Les discours de Scipion sont supérieurs
à ceux de Laelius. The Latin prefers, however, not to re-
peat the substantive, and leaves it to be understood, when,
if repeated, it would be in the same case, or when there is a
preposition to indicate the case that is understood.
Scipionis orationes meliores sunt quam Laelii.
haec epistula non suasoris est, sed rogatoris,
Cic. Att., 16, 16, B. § 9.
quis est qui possit sine Trebonii maxima contumelia conferre vitam
Trebonii cum Dolabellae,
Cic. Phil., 11, 9.
Hic, iste, and ille, pronominal and adjectival, are found
frequently, in Classical Latin, in combination with a following
relative clause, and pronominal hic and ille occasionally with
a following genitive. At first sight, one is inclined to regard
certain cases in which these combinations occur as illustrating
a determinative use of hic, iste, and ille. Further investi-
gation shows, however, that such is not the case, and that these
demonstratives, even when used in this way, retain their in-
herent force, and express an additional idea that would not
be given by the regular determinative is.
Compare infra, p. 90-91.
Cist and Cil.
67
de his legibus quae promulgatae sunt et de iis quae iam latae
dicuntur,
Cic. Phil., 1, 25.
This example is valuable in that it contains forms of both hic
and is in combination with following relative clauses, and
thereby illustrates plainly the difference in the force of the two
pronouns. His is demonstrative, referring to laws that are
in a relationship of nearness to the speaker, and which he
merely designates more closely by means of the relative clause.
Iis, on the other hand, is the simple determinative, and serves
only to point out, without suggesting, in regard to the laws
to which it refers, any demonstrative idea; in itself, it is
neuter in force, and comes to have a definite value, with refer-
ence to the word it qualifies, only when it is taken in connec-
tion with the following relative clause. Riemann 8¹ cites an-
other example from Cicero, Orat., 229, and brings out by his
translation of the same into French the difference in force
between is qui and hic qui.
81
qualis eorum motus quos áraλaloтpovs Graeci uocant (de ceux qui),
talis horum (de ces gens-ci, de ces gens comme il y en a beaucoup
maintenant) mihi uidetur oratio, qui non claudunt numeris sen-
tentias.
nullam enim uirtus aliam mercedem . . . desiderat praeter hanc
laudis et gloriae,
Cic. Arch., 28.
Here again hanc has more than a mere determinative force,
and means as Riemann translates, "celle dont je vous parle
en ce moment.”
An tabulas novas (expectas) errant, qui istas a Catilina expectant;
meo beneficio tabulae proferentur, verum auctionariae; neque enim
isti, qui possessiones habent, alia ratione ulla salvi esse possunt,
Cic. Cat., II, 8, § 18.
Ille qui is found on almost every page of Classical Latin, but
in no case is it equivalent to the determinative is qui; as in
the examples containing forms of hic and iste in combination
81
Syntaxe Latine, quatrième édition, Paris, 1900, p. 41.
68
Cist and Cil.
with qui, so in those containing ille qui, the demonstrative force
of the pronoun is its raison d'être. So again when ille stands
with a following genitive.
at oratio Laelii de collegiis non melior quam de multis quam uoles
Scipionis: non quo illa Laelii quicquam sit dulcius, etc.,
Cic. Brut., 83.
Here illa means not only "that of Laelius," but "that, so
famous, of Laelius."
Before leaving the consideration of the determinative use
of demonstratives in Classical Latin, I will cite another example
from Cicero which shows that Latin writers of the best period
sometimes employed a construction that is found in French.
I refer to the construction in which we have a demonstrative
that depends on an adjective complement for further deter-
mination. 82
Orator, non ille vulgaris, sed hic excellens, a propriis personis et
temporibus avocat controversiam,
Cic. Or., 14, 15.
To sum up in a few words what has been said about the
determinative use of demonstratives in Classical Latin, we
observe:
1. Is is the regular, and only, determinative.
2. Hic, iste, and ille are used in certain cases with a force
approaching that of the determinative, but in reality always
preserve, even here, their inherent demonstrative values. The
fact, however, that these three pronouns, whatever additional
shades of meaning they may convey, are used in constructions
that border on that of the determinative is significant for their
future development into purely determinative words in later
Latin and in French.83
32
3 Compare infra, pp. 72, note 90, 78 and 95.
83 For general treatments of the syntax of the demonstratives in Latin,
compare:
Gildersleeve-Lodge, Latin Grammar, third edition, 1896, §§305-308.
Kühner, Ausführliche Grammatik der Lateinischen Sprache, Hann-
over, 1878, Vol. II, pp. 450, et seq.
Cist and Cil.
69
In Classical Latin, the signification and use of the several
demonstratives that are referred to above were clearly defined,
differentiated, and observed, but confusion in their meaning
and function was not slow in showing itself, when once the
decadence of the language had set in. Nowhere else is the
gradual deterioration of classical standards more noticeable
than in the domain of the demonstrative pronouns. The de-
terminative is ceased to be used during the first centuries of
our era, and its place was taken by the other demonstratives,
chiefly by hic, which, in proportion as it assumed the determin-
ative function, lost its original demonstrative force. In the
Latin of the Historia Apollonii, a text assigned to the sixth
century, Thielmann 84 finds that all of the nominative forms.
of is have disappeared, and that forms of hic regularly take,
before a following qui, the place of the forms of is that no
longer exist, or, at least, are no longer used by the author of
the work in question.85 As a result of the weakening of the
traditional value of hic as a demonstrative, iste came to be
used in places where the Classical Latin would have preferred
the former pronoun. St. Augustine 86 writes:
de differentia deorum et daemonum, quorum illos ab hominibus
sejungunt, istos (instead of hos) inter deos et homines collocant.
By the sixth century A. D., therefore, the determinative is
of the Classical Latin was fast disappearing, and its place
taken by the other demonstratives, especially by hic.
Iste was encroaching on the domain of hic. With this résumé,
I leave the question of determinative pronouns in Latin, and
take up the consideration of the determinative use of the demon-
stratives in Modern French.
was
Reisig-Haase, Vorlesungen über Lateinsche Sprachwissenschaft, Ber-
lin, 1888, Vol. III, pp. 84-100.
Riemann, Syntaxe Latine, quatrième édition, Paris, 1900.
84 Über Sprache und Kritik des lateinischen Apolloniusromans, Progr.,
Spier, 1881, p. 28.
85 See his qui, Historia Apollonii, 9, 7; haec quae, 21, 12; hoc quod,
22, 14.
56 C. D., 9, 2.
70
Cist and Cil.
Corresponding to the determinative is, which could be used
in Latin both pronominally and adjectivally, but which dis-
appeared without leaving any trace in the vernacular of Gaul,
the Modern French possesses two words, descended from ecce
+iste and ecce+ille respectively, that are employed to deter-
mine the idea of a person or thing whose essential designation
is contained in some complementary expression. I refer to
cet (cette, ces) and celui (celle, ceux, celles). Of these, the
former is generally used as a demonstrative adjective in Modern
French; it may stand, occasionally, with the value of a deter-
minative adjective; it may never be employed as a pronoun.
Celui, on the other hand, occurs in the Modern Language
exclusively as a determinative pronoun.
If the adjective cet is used determinatively, the idea of the
person or thing that it serves to fix more definitely owes its
full and adequate expression to a qualifier, most often in the
form of a relative clause, but sometimes in that of a substantive
or an infinitive preceded by the preposition de. For example:
On comprend mieux les dialogues de Platon en voyant ces portiques
sous lesquelles les anciens se promenaient la moitié du jour (Staël).
This example is cited by Ayer 87 to illustrate the use of cet
as a determinative, and may be a fitting illustration of the
word in such a construction. Yet, the question of the point
of view of the writer would have to be considered, before one
could affirm with certainty that Mme. de Staël does not, even
here, employ ces with demonstrative force, in which case the
relative clause that follows would be simply explanatory, offer-
ing additional information in regard to the substantive it
qualifies. In the following examples, however, there can be
no doubt as to the determinative value of cet:
Détromper un homme préoccupé de son mérite est luy rendre un
aussi mauvais office que celuy que l'on rendit à ce fou d'Athènes qui
5 Grammaire comparée de la langue française, quatrième édition, Paris,
1885, p. 438,
Cist and Cil.
71
croyait que tous les vaisseaux qui arrivoient dans le port estoient
à luy,
La Rochefoucauld, Réflexions Morales, XCII.
Ne montrez aux enfants rien que de simple . . . Eloignez d'eux cette
morale qui ressemble à une eau qui n'a pas de source,
Joubert, De l'éducation, XXV.
Celui, the determinative pronoun, is the point of departure
in constructions that contain either a relative clause or a sub-
stantive or an infinitive preceded by de. The relative clause
may be one of two kinds, substantive or adjective, and fulfils
all the functions that are naturally performed by simple sub-
stantives and adjectives. The sentence, On a arrêté celui qui
a volé cette pauvre femme (= On a arrêté ce voleur), illus-
trates the use of the determinative with a substantive clause.
Here celui fixes more definitely the person whose essential
designation is given by the qui-clause, and may accurately be
called determinative. But if celui stands for, and repeats, a pre-
ceding substantive, as in L'ami qui vous trompe est aussi indigne
que celui (=l'ami) qui vous vole, strictly speaking, it does
not determine the following relative clause, but rather is deter-
mined by it, and the clause is no longer substantive and deter-
mined, but adjective and determinative.88 Celui determinative
with a following substantive clause is used only of persons;
if the clause is adjectival, the pronoun may be used of both
persons and things.
L'ami le plus fidele est celui qui nous dit la vérité.
Les seules bonnes copies sont celles qui nous font voir le ridicule
des méchants originaux.
Remark. A purely artificial rule, that has developed in
modern times, under the influence of the grammarians, de-
mands that celui-là, instead of celui, be used to determine the
idea of a person or thing that is designated by a clause separa-
ted by other speech elements from the determining pronoun.89
$8
Compare Ayer, p. 633. The distinction between the determinative
and the determined pronoun is very nice, but for practical purposes one
may include them both under the name of determinative.
5º In Old French, no such distinction was made. After the augmented
72
Cist and Cil.
Celuy-là n'est pas raisonnable à qui le hasard fait trouver la raison,
mais celuy qui la connoist, qui la discerne, et qui la goûte.
La Rochefoucauld.
In combination with a genitive construction, Modern French
usage admits celui, determinative, repeating a preceding sub-
stantive, with a noun or an infinitive.90
Voici votre livre et celui de mon frere.
C'est un méchant métier que celui de médire.
Remark. The construction, so common in Old French, ef
a form of cil in combination with de and a substantive of
place, to designate the people of that place, while comparatively
rare in the Modern Language, is not unknown to it, especially
in colloquial style.91
à ceux de Bruges,
Michelet, His. de France, VI, I.
Vous vous ravitaillerez a Sidney, disaient ceux de l'île à ceux du
navire,
Daudet.
Malgré tant de misères endurées avec ceux de la Farandole et du
Lucifer, il était resté,
Id.
forms came into use celui alone or celui-là were used indiscriminately
in such construction. Celuy peut bien menger sans nappe Qui fust
engendré sans lincheul, R. G. S., 91, 308. Car ceulx la ne sont pas
saiges Qui en perdent leur plaisir, Ch. XVS., 66, 11. The present day
usage was not established until the seventeenth century.
90
⁹0 Also, in writers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and
occasionally at the present time, especially in legal style, we find celui,
determinative, in combination with a complementary participle or ad-
jective. (Compare the example cited from Cic. Or., 14, 15, p. 68.)
Je joins à ma lettre celle écrite par le prince, Racine. On confondait,
dans la loi ancienne, une blessure faite à une bête et celle faite à un
esclave, Montesquieu. Cette remarque, ainsi que celles purement gram-
maticales, Voltaire. Dans des circonstances comme celles actuelles, Thiers.
Compare infra, pp. 78 and 95.
p1 Compare infra, pp. 92-93.
CHAPTER IV.
DETERMINATIVE FORCE OF CIST.
A. Cist IS USED DETERMINATIVELY IN OLD FRENCH AS
A PRONOUN.92
1. With a following Relative Clause.
Bien me sui apercéud que cist est mult pruzdum ki par ci passed
suvenierement,98
Sire, cist est ocis
Qui ert dotez en toz païs,
Mès cis atent bonne menaie
Qui de cele floiche est plaiés,
Car cis qui sor soi la portoit
Mesuns venins ne redotoit,
L. Rois, IV, IV.
Mer., 4675-4676.
Rose, I, 31.
Ibid., I, 35.
92 All of the cases of cist used as a determinative pronoun that are
found in the texts examined are cited under A. It will be seen later
(cf. infra, pp. 80 et seq.) that cil was by far the more common determi-
native pronoun and adjective in Old French. It is clear in not a few
instances that cist and cil followed by a determinator had originally a
certain amount of their respective demonstrative values, the determi-
nator giving an additional or more specific delimitation. In a majority
of cases, however, the determinator assumed so large a place in the de-
limitation that cist and cil lost a part of, or all, their individual coloring,
and could be used interchangeably. With this weakening of their demon-
strative values it became, so far as meaning was concerned, indifferent
whether cist or cil was chosen as the introductory word for a determi-
nator, and in the contest between them, cil, for one reason or another,
was largely victorious.
93 Latin: Animadverto quod vir Dei sanctus est iste qui per nos
frequenter.
"If cist is determinative in this passage, the fact that the speaker
is near the conquered giant referred to may have had something to do
with its choice.
73
+
74
Cist and Cil.
Mès cis seroit bons devisierres
Qui vous sauroit toutes les pierres
devisier,
Car cis qui a por un regart,
Ibid., I, 36.
Donné son cuer tout enterin,
Doit bien, après si riche don,
Donner l'avoir tout à bandon,
Ibid., I, 74.
Et trestout autele béance
A cis qu'Amors tient en prison,
Ibid., I, 86.
De quel Amor dis tu?
De ceste
Où vous volés que ge me mete:
Car cele qui s'est en moi mise
Ne bé-ge pas à metre en juise,
Ibid., I, 182.
Que sages est cis qui met paine
A ce que sa langue refraine,
Ibid., I, 234.
Si sachiés que cis font bone uevre
Qui les décevéors déçoivent,
Ibid., I, 244.
Vela cesti qui mist ceste cevaucie ou ceste armee sus,
Froiss. Chr., II, 9.
Pourquoi me fesis tu offrir
Et tout donner sans retollir
A ceste qui me fait languir,
Et cesti que tu vois riant,
C'est Laiscelos tout pour certain,
Et si m'avint un peu après
Qu'en un hostel, joindant moult près
De cesti où demoroit celle
Qui tant estoit plaisans et belle,
Puisqu'on voelt ceste marier
Froiss. P., I, 7.
Ibid., I, 30.
Ibid., I, 117.
A qui mon coer se voelt tirer,
Ibid., I, 129.
2. With a following de-phrase.
Cist here refers to persons whose designation in reference
to place of abode, associations, affiliations, etc., is contained
Cist and Cil.
75
in the following de-phrase. As a pronoun determinator, cist
is never used to repeat the idea of a previously mentioned
substantive.95
Cist de Lune orent grant pour,
Rou, I, 524.
Lores levad li reis, si s'asist à une porte. E cest" del host le
sourent,
Cist de l'ost öent la novele
C' a Rome vint lor damoisele,
Et fu pres de .II. lieues loing
Que li autre qui sont remes,
Ne cil de l'ost ne cist des nes,
L. Rois, II, XIX.
Ille, 6531-6532.
Ne sevent por quoi s'en retourne,
Mer., 5808-5811.
B. Cist IS USED DETERMINATIVELY IN OLD FRENCH AS
AN ADJECTIVE.
1. With a following Relative Clause.
Sire, sire, sur mei seit cest pecchié, nient sur tei, que tu fras si tu
te venges de mun mari,"
Ainc dix ne fist će regné,
L. Rois, I, XXV.
ne par terre ne par mer,
se t'i quidoie trover,
ne t'i quesisçe,
Car il enquiert mout uolentiers
Nouueles a ces cheualiers
25 Compare a use of cil, infra, pp. 92-93.
96 Proper reading cist?
97
Auc., 35, 12-15.
Compare cil in parallel construction, infra, p. 96 and note 132. In
Vien t'en... en l'ost ces genz ki n'unt recéu circumcisiun, L. Rois, I,
XIV, ces is not necessarily determinative, but may as the context shows,
be used here with its demonstrative force, in which case the following
relative clause would be only explanatory. The Latin of the passage
is: Veni, transeamus ad stationem incircuncisorum horum. The same
may be true of ces in the following sentence from Am. et Am., 1792-
1794: or jurrai vostre fille, Si m'ait dex et ces saintes reliques, Qui sor
cel palie sont couchies et mises. Cf. also the form of cist in Villeh., 22.
76
Cist and Cil.
•
Ki uont aussi comme cil fait,
Ch. II esp., 2763-2765.
Puis ice ior que m'adouba
Li rois Artus,
Ce pou qu'aus armes fu en vie,
Tuit li bon avoient envie
De lui resambler de maniere,
Ibid., 5615-5616.
Ruteb., 86, 37-39.
Et ces gens que il menoient en Egypte, prenoient en Orient,98
Joinv., 280.
En che tamps que li contes Loies de Flandres estoit dans sa grignour
prosperité,
Froiss. Chr., IX, 162.
En ce temps que j'emprins à faire mon chemin de aler vers le conte
de Fois,
Ibid., XI, 22.
Je viens de devers monseigneur d'Angou et voy délivrer ces hostagiers
que vous sçaves,
Mais, au propos de ma jument,
Ou cheval, ne me chault lequel,
De quoy me sert a ung chapel
Cette cornette qu'on y met,
Je ne suis pas de ces gens là
Ibid., XI, 42.
R. G. S., 84, 221-224.
A qui Fortune plaist et rit,
C. Orl., 299, 14-15.
" This example also is not conclusive; the context shows that ces may
be used here with demonstrative force, the people referred to being under
discussion at the present moment. On the common border between the
domain of cist demonstrative and cist determinative is ce in temporal
expressions so frequent in Joinville: En ce point que li roys estoit en
Acre, Joinv., 418. (Cf. Ibid., 113, 133, 135, 137, 419, 609). In all
these cases incidents that occurred during the sojourn of St. Louis at
a certain place are related, and then, usually at the beginning of a
following paragraph, the historian fixes a date by means of the formula
en ce point que. Again, in the following passages cist seems to be both
demonstrative and determinative up to a certain point: A ce parlement
que li baron firent à Corbeil, Joinv., 74. Mention has been made of an
assembly of nobles at Corbeil, but a paragraph intervenes between the
first mention of the council and the present sentence. Ceste parole
que li roys dist de sa demourée, Ibid., 438. le duc de Bourgoingne, l'aioul
de cesti duc qui est mors nouvellement, Ibid., 555. Here the choice of
cesti is undoubtedly determined by a concept of nearness. De ce miracle
que Diex fist à la fille de la veuve femme, Ibid., 590. The miracle is
mentioned previously in the text.
Cist and Cil.
77
le duc de Nemours, lequel fist serment au Roy, luy promettant tenir
son party: toutesfoys puis fist le contraire, dont le Roy conceupt
ceste longue hayne qu'il a eue contre luy,
Com., 17.
et de ce petit que j'ay veu, ne veiz jamais gens qui eussent meilleur
vouloir de combatre,
Ibid., 21.
Ce premier soir que le duc de Bourgongne fut logé en leur faulxbourg,
Ibid., 137.
2.
With a following de-phrase.99
The complement of the preposition de 100 may be a noun,
proper or common, or an infinitive.
lequel avoit esté prins en ceste bataille de Montlehery,
en ces guerre d'Ytalie,
Là fut demandé ceste duche de Normendie,
Com., 41.
Ibid., 42.
Ibid., 69.
Lendemain luy apporterent articles par lesquels ilz luy demandoient
tout ce que le duc Philippes leur avoit osté par ceste paix de Gavre,
Ibid., 108.
Li queiz tamis fut . . . devant les oez de toz, et ioskes a ces
des Lumbars pendit sor les huisses de la glise,
101 tens
Dial. Gr., 56, 22.
il vint à mon signour Olivier de Termes, et à ces autres chieveteins
de la corte laingue,
Joinv., 578.
Mais le roy Loys . a myeulx sceu entendre cest art de separer
les gens, que nul autre prince que j'aye jamais congneu,
Tantost de mes nouvelles
Certes luy escriproy,
Si honte ne craingnoye
Com., 87.
99 Cf. in this connection the interesting example in Joinv., 69: dont
ce fu comme une prophecie de la grant foison de gens qui moururent en
ces dous croisemens, c'est a savior en celi d'Egypte, et en l'autre.
100 The determinating phrase may be introduced in rare instances by
the preposition à. En ces neis de Marseille à dous gouvernans, Joinv.,
274. It is probable that still other prepositions are found in this con-
struction, although no examples of such are afforded by the texts I
have examined.
101 Latin: ad haec Longobardorum tempora.
78
Cist and Cil.
Et j'eusse ceste loy
D'ouser l'aller sercher,
102
1
Ch. XVS., 72, 5-8.
3. With a following adjective.103
Or ne sai je mies se proëce voet encores cheminer oultre Engleterre
ou reculer le chemin que elle a fait, car si com chi dessus est dit,
elle a cerchiet et environné ces royaumes et ces pays dessus mommés,
Froiss. Chr., II, 11.
Et si ne mainnent point de charoy pour les diverses montagnes qu'il
ont a passer, et parmi che pays dessus dit que on claimme North-
ombrelande,
Ibid., II, 134.
Il s'en estoit fouy ceste nuyt precedente, plus de deux mil hommes,
Com., 136.
4. With self-evident determinator omitted.
The omitted determinator is something like "whom we all
know about," and cist is here similar to the Latin ille
well known." 104
Sermonez ces hauz coronez
Ces grans doiens et ces prelaz,
"the
Ruteb., 38, 123-124.
102 For the use of determinative ce with a following infinitive in the
seventeenth century, see Haase, Syntaxe, § 27, Remarque. The deter-
minating de-phrase in Old French may contain a substantive or an in-
finitive that is appositional to the substantive determined by the ad-
jective cist. One or two of the examples cited above under 2 may be
interpreted in such a way as to offer illustration of this phenomenon. In
the following examples we have unmistakable cases of appositional deter-
minators with the adjective cist: Et fault bien dire que en ceste Isle
de France est bien assise ceste ville de Paris, Com., 50. au long de ceste
riviere de Seyne, Ibid., 62. et est signe qu'il n'est point entachié de
ce vice et peché d'orgueil, Ibid., 57. Autrefoys a pleu au Roy me faire
cest honneur de dire que j'avoye bien servy a ceste paciffication, Ibid.,
131. The de may occasionally be omitted before the appositional sub-
stantive: et s'en vindrent au tour des montaignes entre ces deux rivières
Lisse et Lesse jusques à Thoulouse, Froiss. Chr., XI, 56.
108 Cf. example from Cic. Or., 14, 15, supra, p. 68.
10* The question of the omission of a determinator is discussed at
length under determinative cil, infra, pp. 97-100.
Cist and Cil.
79
Ces empereris, ces duchesses,
Ces roïnes et ces contesses,
Ces hautes dames palasines,
Ces abéesses, ces béguines,
Ces baillives, ces chevalières,
Ces borgoises cointes et fières,
Ces nonains et ces damoiseles,
Jà ne s'en iront esgarées,
Rose, II, 29.
Et les hales sont faites à la guise des cloistres de ces moinnes blans,
Helas! il n'est si douce chose
Joinv., 95.
Que de ce doulx roussignolet
Qui chante au soir, au matinet,
Oh. 27, 9-11.
In conclusion it may be remarked by way of summary, that
the use of cist as a determinative word was extremely limited
in the earlier part of the Old French period. Apart from its
frequent employment in the Roman de la Rose, a frequency of
employment that was exceptional for the time, it is of rare
occurrence before the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the
epoch at which the demonstratives became confused owing to
the gradual loss of their traditional values.
CHAPTER V.
DETERMINATIVE FORCE OF CIL.
A. Cil IS USED DETERMINATIVELY IN OLD FRENCH
AS A PRONOUN.
1. With a following Relative Clause.
Celui tien ad espous
Qui nos redemst de son sanc precious,
Com felix cil qui par feit l'onorerent,
Cels qui od lui alerent conreat gentement,
Charlemaignes fut liez et cil qui sont od lui,
Cil sunt muntét ki le message firent,
Puint le ceval, laisset curre ad espleit,
Si fiert celui ki le dragun teneit,
E grant pris durent cil aueir
Ki escristrent premierement,
Quant Rou oi del sunge l'interpretatiun,
A celui ki li dist duna grant gueredun,
Alex., XIV.
Ibid., C.
Karls. R., 77.
Ibid., 203.
Rol., 92.
Ibid., 3547-3548.
Rou, I, 8-9.
Ibid., II, 278-279.
Tut issi frad l'um des boes celui ki mei e Samuel en l'ost ne siwerad,¹
108
L. Rois, I, XI.
Ibid., I, XIV.
Maleit seit cil ki mangerad devant le vespre,¹
Ne dutai pas, bien le saveie
que pur remembrance les firent
des aventures qu'il oïrent
cil ki primes les comencierent,
M. Fce., Prol., 34-37.
105 Latin: quicumque non exierit, et secutus fuerit Saül et Samuel, sic
fiet bobus ejus.
100 Latin: Maledictus vir qui comederit panem usque ad vesperam.
80
Cist and Cil.
81
Oil, ki sevent de letreüre,
devreient bien metre lur cure
es bons livres e es escriz,
Car cil, qui soloient amer,
Se feisoient cortois clamer,
Oil, qui rien n'an santant
Dient qu'il aimment, mes il mantent,
Et cil fable et mançonge an font,
Qui s'an vantent, et droit n'i ont,
Mes por parler de çaus qui furent
Leissons çaus, qui an vie durent,
Donent grans dons por feire amis;
Quant ont doné et plus premis,
Ja n'aurunt plus maus anemis
Que cil qu'il ont es ennors mis,
Mal soit de cel qui li feïst ostaige,
Fa., Prol., 1-3.
Oh. lyon, 21-22.
Ibid., 25-28.
Ibid., 29-30.
:
L. Man., 2, 6.
Am. et Am., 779.
Certes usages est de droite conuersation, ke cil n'oset pas estre
dessoure ki n'aurat apris estre dessuz,1 107
Dial. Gr., 9, 23.
tuit conistroient ouertement de com grande merite fust icil cui cors
ilokes gisoit,"
Ge toi coniur par icelui a cui tu uas,¹
109
Ibid., 25, 7.
Ibid., 32, 10.
Mais icil ki la astoient 110
osterent la meschine del oratoire,
Ibid., 42, 15.
Cil qui mix torble les gués,
est li plus sire clamés,
Auc., 31, 9.
et mande [le pape] par lui le pardon tel con je vos dirai: Tuit cil
qui se croisseroient seroient quite de toz les pechiez que il avoient
faiz,
Villeh., 2.
et cil jureroient sor sains que il esliroient à emperor celui cui il
107 Latin: Vsus quidem rectae conuersationis est, ut praeesse non audeat,
qui subesse non didicerit.
108 Latin: cuncti cognoscerent quanti esset meriti is cuius illic corpus
iaceret.
109 Latin: Per illum ad quem vadis, te adiuro.
110 Latin: Hi vero qui aderant.
82
Cist and Cil.
cuideroient que fust plus à profit de la terre,
Contrediseor sont, ne dïent
Point de lor sens, ainz sont de ceus
Qui tot boivent lor sens par eus,
Ja autres armes n'i querron
For celes que avron en l'ore,
Et ie sui cil ki le fera,"
De toutes les paours k'ele ot
Deuant eues, se estoit
Noiens uers celes k'ele avoit
En cel point,
Moult sot bien paindre et bien portraire
Cil qui tiex ymages sot faire,
Car il font ceus des cors estranges
Ibid., 234.
Mer., 14-16.
Ibid., 3644-3645.
Ch. II esp., 505.
Ibid., 730-733.
Rose, I, 6.
Qui déussent estre privés,
Ibid., I, 34.
Et cil trop a tart se repent
Qui trop a mis,
De son avoir por fere amis,
Ruteb., 7, 129-131.
111 The Modern French of to-day would not employ this construction,
but would have instead c'est moi qui le ferai. The attraction of the
verb of the subordinate clause to the person of the pronoun referred to
by the antecedent, was possibly as early as the fifteenth century. Voire
vrayement je suis celuy Qui prens les mouches a l'englu, R. G. S., III,
550. Et pour ce, se je suis cellui Qui m'en plains, j'ay raison pourquoy,
C. Orl., 291, 24. (This construction of the fifteenth century is still used
by Bossuet: Je suis celui qui suis. See Darmesteter, Cours de Grammaire
Historique, Sudre, Quatrième partie, 406, III, a.) In the regular Old
French construction, however, the verb of the subordinate clause, de-
pendent on cil as an antecedent, stood in the third person, regardless of
the personal pronoun that was referred to by cil: ge sui cil qui est
versés, Rose, I, 32. Aincois suis celle qui se tient En son palais pour
gloire avoir, C. Pis. L. E., 2920-2921. Fors que moy seul, qui suis celluy
Qui est le plus dolent de France, C. Orl., 66, 25-26. Respundi Nathan:
Tu es cil ki ço ad fait, L. Rois, II, XII. Vous estes celle Qui a mys
mon cuer en ses las, R. G. S., 148, 165-66. The fact that only one ex-
ample (from L. Rois, as just cited) of this construction of cil, determina-
tive, was found in texts prior to those of the thirteenth century, whereas,
from that epoch on, examples become more frequent, is evidence that the
construction was not popular until comparatively late in the Old French
period.
Cist and Cil.
83
Et vendent les mestiers devant dit ... . cil qui du Roy l'ont achaté,
L. Mest., I, I.
et ceus qui sont hors de la vile, et cil a qui leur femes gisent d'enfant,
et cil qui sont seignié, ne doivent point de guet,
Ibid., XVII, XVI.
Tuit cil qui croient en la loy Haali dient que cil qui croient en la
loy Mahommet sont mescreant; et aussi tuit cil qui croient en la loy
Mahommet dient que tuit cil qui croient en la loy Haali sont mes-
creant,
Joinv., 459.
Si vous en povés partir quant vous vouldrés et dire à celluy ou
à ceulx qui cy vous envoient, que nostre election est bonne,
Et ce fist la fausse envie
De ceulx qui heent la vie
Des bons,
Je voys mignons, je voys mignonnes,
Je voys ceulx qui en font de bonnes,
De mes biens tout n'est pas fondu;
Ceux qui les pratiquent les ont,
Amour grant aumosne fera,
En ce fait cy d'estre piteux;
Et bon example monstrera
A toutes celles et à ceulx
Qui le sevent,
Froiss. Chr., XI, 11.
C. Pis. L. E., 231-233.
R. G. S. 30, 207-208.
Ibid., 39, 337.
C. Orl., 74, 4.
Ou est doncques cellui qui se polra garder d'estre corrumpu,
Chart. C., 9, 3.
Car les grans vens qui soufflent es haultes cours sont de telle con-
dicion, que ceulx qui s'i sont follement juchiez sont après leur des-
apointment comme ung spetacle d'envie,
Ibid., 9, 23.
Car voulentiers ceulx qui font les choses en crainte, y donnent les
bonnes provisions, et plus souvent gaignent que ceulx qui y pro-
cedent avec grant orgueil,
Com., 110.
et ne failloit pas à promettre, et ordonna distribuer quinze mil escuz,
mais celluy qui en eust la charge en retint une partie,
Ibid., 129.
Examples of determinative cil with a following relative clause,
as in the above passages, might be added without number.112
112 Care should be taken not to interpret as determinative certain com-
binations of cil with a relative clause where the pronoun is used demon-
84
Cist and Cil.
The determinative correlative is not always expressed before
the relative pronoun.
113
Qui Deus a duné esciënce
e de parler bone eloquence,
ne s'en deit taisir ne celer,
ainz se deit voluntiers mustrer,
Dehait ait, fors vous solement
Qui en ces porpris l'amena,
Si convient estre diligent
A qui veult siwre ce chemin,
Mais sages est qui se fie
En dieu,
M. Fce., Prol., 1-4.
Rose, I, 96.
C. Pis. L. E., 930-931.
Ibid., 235-236.
The determinative antecedent in Old French may be, as
it regularly is in English, a personal pronoun of the third
stratively; for example, in cases like the following: Ains teus force ne
fu veüe, Ne si lez torz, con tu me fes, Que nes veoir tu ne me les Celui,
qui si est pres de moi, Ch. lyon, 1214-1217. The relative clause in this
particular case has an adverbial value, and expresses the idea of con-
cession. Et qui ert-il? Li Outredotez, et c'est cil Que Meraugis a tant
seü, Mer., 3679-3681. Car des serians de laiens fu. C'est icil ki porta
l'escu, Ch. II, esp., 6701-6702. Privée sui moult et acointe De Déduit
le mignot, le cointe; C'est cil cui est cil biax jardins, Rose, I, 20. In
the last three examples we have a form of cil followed by a relative clause
and standing after the verb form est; the subject of est is a neuter ce
referring back to a person just mentioned. The cil is here strongly
demonstrative, emphasis being gained by its position after c'est. Cf.
with these examples containing c'est cil qui two others in which cist,
instead of cil, is used in similar construction. Ce fu cis [Socrate], bien
le dit Solin, Qui par les respons Apolin Fu jugié du mont li plus sages,
Ce fu cis à qui li visages, De tout quanque li avenoit, Tous jors en un
point se tenoit, Rose, I, 196. S'il n'i avoit que Male-Bouche (C'est cis
qui plus au cuer me touche, Cis a les autres esméus), Ibid., I, 242. This
construction, c'est cil or cis qui, is a favorite one with Guillaume de
Lorris; cf. Rose, I, 2, 7, 29, 34, 39, 41, 42.
113 For examples showing a corresponding omission of the antecedent in
Latin, see supra, pp. 65-66. Cf. the Modern French in such sentences
as- Qui voit un prisonnier en voit cent; qui entend un prisonnier en
entend mille, Dumas, Monte-Cristo.
Cist and Cil.
85
person.
In the texts I have examined, il is the only personal
pronoun that is used in this way.
Il puet estre Cervoisier a Paris qui veut,
Il est a Paris Orfevres qui veut,
L. Mest., VIII, I.
Ibid., XI, I.
Il est fos qui maine dangier
Vers cil qu'il déust losengier,
Rose, I, 61.
Il m'a garie
Qui m'en parle, quoi qu'il m'en die,
Ibid., I, 87.
a. Come Cil Qui.
Willeame s'entremist de sun afaitement,
Cume cil ki ne sout de misere nient,"
Rou, II, 1618-1619.
This sentence, whose second number is introduced by cume
cil ki, may serve to illustrate a construction that is common in
Old French. In cases of this kind, a form of cil, which might
be called here a correlative of identity, repeats and stands for a
preceding substantive, usually the subject or the object of a prin-
cipal clause. The force of come cil qui is "in my, your, or
his capacity as one who," according as the substantive that
the cil stands for is first, second, or third person. The relative
clause, which, as far as the form of the construction is con-
cerned, depends on cil as an antecedent, belongs logically to
the substantive of the principal clause that cil repeats, and
expresses the cause of, or the ground for, an action or a condi-
tion of the agent represented by the substantive. The clause
assigns as cause an actual fact, hence its verb is always in
the indicative. The person of the verb of the come cil qui
clause varies, according to that of the controlling agent of the
principal clause. Note the following additional examples:
114 Cf. Il s'escondit com li om qui nel set, Alex., LXV.
86
Cist and Cil.
Respundirent ces de Juda à ces de Israel: Pur ço l'avum fait que
li reis nus est plus près que à vus, cume cil qui est de notre lignage,¹¹
L. Rois, II, XIX.
Li baron merci vos crient de la prise de Jadres; que il le fistrent
comme cil qui mielz ne pooient faire,
Villeh., 106.
Joffrois li marcehaus de Champaigne, qui cestre œuvre dita (qui
ainc n'i menti de mot à son escient, si con cil qui à tox les conseils fu),
Quant Kex ot bien belement
Du premier mes serui par tout,
Con cil ki bel le faisoit mout,
Mais eles se sont entremises
Con celes qui femes estoient,
Qu'eles requerre li uauroient
Un don,
Ibid., 120.
Ch. II esp., 142-144.
Ibid., 8206-8209.
et se ala mettre en croiz devant le cors Nostre-Signour, comme cil
qui n'atendoit que la mort,
Joinv., 39.
Li cuens de la Marche, comme cil qui ne le pot amender, s'en vint
en la prison le roy,
Il dort tousjours a parler vrayement
Comme celluy qui en riens ne prouffite,
Ibid., 103.
O. Orl., 182, 7-8.
Ledict seigneur jura ladicte paix; et dès le lendemain delibera de
partir, comme celuy qui avoit grant envie de retourner en France,
Com., 648.
Si m'embaterai sur lui sudéement, e sur les suens, cume sur cels
ki las sunt, si l'descunfirai; e quant tuit li suen serunt turné à
fuie, jo ocirai le rei cume celui ki ert senz aïe,118
Mon bel amy, du tout je le retien,
Comme celle qui suys, ou que je soye,
L. Rois, II, XVII.
Vostre a jamès,
Ch. XVS., 59, 9-11.
J'en parle comme de celluy que j'ay congneu,
Com., 517.
115 Latin: Et respondit omnis vir Juda ad viros Israel: Quia mihi
propior est rex.
116 Latin: Et irruens super eum (quippe qui lassus est et solutis mani-
bus) percutiam eum; cumque fugerit omnis populus qui cum eo est,
percutiam regem desolatum.
Cist and Cil.
87
Et de ce propos en sçavez plus que moy, comme celuy qui l'aydastes
a penser en ceste maladie,¹
117
Ibid., 324.
This construction involving come cil qui, of which examples
have just been cited and in which the pronoun is a correlative
of identity, is evidently an extension of another basal con-
struction that contains the same locution, come cil qui, but in
which cil determines the idea of a second distinct person with
whom a genuine comparison is made.
Il vient aïrez come cil
Qui semble qu'il doie le mont
Confondre,
Mer., 2074-2076.
et furent tel [les serments]; que se il ne tenoient au roy les con-
venances, que il fussent aussi honni comme cil qui par son pechié
aloit en pelerinaige à Maques sa teste descouverte . . . et fussent
aussi honni comme cil qui lessoient lour femmes, et les reprenoient
après,
Tant fui penssis a ceste chose
Que je desvoiai de ma voie,
Com cil qu'a lui meismes chose,
vous y venés bien tard
Com celuy qui crye la moutarde,
Si m'an doit an tel gre savoir,
Con celui, qui autrui avoir
Anprunte et puis si le repaie,
Joinv., 360.
Ruteb., 36, 9-11.
R. G. S., 37, 304-305.
Ch. lyon, 6705-6707.
Notice that the verb forms in the last five examples are in the
third person, as all verb forms must be from the nature of the
case in genuine comparisons of this sort.
•
117 For further examples of cil correlative of identity in the locution
come cil qui, cf. L. Rois, I, II; Villeh., 125, 135, 328, 372, 388, 467; L.
Mest., I, LXI; Joinv., 414, 622. The French of to-day has lost this
construction. It was not uncommon, however, in the seventeenth cen-
tury: Elle vous parle comme celle qui n'est pas savante. . . .et elle
vous écoute comme celle qui sait beaucoup, La Bruy., II, 92. Cf. Haase,
Syntaxe Française du XVIIe Siècle, Paris, 1898, § 26.
88
Cist and Cil.
The step from come cil qui in genuine comparisons between
two distinct individuals to come cil qui in expressions of iden-
tity is easy and natural. Yet the substitution of identity for
similarity was not always complete in the mind of the Old
French writer or speaker, and this led to a certain hesitation
in the form of construction, as is shown by the person of the
verb in the come cil qui clauses of the two following examples:
Et moy, com celle qui vouloit
Tout enquerir, lors sanz tarder
Pris environ moy regarder,
Plus longement je ne le puis celer,
Qu'il ne faille que sachiez ma detresse
Comme celle qui me peut conforter,
C. Pis. L. E., 2062-2064.
C. Orl., 15, 21-23.
Note. The come cil qui construction in which cil is a corre-
lative of identity is, if the explanation of its origin just given
above is correct, a Romance development. It is therefore un-
necessary to attempt to discover its origin in any Latin con-
struction. However, the casual relation that is so prominent
in the relative clause of almost all the examples of this con-
struction points back to a well known Latin construction. I
refer to those causal relative clauses of the Latin that are
introduced by quippe qui or an equivalent. Quippe in com-
bination with the relative has the force of "as one in fact who "
that is, "since or inasmuch as I, thou, he, etc.," which is the
translation of come cil qui in the Old French construction.
Convivia cum patre non inibat: quippe qui ne in oppidum
quidem, nisi perraro veniret, Cic. Rosc. Am., 18, 52. tametsi
pro imperio vobis quod dictum foret, Scibat facturos; quippe
qui intellexerat, Vereri vos se et metuere, Plaut. Ep. Am.,
3, 2, 30.
b. N'i a Cel Qui.
Throughout the whole Old French period we encounter the
crystallized locution in which cel or celui, with the sense of
indefinite "
any one," stands as the complement or predicate
Cist and Cil.
89
of a negatived verb, and is followed by a characteristic relative
clause.
N'i a cel ki ne port le brant d'acier tut nu,118
Rou, II, 1003.
By this locution, n'i a cel qui, the existence of even a single
individual with the characteristics indicated by the relative
clause is denied, or at least called into question. Note the
following additional examples:
N'i a celui ki bien ne creie
que granz mals avenir lur deie,
Et si n'i a celui, que n'et
Les braz las,
Fa., XLIII, 15-16.
Ch. lyon, 6208-6209.
Villeh., 179.
et il n'i avoit celi qui ne fust graindre que une de nos,
N'i a celui ki ne se taise,
Ch. II esp., 11048.
Car il n'i a celi qui autant n'aint sa vie comme je faiz la mienne,
Joinv., 264.
La viennent les aultres commères, et les unes avant les autres, et
n'y a celle qui ne die de très-bonnes raisons,
XV Joies, 156.
The relative clause, while in the majority of cases negative,
is sometimes affirmative.
Ciel ne fud nez de medre vius
Qui tal exercite vidist,
Nul n'en i at quin alget malendous,
Cel n'en i at quin report sa dolour,¹
N'i ad celui ki mot sunt ne mot tint,
N'i a celi, qui s'ost movoir,
Des qu'eles me voient venir,
119
Meyer Rec., 196, 137-138.
Alex., CXI.
Rol., 411.
Ch. lyon, 344-345.
118 Cf. N'i a femme malueise, ki mielz de tei ne vaille, Rou, II, 1452.
n'i ot un sul ki l'aprismast qu'il n'ocesist e devorast, Fa., XIX, 7-8.
119 Cf. N'est altre ki le resemble, ne ki l'vaille, Rois, I, XXI. N'i a ne
fort ne fieble ki a Rou cuntrestace, Rou, II, 692.
90
Cist and Cil.
The relative clause may be left unexpressed.
Si plorerent n'i ot celui,
Et jurent qu'il mengeront
Ja en cel leu nes troveront,
Tout estoient de vert vesti,
N'i avoit ceste ne cesti,120
J. de Condé, I, 221.
Renard, 13379-13380.
Froiss. P., I, 30.
The origin of the n'i a cel qui construction is the Latin
nemo est quin. Nemo est quin hoc videat."
a.
121
2. With a following de-phrase.122
Standing for, and repeating, a preceding substantive.
The pronoun is determined by the following de-phrase.
Des amendes de XXs. li jure . . . auront IIIIs., et de celes de Xs.
IIs., et de celes de Vs. XIId. et de celes de XIId. IVd.,
L. Mest., LIII, XXI.
dont ce fu aussi comme une prophecie de la grant foison de gens
qui moururent en ces dous croisemens, c'est à savoir en cel de Egypte
et en l'autre,
Comment les anciens nommoient
Vertu et Honneur qu'ilz amoient
Deux deesses, et a chascune
Un temple firent; cilz de l'une
Entroit en l'autre, et ert cellui
De Vertu,
Joinv., 69.
C. Pis. L. E., 5577-5582.
120 For other cases of the n'i a cel qui construction cf. Rol., 822, 1437,
1482, 1618, 1803, 1814, 2545, 3462, 3805. The construction had not
disappeared in the first half of the seventeenth century, for Vaugelas,
Q-C., V. 5, writes-Comme ils vinrent à s'écrier tous ensemble, qu'enfin
Jupiter vengeur de la Grèce avoit ouvert les yeux, il n'y eut celui qui ne
s'intéressât en leurs maux; see Haase, Syntaxe, § 26. Present day usage
substitutes personne for celui; il n'y a personne dans ce hameau qui ne
sache lire.
121 See Riemann, Syntaxe, § 198, b.
122 Cf, A. 1. supra, p. 80.
Cist and Cil.
91
la court, qui fait a homme delaisser ses propres meurs pour soy
mouller a ceulx d'autruy,
La toison d'une brebis noire
Vault mieulx que celle d'une blanche,
Chart. C., 11, 22.
R. G. S., 103, 453-454.
The pronoun determinator cil, repeating a preceding sub-
stantive, is occasionally omited before a following genitive
construction. This omission of a determinator was common
in Latin.123
E mes piez fait ignels cume de cerf,
124
L. Rois, II, XXII.
Que nature et amor de chien
Valt miauz que de feme ne fait,
Chevalier a'l'Epee, 1108-1109.
Et lors je pris le pan de son seurcot et dou seurcot le roy,
Joinv., 36.
l'yaue devenoit ou chant dou jour aussi froide comme de fonteinne,
Ibid., 189.
The use of the definitive article with a following genitive
construction, to repeat a preceding substantive, was quite as
frequent, at least in earlier Old French, as that of the demon-
strative.
Vindrent parent e lor amic,
Li sainct L., li Evrui[n],
Al tems Noe ed al tems Abraam
Ed al David, cui Deus par amat tant,
Meyer Rec., 196, 117-118.
Par fei, Dist Cone, sire, ne vi mais tel maisnie[e]
Cum est la duc Willeame,
Alex., II.
Rou, II, 1669-1670.
123 Cf. supra, p. 66. Cf. also La Rochef., III, 242: Ma femme et mes
enfants ne me laisseroient pas hasarder ma foi, mon honneur et mon
repos, et de ma famille. A present-day construction, which may not be
identical with this, but which in all events is closely allied to it, is that
illustrated by the following verses from Musset's Premières Poésies:
Mes premiers vers sont d'un enfant,
Les seconds d'un adolescent,
Les derniers à peine d'un homme.
124 Latin: Coaequans pedes meos cervis.
9.2
Cist and Cil.
E sewid les males traces sun père, e ne fud pas sis cuers parfiz
devant nostre Seignur, si cume fud le David,
Si penroie ainz l'ame de lui
Plus tost, je cuit, que la nului,
L. Rois, III, XV.
et en la terre l'evesque et en l'autrui,
Ruteb., 75, 47-48.
L. Mest., XV, XIV.
b.
Aimi! sire, ostes vo keval,
A pau que il ne m'ait blechie.
Li Robin ne regiete mie
Quant je vois après se carue,
Rob. et Mar., 73-76.
je n'i vi cottes brodées ne les [le] roi ne les autrui,
Joinv., 25.
Referring, not to an entity previously mentioned, but to
a person or persons whose designation with reference to nation-
ality, place of abode, occupation, affiliations, etc., is contained
in a following de-phrase.
Ja cil d'Espaigne de mort n'avront guarant,
Cil del Maine roberent suuent Alencuneis;
Rotro, li quens del Perche, e cil de Belesmeis,
Cuntre cels mist Richart cels d'Alge e cels d'Uismeis,
Rol., 1081.
Cil de Azote truverent Dagon lur deu,
Rou, II, 4133-4135.
L. Rois, I, IV.
Quant cil de Biaucaire virent lor damiosel, s'en fisent grant joie,
U'autre part vienent cil de Tharse,
Cil de Paris les vindrent querre a armes,
Auc., 34, 12.
Ruteb., 23, 164.
Joinv., 73.
Et fumes de lors en avant que nous n'eumes ne treves ne paiz ne
à ceus de Dumas ne à ceus de Babiloine,
Cil de Saint Flour furent moult esbahi,
Ibid., 539.
Froiss. Chr., IX, 142.
Or me dittes, ceulx de Callais
Sont ilz bien d'accort maintenant?
Deus, que dunc nel prist mort subite!
Si fussent cil del pais quite,
R. G. S., 68, 39-40.
Rou, I, 646-647.
Cist and Cil.
93
il dotoient autant cels de la vile cum il faissoient cels de hors,
Villeh., 339.
Et on li dist qu'ele est en l'ost, et si i avoit mené tox ciax du pais,
Cil de ceste terre à cui j'en ai parlei, m'ont dit que .
Li real s'en fuirent, e li frere chacierent
Tant que cil de l'agait a un cri debuchierent,
Auc., 28, 21.
Joinv., 419.
Rou, II, 168.
cil de la vielz lei soleient vestir si cume funt les noz quant al altel
deivent venir,
Et trestuit cil de sa mesniee
Furent an cele chevauchiee,
cil de sa maihnie lo porteuent entre lur mains,
Sont tuit cil de sa rote nu,
Ainsi est partie la riegle
De cels d'ordre et de cels du siecle,
L. Rois, I, XXIII.
Ch. lyon, 2176-2177.
Dial Gr., 28, 4.
Ruteb., 13, 29.
Tuit cil du mestier doivent lesier huevre,
Ibid., 74, 19-20.
L. Mest., XXVII, VII.
cil de la Haulequa estoient logié entour les heberges,
Joinv., 283.
Ceulx de la part du Roy conduisoit Poncet de Riviere ... ceulx du
costé des Bourguignons estoient sans ordre,
Com., 23.
This construction was a favorite one with Old French writers.125
The two expressions l'autrui, "the goods of others,” and la
125 Cf. for additional examples:
Rol., 167, 857, 1745, 1852, 2923, 3977.
Rou, I, 124, 158; II, 1356, 2734, 3517, 1542; III, 820.
L. Rois, I, V; I, VI; I, VII; I, XIV; I, XVI; I, XVII.
Ruteb., 25, 66; 30, 105; 36, 5.
L. Mest., XCII, IX.
Joinv., 11, 399, 516, 543, 551, 614, 188, 530.
R. G. S., 78, 167; 92, 330.
Ch. II esp., 1038.
Dial. Gr., 28, 13.
Rose, I, 42.
Similar expressions were in common use in the seventeenth century;
see Haase, Syntaxe, § 25. Cf., p. 72, Remark.
94
Cist and Cil.
Saint Jehan, "the fête of St. John" (and others of similar
nature), may be classified here, for, although a person is not
designated by either of these two expressions, the determinator,
which is in the form of an article in this case, always refers
forward.
Male chose estoit de penre de l'autrui,¹
ce fu entour la saint Jehan,"
Joinv., 33.
Ibid., 438.
3. With other Prepositional Phrases.127
l'une asist à destre, l'autre à senestre. Cel à destre Jachim apelad
e cele à senestre Booz numad,
A cez paroles est issuz
L. Rois, III, VI.
Cil a cheval,
Mer., 2271-2272.
Dame, j'irai
Cele sanz non,
Ibid., 2796-2797.
et cil au blanc escu
Joste,
Ibid., 5407-5408.
Et les pressoient tant cil à cheval et cil à pié que il desconfirent
le roy de Sezile,¹
Joinv., 266.
Et otroia à sa mere à fonder l'abbaie dou Liz . . . et celle delez
Pontoise,
Et cils a ce bel soleil d'or
On l'appelle Melyador,
Ibid., 724.
Froiss. P., I, 30.
128 L'autrui, as a legal expression, meaning "the goods of others," or
"the rights of others," was still in common use at the beginning of the
seventeenth century: Qui sans prendre l'autrui vivent en bons chrestiens,
Regnier, Sat., XII. Le monstre infâme d'envie A qui rien de l'autruy
ne plaist, Malh., IV, 5. In expressions of fête days the present-day
usage coincides with that of the Old French.
127 Cf. A, 1, supra, p. 80.
128 Cf. Joinv., 259, 266, 273.
Cist and Cil.
95
+
4.
With a following Adjective.129
ne doit vendre barilz a Paris d'autre façon que de cele desus devisée,
Se d'amer t'estrange & reboute
Le barat d'icelles nommées,
Tu fais une bien folle doubte,
L. Mest., XLVI, VI.
Villon, 44, 573-575.
5.
With a following Adverb.130
Jo ai paiens veuz
Cil devant sunt bien C milie ad escuz
Cil dedenz furent deceu,
Mult alout cil detries celui devant hastant,
E d'une part e d'altre sunt vaillant cheualier.
Rol., 1039-1041.
Rou, I, 664.
Ibid., II, 3527.
Cil deça sunt mult pruz e cil dela mult fier,
por ceus dehors et por ceus dedenz,
Ibid., II, 3895-3896.
L. Mest., X, XVII.
B. Cil IS USED DETERMINATIVELY IN OLD FRENCH AS
AN ADJECTIVE.
1. With a following Relative Clause.
Ab u[n] magistre semprel mist
Quillo doist de ciel savier
Don[t] deu serviet por bona fied,
Meyer Rec., 195, 22-24.
Puis icel tems que Deus nos vint salver,
Alex., III.
faites cinc anels de fin or, après la furme de cele partie privée de voz
cors u li turmenz e li langur ad esté,
L. Rois, I, VI.
L'an après, à cel cuntemple que reis se solent esmuvier à ost e à
bataille,181
129 Cf. A, 1, supra, p. 80.
180 Cf. A, 1, supra, p. 80.
181 Latin: eo tempore quo solent reges ad bella procedere.
Ibid., I, XL.
96
Cist and Oil.
i
Mais se rien li remaint de quanque à lui apent jesqu'al matin, neis
le chien, cel mal vienge sur mei que venir deit sur lui,
Tint cort si riche come rois
A cele feste, qui tant coste,
Qu'an doit clamer la pantecoste,
Et ce mout volantiers savroie,
Don cele force puet venir
Qui vos comande a consantir
Tot mon voloir,
Ier fiz bataille el non dou criator,
Hui la ferai el non à cel seignor
182
Ibid., I, XXV.
Ch. lyon., 4-6.
Ibid., 2008-2011.
Qui envers diu nen ot onques amor,
Am. et Am., 1660-1662.
avec celui passage qui ere venuz en Constantinoble,
Villeh., 325.
estorat en icel liu ki est diz Fundiz une abie,18
Dial. Gr., 9, 7.
si avoit il aconstumeit a seoir sor cel iument ki poist estre troueiz en
la cele plus despitables de toz les iumenz,184
Laurions del saintisme homme Anastaise fut nurriz
ki deioste lo borc Nepesine Subpentonia est apeleiz,¹
Ne vaut noient quan que* il conte
S'il ne met s'estude en cel conte
Qui toz jorz soit bons a retrere,
Ainz clinent et vont aorant
cele part ou la dame vet,
Ibid., 21, 1.
en cel monstier
Ibid., 29, 3.
Mer., 3-5.
Ibid., 692-693.
Mes la lance avuec lui portot
Trusqu'a cele hore qu'il lessa
Son escu,
Ibid., 1956-1958.
De cele part u pent l'espee,
Ch. II esp., 6167.
152 For other passages containing the same formula and construction, sce
L. Rois, I, III; I, XIV; I, XX; I, XXV; III, II.
183 Latin: in eo loco qui Fundis dicitur.
184 Latin: iumentum sedere consueverat, quod despicabilius omnibus
iumentis in cella potuisset reperiri.
185 Latin: qui scilicet Maurio in illo monasterio quod iuxta Nepesinam
urbem Suppentonia vocatur.
Cist and Cil.
97
Tu naquis de ta mere nu,
Dit li croisiez, c'est chose aperte
Or ies jusqu'a cel tenz venuz
Que ta chars est bien recoverte,
Et il i doit par reson estre,
Qu'il lessa son leu et son estre
Por cele glorieuse jame
Qui a nom la joie celestre,
le Crieur criera a cel feur qu'il li diront,
Ruteb., 37, 73-76.
Ibid., 86, 19-22.
L. Mest., V, VI.
et encore après les evesques et les archevesques mangoit encoste cele
table la royne Blanche, sa mere, ou chief dou cloistre, de celle part là
où li roys ne mangoit pas,
Joinv., 95.
et quant ce vient au matin, si treuvent en lour royz cel avoir de poiz
que l'on aporte en ceste terre,
Dequoy sert bien a saint Mathieu
celle javeline qu'il porte,188
Ibid., 189.
R. G. S., 106, 483-484.
2. With Self-Evident Determinator Omitted.137
A determinative adjective always owes its existence in a
sentence to some kind of correlative complement that is present
as a thought concept at the time the determinative adjective
is spoken or written. If the substantive that is qualified by
the determinative adjective and its complement is of a general
188 The determinating relative clause may be appositional to the sub-
stantive determined by the adjective cil. I have found this construction
only in sentences that contain the locutions en celle entente que and
a celle fin que. Note the following examples: Par quoi il n'en portent
aultre pourveance que cescuns emporte, entre le selle et le peniel, une
grande plate piere, et se tourse derriere lui unes besaces plainne de farine
en celle entente que, quand il ont tant mangiét de char mal cuitte que leur
estomach leur semble estre wape et afoiblis, il jetent celle plate piere ou
feu et destrempent un petit de leur farine d'yaue, Froiss. Ch., II, 134. A
celle fin les te vueil dire Que tu me soies secourable, C. Pis. L. E., 2613-
2614. A celle fin que quand vendra vers moy Je ne soye despourveu,
comme nice C. Orl., 148, 1-2. Faignez envers moy mal talant. A celle
fin que nul n'espie Nostre amour, Ibid., 188, 22-25.
137 Cf. supra, p. 78.
98
Cist and Cil.
or indefinite nature, the complement of the determinative ad-
jective must come to verbal expression before the speaker can
accurately convey his idea to the hearer. An examination of
the sentences just cited above to illustrate the use of the deter-
minative adjective will show the truth of this statement. But
the substantive that is qualified by a determinative adjective
is, however, not always of a general or indefinite nature, but
is sometimes the name of a person or thing that is well known
to all people of a given epoch and country. In such cases,
there is no necessary verbal expression of the complement of
the determinative adjective, although this complement always
exists, to be sure, as a commonplace in the mind of the speaker
or writer, and calls the determinative adjective into existence.
If we compare the two following sentences, the point in question
will be made more clear:
Par cel diu ki tout bien consent,"
Os! fait cil, por le cuer cil sires eut en sen ventre,
Ch. II esp., 5745.
Auc., 24, 40.
The words diu and sires, referring, as they do, to the Deity,
create as soon as they are thought of or uttered, a constant
mental image, which, if converted into words and fully ex-
pressed, would be represented in somewhat the following man-
ner: God, who is, as we all know, the fountain-head of our
Christian faith. With such a thought in mind, the speaker
quite naturally refers to God as that God. He may then add
to the words "that God" a relative clause that coincides in
varying degree with the more extensive complement that existed
in his mind, and which called the determinative adjective
into use, as in the first of the two examples cited above, or he
may leave unexpressed altogether the complement to whose ex-
istence in thought the determinative adjective is due, as in
the second example. Observe the following additional examples,
in which the name of a person or thing that is well known,-
138 Oath formulas of this order abound in Old French texts.
Cist and Cil.
99
for example, the Deity, the Pope, an historical character, an
established religious creed or an order is determined by the
demonstrative adjective cil. In some of the examples about
to be cited, a relative clause that is either a mere platitude
or stereotyped expression, or presents some additional thought,
is appended to the substantive. In others, there is no relative
clause. In all, the determinative cil owes its existence to the
presence in the mind of the speaker or writer of an unexpressed
complement of a broad general nature.
Il nos aiud ob ciel senior
Por cui sustint tels passions,
Cil Mahumez ki nus ad en baillie
E Tervaganz.
Salvent le rei,
•
Gauuains, cil sire qui te fist
Te doinst et honte et encombrier,
Cil glorieux de qui vient toute grace,
Meyer Rec., 198, 239-240.
Rol., 2711-2713.
Ch. II esp., 4116-4117.
Par cel Saint Pierre que Deus a Rome mist,
Par cele lei que vos tenez plus salve,
C. Pis. L. E., 7.
Rol., 456.
Ibid., 649.
et de tant se osa [Diogène] il vanter qu'il estoit le plus puissant,
pour ce qu'il pouoit plus de biens reffuser que celluy roy Alexandre
ne luy en eust peu domner,
Chart. C., 15, 6.
The determinative adjective, celluy, in this example, owes its
existence to some such unexpressed complement as [that King
Alexander] whose wealth was so great.
toz fut prez li disners,
Et chantent et viëlent et rotent cil jongler,
Karls R., 831-837.
The writer of this line and those who felt his language in
reading or hearing it supplied mentally [those jongleurs] who
were, of course, present at the banquet.
100
Cist and Cil.
Puet cel estre, oil clerc plusur
prendreient sur els mun labur,
Fa., Epil., 5-6.
[Those clerks] who, as we all know, busy themselves habit-
ually with literary pursuits.
Oil riche rez s'entreconfundent,
L. Man., I, 19.
[Those powerful kings] who are established in authority over
ՂԱՏ.
us.
Celes ranposnes a sejor
Li sont el cuer batanz et fresches,
Oh. lyon., 1354-1355.
[Those insulting remarks] for which, as we all know, Keu
is famous.
CHAPTER VI.
CIST AND CIL EQUIVALENT TO DEFINITE
ARTICLE.
The use of cist and cil for the definite article, and therefore
with no more demonstrative force than the article possesses,
is common throughout the whole Old French period. In the
majority of cases where the two words are used in this way,
we have simply further examples of a determinative demonstra-
tive adjective with an omitted correlative complement. In
other words cist or cil, equivalent to the definite article,
which, it must be remembered, may perform a determinative
function as well as a demonstrative adjective, is an extension
of its use as an individualizing determinator with the name of
a person or thing that is well known.139 Notice the italicized
words in the two following examples:
Ensi sejornerent en cel palais l'endemain, et al tierz jor lor dona Diex
bon vent; et cil marinier resachent lor ancres,
Li iors fu esclarcis et grans
Et la matinee plaisans
Et cil oisiel s'esioissoient,
Villeh., 136.
Ch. II esp., 3161-3163.
Here we have a cil that is practically equivalent to a definite
article. It would be possible, without change of syntax, or
offence against good Old French usage, to substitute li in each
of these cases. Cil, standing here before the substantives, mari-
nier and oisiel, is perhaps somewhat more forceful in meaning
than the corresponding article would be, but the difference is
slight.140
But the demonstrative that is used here for a definite
189
Compare supra, pp. 78-79 and 97-100.
140
Compare in this connection:
Par cel apostre c'on à Romme requiert,
Mais par l'apostre c'on quiert en Noiron pré,
Am. et Am., 508.
Ibid., 751.
101
102
Cist and Cil.
article does not differ in kind from the determinative adjec-
tive that often stands before the name of an entity that is well
known and after which a correlative complement, expressing
a commonplace, is omitted. Cil marinier means either the
sailors or those sailors who, of course, manned the ship. In
the same way the force of cil oisiel is either the birds or those
birds that always sing at dawn on fine spring mornings.
Examples of cist and cil equivalent to the definite article
abound in Old French literature. I limit myself to citing,
in addition to those noted above, only a few that are typical.
Notice that with few exceptions the substantive which is ac-
companied by the demonstrative used as an article is the name
of something well known, implements of warfare, various com-
mon things in nature, etc.
Oliviers est desur un pui muntez
Or veit il bien d'Espaigne le regnét
E Sarrazins ki tant sunt asemblét.
Luisent cil elme ki ad or sunt gemmét
E cil escut e cil osberc safrét
E cil espiet, cil gunfanun fermét,
En sum cez maz et en cez haltes vernes
Asez i ad carbuncles e lanternes,
Loewis e les suens vunt suuent menaçant.
Tel noise a par cez rues, n'oissiez Deu tonant,
Rol., 1028-1033.
Ibid., 2632-2633.
Sonnent cil saint de par toute la ville,
Rou, I, 2084-2085.
Am. et Am., 1349.
alés selonc cele forest esbanoiier, si verrés ces flors et ćes herbes
s'orrés ces oisellons canter,
car ces colors
Sunt aussi uiues con est flors
En ces arbres, en ces praiaus,
Quant j'oi véues les semblances
De ceus qui menoient les dances,
J'oi lors talent que le vergier
Alasse véoir et cerchier,
Et remirer ces biaus moriers,
Ces pins, ces codres, ces loriers,
Auc., 20, 22-24.
Ch. II esp., 12177-12179.
Rose, I, 43.
Cist and Cil.
103
Luisent cil elme as pierres d'or gemmes
Et cil escut e cez bronies safrees
Et cil espiet, cez enseignes fermees,'
S'entr'acoloient et baisoient
Cil cui li geu d'amors plaisoient;
Cil arbre vert par ces gaudines,
Lor paveillons et lor cortines,
De lor rains sor eus estendoient,"
141
Qu[i] lors vëist cel baisëis,
La joie et cel acolëis,142
Il est raison que li amant
Doignent du lor plus largement
Que cil vilains entule et sot,142
141
Rol., 3307-3309.
Rose, I, 280.
Ille, 4983-4984.
Rose, I, 74.
Quiconques a enpetré le congié de mesurer, il convient qu'il jure seur
Sains, avant que il puisse mesurer, que il le mesurage fera bien
et loiaument a son pooir, de quelque maniere de grain que il
mesureche, et que il la droiture a celui vendeur et a l'achateur gardera
bien et loiaument,¹
142
L. Mest., IV, 11.
E cil Asael fud si délivres del pied e si ignels cume uns cheverols de
cele forest,
Cil siecles n'est pas siecles, ainz est chanz de bataille,
Rois, II, IV.
Ruteb, 46, 29.
141 This example, which contains cil and cist equivalent to the article, in
precisely the same construction and with precisely the same meaning,
shows that the two demonstratives were used indiscriminately in this
sense.
142 The author uses in this example, now cil, now li, with no apparent
distinction, thus proving, if other examples did not offer conclusive evi-
dence on this point, that the demonstrative might perform the function
of the definite article in Old French. In the citation from the Rose, and
the L. Mest., cil is equivalent to the generic article, li amant and cil
vilains, in the one case and celui vendeur and l'achateur, in the other,
being syntactically parallel.
•
CHAPTER VII.
CIL PRONOUN ... CIST ADJECTIVE.
In Latin ille and iste were used both as demonstrative pro-
nouns and demonstrative adjectives. This usage was con-
tinued into the Old French. We know, however, that at some
stage in the course of the development of the French, cil, the
descendant of ille, lost its adjectival function and became
restricted to use as a pronoun, while cist, the descendant of
iste, lost its pronominal function and became restricted to use
as an adjective. It is interesting to know when this took
place. The following table of statistics, compiled in all but
two cases 143 from the entire text, shows the mathematical pro-
portion of cil pronoun to cil adjective and of cist pronoun to
cist adjective for the period of time that is covered in this
monograph.
Cil Pronoun. Cil Adjective.
Cist Pronoun.
Cist Adjective.
Alex.
Karls R.
15
24
13
29
Rol. 144
136
54
207
21
14
158
Am. et Am.
39
66
4
60
Ch. lyon
178
43
12
111
Rou
181
48
11
41
Fa.
87
31
1
62
Auc.
25
12
0
28
Villeh.
351
182
7
85
Mer.
217
76
36
134
Ch. II esp.
503
125
7
151
Rose
184
61
37
197
Joinv.
161
87
1
290
Froiss. P.
141
67
1
123
C. Pis. L. E.
146
97
11
158
C. Orl.
81
7
0
282
Villon
24
0
2
131
Ch. XVS.
50
0
1
86
R. G. S.
29
Com.
182
12
44
87
4
506
143 Roman de la Rose, Vol. I, only.
Oeuvres de Froissart, Vol. I of the Poésies only.
144 The italicized forms of the demonstratives in Stengel's edition are
not included in these statistics.
104
Cist and Cil.
105
The table shows that there was a tendency to use cist more
frequently as an adjective than as a pronoun even from the
time of the Alexis, and to use cil more frequently as a pronoun
than as an adjective from the end of the twelfth century. This
tendency was accentuated throughout the thirteenth and four-
teenth centuries, and when at length we come to the fifteenth,
cil adjective is rare and cist pronoun is used only occasionally.
At the end of the fifteenth century, therefore, the separation
of the two demonstratives into two distinct classes, that perform
pronominal and adjectival functions respectively, is practically
accomplished.
What are the reasons for this separation and restriction?
Why should cil have developed into a word that is used ex-
clusively as a pronoun, while cist became restricted to ad-
jectival functions? At least a partial answer to this question
has already been found in the chapters on the demonstrative
and determinative uses of cil and cist. Cil was from the time
of the earliest Old French by far the more commonly used
pronoun. In addition to an extensive strictly pronominal use,
it was employed to perform other functions that in later times
have been discharged by other parts of speech, whereas the
use of cist pronoun for other parts of speech was restricted.
Furthermore, cil was the determinative pronoun par excellence
during the whole Old French period. It is more difficult to
discover reasons why cist was at any early date employed more
frequently as an adjective than cil.145
Whatever the causes of restriction of cil and cist to pro-
nominal and adjectival functions respectively may have been,
the fact is that by the end of the fourteenth and the beginning
of the fifteenth century there was an established tradition in
the language that cil was the pronoun and cist the adjective.
At this time a new order of things was gradually being effected;
145 I intend to study further this question of cil pronoun . . . cist ad-
jective, and hope that a more detailed analysis of this phase of my subject
than I have been able to give it in the present monograph may enable
me to publish, at a date not too distant, more satisfactory results.
106
Cist and Cil.
the Old French cil and cist were losing their inherent demon-
strative force, and new demonstratives were being created.
This condition hastened the process of separation. The com-
pleted result, for which we should have to go beyond the time
limits of this monograph, is that celui, celle, ceux, celles, the
only forms that are left of Old French cil, are employed only
as pronouns, while ce(t), cette, and ces, the only remaining
forms of Old French cist, are restricted to adjectival functions.
CHAPTER VIII.
CIST, CIL. . . ICIST, ICIL.
All of the demonstratives, the neuter ce < ecce + hoc in-
cluded, possessed in Old French forms that preserved an ini-
tial i, developed from the first syllable of the ecce, so that we
find icist, icil, and ice not infrequently used instead of the
much more common cist, cil, and ce. In regard to the i-forms,
two questions might well be raised. First, how extensive was
the use of the i-forms in Old French? In the second place,
was there any difference in meaning or syntax between cist, cil,
and ce and icist, icil, and ice?
1. EXTENT OF USE OF I-FORMS.
It is impossible to make a statement of any degree of pre-
cision about the relative frequency of the occurrence of the
simple and the i-forms, since an examination of the texts shows
that the Old French writers allowed themselves a great deal
of individual liberty in the choice of longer or shorter forms.
In some texts, such as the Roland, Ille et Galeron, the Con-
quête de Constantinople, and the first part of the Rose, the long-
er forms are frequent; in others they are hardly used at all.
And, again, one author will be found using with predilection
certain i-forms, while another, living and writing at the same
time, will make use of an altogether different set. However,
there are some characteristics, common to all writers of the
same period, that admit of classification. In texts of the
eleventh and twelfth centuries and the first third of the thir-
teenth, cist, cil and ce (the first two both as pronouns and ad-
jectives) are used, as a rule, from ten to fifty times as fre-
quently as forms of icist, icil, and ice, and there is very slight
107
108
Cist and Cil.
if any, change noticeable in this proportion throughout that
period. When we come to the middle of the thirteenth century,
there is a change, as is proved by data from the Roman de la
Rose and the poems of Rutebeuf. Guillaume de Lorris, writ-
ing the first 4669 lines of the Rose about 1237, employs in
them nineteen i-forms derived from ecce + iste and ecce+
ille, and one hundred and fifty-six simple forms derived from
the same etyma. Ice occurs in the same number of lines four
times, while the simple ce is used more than fifty times. In
the second part of the same work, consisting of 18,000 lines
and written about 1277, Jean de Meung uses countless simple
forms. On the other hand, icist does not occur, icil only six
times, and ice three. Rutebeuf wrote his poems during the
forty years that intervened between the composition of the two
parts of the Rose, and in his use of the demonstrative i-forms
we find a stage of transition between the usage of Guillaume
de Lorris and that of Jean de Meung. Rutebeuf uses icil
both as pronoun and as adjective, as do both authors of the
Rose, but icist occurs only as an adjective, and as such only four
times. Forms of icil and ice are employed twelve times among
hundreds of simple forms. From these statistics it is seen that
the i-forms began to fall into disuse in the thirteenth century.
By the middle of this century, icist was no longer used as a
pronoun, and by the year 1300 it was no longer in use even as
an adjective. Further, there was a gradual decrease in the
use of icil and ice during the last two-thirds of the thirtenth
century.
The process of gradual elimination of the longer forms
which, we have seen, took place in the thirteenth century con-
tinued throughout the two following centuries. I have found
no examples of icist in those of my texts that were composed
between 1300 and 1500. Forms of icil occur sporadically.
Joinville, in the first seven hundred paragraphs of the Histoire
de Saint Louis, uses the following forms, each once: icil, icelui,
and icelle.146 Only cil, cist, and ce are found in Froissart.
148 Joinv., 247, 477, 128.
Gist and Cil.
109
Christine de Pisan uses very rarely the i-forms.147 No i-forms
occur in Charles d'Orléans, or in the collection of Chansons
du XV Siècle, or in the Recueil Général des Sotties. Villon
uses iceluy twice, icelles four times, and ice once148
2. DIFFERENTIATION OF I-FORMS AND SIMPLE FORMS.
Having discussed the extent of the use of the i-forms, let us
take up the second question; namely, the consideration of the
meaning and the syntax of icist, icil, and ice. A comparison
of the longer and shorter forms in examples from a wide range
of texts shows that there is no difference in meaning; icist and
icil have the same inherent forces that have been noted in
treating the simple cist and cil. There are, however, certain
peculiarities of position that repeat themselves so often, when
the i-forms are used, that conclusions in regard to several rules
which must have been quite universally felt, if not always
observed, are forced upon us.
a. In Poetry-I-Forms at Beginning of Line and after or
before Caesura.
In the first place, it is seen that in Old French poetry about
seventy-five per cent. of all the i-forms that are used stand
either at the immediate beginning of the verse or as near to
it as a preposition,149 or a conjunction, 150 or a preposition and
a conjunction, standing at the beginning of the line, will allow.
Forment l'enquiert a toz ses menestrels:
Icil respondent que neuls d'els nel set,
Cil vait, sil quiert, mais il nel set choisir,
Icel saint ome de cui l'imagene dist,
Alex., LXV.
•
Ibid., XXXV.
147 C. Pis. L. E., 1933, yceulx.
148 Villon, 45, 607; 97, 1669; 44, 574; 44, 581; 65, 1067; 98, 1752; 65,
1061.
149 Such as à, après, de, dès, en, par, por, puis.
150 Such as car, et, mais, que, si.
110
Cist and Cil.
Alquant le prenent fortment a blastengier:
"Iceste chose nos deusses noncier,"
Devers sei l'at tornet, si la baisat treis feiz.
Icele fut bien cointe, et il dist que corteis,
Uns dus i est, si ad nun Falsaron,
Icil ert frere al rei Marsiliun,
Icele noit n'unt unkes escalguaite,
Icez eschieles bien les vunt ajustant,
Icist ferunt nos Franceis grant irur,
Iço vus mandet reis Marsilius li ber,
Icestes qui ce faire suelent
Heent si tost com eles voelent,
Icelui retient a son oés,
Icelle gens s'est el monstier entrée,
Icist malades m'ocirra, si lui loist,
Ice service me fist, foi que doi voz,
Ice voz voil je dire,
Icil quatre la dame amoënt,
Ices deus ars tint Dous-Regars,
Icestui bien voil que tu aies,
Richece ot une porpre robe,
Ice ne tenés mie à lobe,
Icil por son cors sostenir,
Porta aucune garison,
Icist dui firent deus biaus cous,
Mais si ne dis proprement où
Ycelles passent tous les iours,
Ice m'ont deux dames apris,
1
Ibid., LXIV.
Karls R., 715-716.
Rol., 1213-1214.
Ibid., 2495.
Ibid., 3024.
Ibid., 1023.
Ibid., 125.
Ille, 1295-1296.
Ibid., 2401.
Am. et Am., 2156.
Ibid., 2358.
Ibid., 1214.
Ibid., 250.
M. Fce., 173, 41.
Rose, I, 30.
Ibid., 87.
Ibid., 35.
Ruteb., 238, 719-721.
Ibid., 37, 88.
Villon, 65, 1066-1069.
Ibid., 65, 1061.
Cist and Cil.
111
The examples just cited are representative.151
Frequent is the appearance of an i-form after a preposition
that stands at the beginning of a verse. Less often it is a con-
junction, or occasionally a conjunction + a preposition, that
precedes the i-form.
A icel mot l'emperere est muntez,
A icest colp est li esturs vencuz,
A icel jor que congié prist,
Rol., 2457.
Ibid., 3930.
Tile, 5430.
Après iceste altre avisun sunjat,
Rol., 725.
Après icelle li vient altre avisun
Ibid., 2555.
Après icels en ad bien altretanz,
Après ice n'i voi je plus,
Damz Alexis en lodet Deu del ciel
D'icez 152
sons sers cui il est almosniers,
D'iceste onour nem revueil encombrer,
D'icele geme qued iluec ont trovede,
Ibid., 3198.
Mer., 976.
Alex., XXV.
Ibid., XXXVIII.
Ibid., LXXVI.
151 For other examples that contain i-forms standing at the immediate
beginning of the verse, compare:
Rol., 430, 460, 880, 1707, 1823, 1892, 1905, 1920, 1959, 2282, 2498,
2938, 3054, 3057, 3796.
Ille, 124, 481, 688, 817, 902, 1120, 1457, 1890, 1895, 2177, 2289, 2414,
2609, 2839, 3009, 3440, 3757, 3825, 3875, 4020, 4050, 4060, 4230,
4252, 4385, 4474, 3773, 4898, 4904, 5087, 5223, 5251, 5258, 5625,
6255, 6380.
Am. et Am., 64, 231, 2089, 2109, 3283.
Ch. lyon, 1038, 2872, 5274, 6292.
Rou, I, 464; II, 1065, 1353, 2694.
M. Fce., 52, 295; 61, 181; 80, 152; 94, 203; 136, 333; 137, 349; 179,
233; 192, 201; 196, 300.
Mer., 240, 980, 1152.
Rose, I, 9, 30, 32, 34, 54, 72, 86, 252.
Ruteb., 7, 127; 97, 44; 114, 26; 148, 189; 160, 720; 213, 294.
152 In all of the examples I have found, both in poetry and in prose,
of an i-form preceded by de, the e of the preposition is elided before the
following i.
112
and Cil.
Cist E
惑
​i
D'icelles si n'est qui ne queure,
Villon, 44, 581.
Dès icele ore qu'il nasquirent,
Rose, 11, 289.
En icest siecle nen at parfaite amour,
Alex., XIV.
En iceste maniere,
Am. et Am., 2787.
En iceli tens deliteus,
Rose, I, 4.
Par icel Diu qui tout crea,
Par iceli Dieu qui ne ment,
Puis icel tems que Deus nos vint salver,
Selonc ice qu'il t'ert conté,
Ille, 3200.
Rose, I, 283.
Alex., III.
Ille, 4179.
These examples also are representative of many others of
the same nature that might be cited. 153
Car icel gent si font lor vis
Amegrir,
Rose, I, 15.
Et icil li at dit: "Or chevalchiez avant,”
Karls R., 280.
Et icelles qui s'enclinoient,
Villon, 96, 1752.
Mais icil qui vient devers destre
L'ataint
Por moi qui ai non Rustebuef,
Que iceste Dame saintisme
Prit celui cui ele est amie
Que il Rustebuef n'oblit mie,
153
Compare:
Ille, 1657.
Ruteb., 251, 1291-1296.
Alex., LXII, LXVI, CVI, CVII, CXXV.
Alex., LXII, LXVI, CVI, CVII, CXXV.
Rol., 664, 990, 1180, 1480, 1677, 1884, 1911, 1939, 1988, 1998, 2008,
2054, 3021, 3365, 3379, 3530, 3621.
Ille, 1431, 4343, 4745, 6200.
Am. et Am., 45, 208, 768, 1531, 3266.
Rose, I, 324; 2, 378.
Cist and Cil.
113
S'iceste acorde ne volez otrier,
E d'icel bien qui toz deust tons estre,
Rol., 475.
Alex., LXXXIV.
Et por ice que je m'en duel,
Et por ice meismement,
Ille, 5260.
Rose, II, 106.
After the caesura, a
The second fact that presents itself to our attention with
reference to i-forms in the line is that they often stand either
after or before a caesura of the verse.
preposition, a conjunction, or both, may precede the i-form,
just as at the beginning of the verse. In twelve syllable verses
there is regularly a principal caesura after the sixth foot,
dividing the line into two equal hemitichs. If the line contains
ten syllables, the principal caesura is more often after the fourth
foot, as generally in the Roland. As for eight syllable lines,
it is difficult to claim a real caesura, but in all the examples
containing eight syllables that are cited below there seems to
be at least a slight caesura of sense standing now after the
fourth foot, now after the third or the fifth.
N'estuet somondre icels qui l'ont odit,
Com il vit la chaiere, icele part s'aprochet,
"Ci at merveillos gap," iço at dit l'escolte,
Alex., CII.
Karls R., 119.
Ibid., 576.
Ço dist Turpins:
"Icist nos ert forsfaiz,"
Rol., 1393.
Poi s'en estoerstrent d'icels ki sunt iloec,
Ibid., 3632.
XXX en i ad d'icels ki sunt pendut,
Ibid., 3958.
Mout lor font mal icil de Rome,
Ille, 6064.
Ja s'ocesist en icele eure,
Avons nos hui iceste perte,
Amis ausiz, icil ne puet finer
D'euls conjoïr et dou fort honorer,
Ibid., 6386.
Ibid., 4930.
Am. et Am., 3225.
114
Cist and Cil.
Ne me tenez a surquidiee,
se vos os faire icest present,
Il nen a joie en icest mund,
Se vos n'estes a icel jor,
Pasmez s'est, mes d'icelui lieu
Ne se meüst,
Icis venirs, icis alers
Icis veilliers, icis parlers,
Font as amans sous lor drapiaus
Durement ameigrir lor piaus,
Encor me dist icil preudon,
Et si donoit en tel maniere
Que meix valoit la bele chiere
Qu'il fesoit an doner le don
Que li dons. Icist bons preudon
Preudome crut,
Or savoient icez noveles
Trois, sanz plus, de ses damoiseles,
Puis reconvient iceus morir,
M. Fce., 4, 54-55.
Ibid., 149, 84.
Ch. lyon, 2577.
Mer., 5000.
Rose, 1, 83.
Ruteb., 146, 103.
Ibid., 76, 79-83.
Ibid., 263, 563-564.
Rose, II, 168.
Se d'amer t'estrange & reboute
Le barat d'icelles nommées,
Villon, 44, 573-574.
Si out d'icels ki les chies unt perduz,
Rol., 2094.
Et tout içou ra en celui
Et ce fait ele entendre a lui,
Ille, 906-907.
Que miauz vaut icil, qui conquist
Vostre seignor,
E tuz icels escumenjout,
Ch. lyon, 1705.
Qu'est-ice, où estoie-gié?
M. Fce., 14, 242.
Rose, I, 81.
These examples, in which an i-form of the demonstrative
Cist and Cil.
115
occurs either after or before a caesura of the line, under con-
ditions mentioned above, might be multiplied.154
In the two following cases, and in these only, I have found
i-forms standing at the end of the verse:
Rome en laissai et iceli
Por cui pitiés m'a recoelli,
Mes la fiance prent d'icels,
Ille, 4869-4870.
M. Fce., 205, 905.
b. In Prose-I-Forms at Beginning of Sentence or
Word-group.
So far in the treatment of the i-forms, citations have been
made, and conclusions drawn, almost exclusively from Old
French poetry. It will be of interest to see whether prose
monuments offer any data that can furnish additional informa-
tion on this subject. In the L. Rois, the i-forms occur about
as frequently as they do in the poetry of the last half of the
twelfth century. In the first two books, they are used thirty-
one times. In all but three of these thirty-one cases, the i-
forms stand either immediately at the beginning of a sentence
or word-group before which there is a natural pause, sometimes
slight, in the pronunciation, or after a preposition or a conjunc-
tion that begins the sentence or word-group.
Icist fiz Deu ad eud dous muillers,
Iço oïrent ces d'Israel,
L. Rois, I, I.
Ibid., II, III
154 In addition to these examples cited above, see:
Alex., LXI.
Rol., 1082, 2423, 3339, 3343, 3540, 3653, 3829, 3977.
Ille, 1513, 2418, 2653, 3616, 3902, 4127, 4174, 4600, 4796, 5257, 5550,
5779, 6447.
Ch. lyon, 1258.
M. Fce., 119, 163; 189, 91.
Mer., 5227, 5404.
Rose, 1, 7, 30, 58.
Ruteb., 125, 113; 149, 217; 168, 199; 222, 656; 253, 77.
116
Cist and Cil.
E si tu le me ceiles, icel mal vienge sur tei que Deu ad parlé de mei,
Bien ai oï iço que li poples te ad dit,
Ibid., I, III.
Ibid., I, VIII.
Tis pères ad défendu que nuls ne majuce ... e ad maldit forment
iceli ki mangerad,
Ibid., I, XIV.
Atant s'en turnerent ices de Ciph devant Saül,
Ibid., I, XXIII.
Cum iço oïd Saül forment se curuçad,
Ibid., I, XI.
D'iço k'il i truverent ço que lur plout pristrent e enportèrent,
Ibid., I, XVII.
le usage de cest païs a icest cuntemple,"
155
Ibid., I, XII.
The three cases in the first two books of the L. Rois in which
an i-form seems to stand in an unusual position are the follow-
ing:
E Fenenna iço li turna a repruce,
E de lui receut icest respuns,
Li reis Saül iço requist,
Rois, I, I.
Ibid., I, VIII.
Ibid., I, XXIV.
In the prose sections of Aucassin and Nicolette, an i-form
is used only once:
. .
et de mesaises. fcil vont en paradis,
Auc., 6, 32.
Villehardouin uses icil and icist only in the positions al-
ready indicated. The following are representative examples:
Icestui convenant volons-nos que vos asseurez alsi,
Villeh., XXXIX, 188.
. . .Toldres li Ascres. Icil si tenoit la guerre contre les Franz,
Ibid., LXIX, 313.
Endementiers que il ala parler as contes et as barons, icele partie
dont vos avez oï arrieres,
parlerent as messages,
Ibid., XVII, 81.
155 For additional examples of i-forms in the L. Rois, see I—I, II, VI, IX,
X, XI, XIII, XV, XX, X, XIII, XXV, XXVIII; II-III, XI, II, XVI,
XXIV.
Cist and Cil.
117
Des saintuaires ne covient mie à parler; que autant en avoit-il à ice
jor en la vile cum el remanant dou monde,
En icel termine,
A icel tens,
Ibid., XL, 192.
Ibid., LXVIII, 309.
Ibid., LXXIV, 333.
Joinville, as already stated, employs the i-forms very rarely.
I cite the following cases which are the only ones I have found
in the Histoire de Saint Louis:
et l'endemain nous nous trouvames devant icelle meisme montaigne,
Joinv., 128.
car l'on me dist, icil qui bien savoient son couvine, que .
Ibid., 247.
Et li enfes en leva une, d'icelui saige home qui ainsi les avoit en-
seigniez,
Ibid., 477.
The examples of icist, icil, and ice that I have cited on the
last few pages, from monuments in verse and prose alike,
prove incontestably that these forms were, as a rule, employed
in only those positions that have been noted. The truth of
the fact that their use was confined to those positions is con-
firmed by the uniformity of treatment that is seen to exist in
all authors. There are exceptions, it is true, but their number
is so small that they can be regarded only as exceptions. There
is virtually the same usage in prose and in poetry. To say
that an i-form stands at the beginning of a sentence or word-
group is practically equivalent to saying that it stands at the
beginning of a verse or after a caesura.
It is not to be inferred from what has been said in regard
to the positions of the i-forms in the sentence or verse, that
only i-forms are used in these places. The much more
common shorter forms, cist, cil, and ce, may, and do, stand in
any position in the line or sentence and in all constructions.
LIFE.
I was born in Waldoboro, Maine, January 6, 1880; was
prepared for college at the High School, Framingham, Massa-
chusetts; entered Amherst College in 1897, and graduated in
1901 with the degree of A. B. The summer of 1901 I spent
in Paris. In October of the same year, I entered the Johns
Hopkins University, to devote my attention to the study of
French as a principal subject, of Italian and Spanish as sub-
ordinate subjects. After two years work in Baltimore, I went
abroad in May, 1903, and remained until September, 1904.
During this time I worked on my dissertation at the Biblio-
thèque Nationale and attended lectures on French Philology
at the Sorbonne in Paris. I then returned to Baltimore and
did further work at the Johns Hopkins during the academic
year 1904-1905, holding for that period the Fellowship of the
Romance Department.
While at the Johns Hopkins I followed lectures by Professors
Elliott, Armstrong, Marden, Ogden, Warren, and Drs. Brush,
Shaw, and Keidel, all of whom I thank for the great assistance
they afforded me in guiding my university work. To Pro-
fessor Elliott and Mr. Armstrong I am particularly indebted;
to the former for what he so generously and courteously gave
me from his abundant fund of high-minded manliness, of broad
knowledge of Romance subjects, and of inspiring enthusiasm;
to the latter for the living example of an accurate, judicious
scholarship. Without that example, together with helpful
suggestions and an untiring encouragement on the part of Mr.
Armstrong, the present work would never have been under-
taken, could never have been completed.
CHARLES E. MATHEWS.
:
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 07371 7772