I have observed one, a romance in verse
called Macaire (Altfranzosische Gedichte aus Venez. Handschriften,
von Adolf Mussafia, Wien, 1864), the language of which is not unlike
this jargon of Rustician's, e.g.: -
"'Dama,' fait-il, 'molto me poso merviler
De ves enfant quant le fi batecer
De un signo qe le vi sor la spal'a droiturer
Qe non ait nul se no filz d'inperer.'" - (p. 41)
[6] As examples of such Orientalisms: Bonus, "ebony," and calamanz,
"pencases," seem to represent the Persian abnus and kalamdan; the dead
are mourned by les meres et les Araines, the Harems; in speaking
of the land of the Ismaelites or Assassins, called Mulhete, i.e. the
Arabic Mulahidah, "Heretics," he explains this term as meaning "des
Aram" (Haram, "the reprobate"). Speaking of the Viceroys of
Chinese Provinces, we are told that they rendered their accounts
yearly to the Safators of the Great Kaan. This is certainly an
Oriental word. Sir H. Rawlinson has suggested that it stands for
dafatir ("registers or public books"), pl. of daftar. This seems
probable, and in that case the true reading may have been dafators.
[7] Luces du Gast, one of the first of these, introduces himself thus: -
"Je Luces, Chevaliers et Sires du Chastel du Gast, voisins prochain de
Salebieres, comme chevaliers amoureus enprens a translater du Latin en
Francois une partie de cette estoire, non mie pour ce que je sache
gramment de Francois, ainz apartient plus ma langue et ma parleure a
la maniere de l'Engleterre que a celle de France, comme cel qui fu en
Engleterre nez, mais tele est ma volentez et mon proposement, que je
en langue francoise le translaterai." (Hist.
