
La terrible et m[erveil]leuse vie de Robe[rt le] diable Nouvellement Imprimee a Paris.
¶ Cy commence la terrible & merveilleuse vie de Robert le diable / lequel aprés fust nommé l'homme Dieu.
¶ La declaration du nom de Robert le diable.
¶ Comme aprés que le Duc de Normandie eut espousé la fille du duc de Bourgongne l'emmena triumphamment a rouen.
¶ Comme le Duc en venant de l'esbat se complaignoit a la duchesse de ce qu'ilz ne pouoient avoir enfant.
¶ Comme Robert le diable fut engendré. Et comme sa mere le donna au diable a son concepvement.
¶ Comme robert le diable fut né et de la grand douleur que sa mere eut a l'enfantement.
¶ Des terribles signes qui furent ouys et veuz au naissement de Robert le diable.
¶ Comme les enfans tous d'un commun accord le nommerent Robert le diable.
¶ Comme Robert le diable tua son maistre.
A richly textured medieval chronicle opens with a reverent voice that invokes the Virgin Mary and Saint Augustine, framing the tale as both a prayer and a moral guide. From the very first lines we meet a newborn in Normandy, ominously named Robert le Diable, whose very name hints at a destiny that will straddle wonder and dread. The narrator’s solemn tone sets the stage for a story where faith, fate, and feudal ambition intertwine.
The early chapters follow the powerful Duke Hubert, a celebrated noble whose court gathers at a festive Christmas in Vernon. Amid the pageantry and counsel of barons, the duke confronts a delicate marriage proposal that could secure his lineage and elevate his standing. These events weave a vivid picture of Norman aristocracy, chivalric duty, and the looming shadows that will shape Robert’s remarkable yet perilous journey. Listeners are invited into a world where holy devotion and worldly power clash, hinting at the extraordinary path that lies ahead.
Language
fr
Duration
~1 hours (95K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Laurent Vogel (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr)
Release date
2007-10-02
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Some of the world’s most enduring books come from writers whose names were never recorded or never revealed. “Anonymous” on a title page can mean many different things: a lost identity, a deliberate choice, or a work shaped by tradition over time.
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