arron_ _larron_ _larrons_
latronis_
(O. Fr.
_lierre_)
_senior, _seignor_ _seignor_ _seignors_
senioris_
(O. Fr.
_sendre_)
(sire)

Thus we read in the beginning of Joinville's History:--

_A son bon signour Looys, Jehans sires de Joinville salut et amour;_

and immediately afterwards, _Chiers sire_, not _Chiers seigneur_.

If we compare this old French declension with the grammar of modern
French, we find that the accusative or the oblique form has become the
only recognized form, both in the singular and plural. Hence--

[Corone] [Ans] [Flors] [Chantere] le
chantre.
Corone An Flor Chanteor le
chanteur.
[Corones] [An] [Flors] [Chanteor].
Corones Ans Flors Chanteors.

A few traces only of the old system remain in such words as _fils_,
_bras_, _Charles_, _Jacques_, etc.

Not less curious than the changes of form are the changes of meaning which
have taken place in the French language since the days of Joinville. Thus,
_la viande_, which now only means meat, is used by Joinville in its
original and more general sense of _victuals_, the Latin _vivenda_. For
instance (p. 248 D), "_Et nous requeismes que en nous donnast la viande_,"
"And we asked that one might give us something to eat." And soon after,
"_Les viandes que il nous donnerent, ce furent begniet de fourmaiges qui
estoient roti au soliel, pour ce que li ver n'i venissent, et oef dur __
cuit de quatre jours ou de cinc_," "And the viands which they gave us were
cheese-cakes roasted in the sun, that the worms might not get at them, and
hard eggs boiled four or five days ago."

_Payer_, to pay, is still used in its original sense of pacifying or
satisfying, the Latin _pacare_. Thus a priest who has received from his
bishop an explanation of some difficulty and other ghostly comfort "_se
tint bin pour paie_" (p. 34 C), he "considered himself well satisfied."
When the King objected to certain words in the oath which he had to take,
Joinville says that he does not know how the oath was finally arranged,
but he adds, "_Li amiral se tindrent lien apaie_," "The admirals
considered themselves satisfied" (p. 242 C). The same word, however, is
likewise used in the usual sense of paying.

_Noise_, a word which has almost disappeared from modern French, occurs
several times in Joinville; and we can watch in different passages the
growt