▁adm itting ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁a ▁legend ary ▁element , ▁regard ▁the ▁book ▁as ▁of ▁considerable ▁value ▁for ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁Norm ans . ▁ ▁Although ▁D udo ▁was ▁acquaint ed ▁with ▁Vir g il ▁( A ene id ) ▁and ▁other ▁Latin ▁writers , ▁his ▁Latin ▁is ▁affected ▁and ▁obsc ure . ▁The ▁Historia , ▁which ▁is ▁written ▁altern ately ▁in ▁pro se ▁and ▁in ▁verse ▁of ▁several ▁metres , ▁is ▁divided ▁into ▁four ▁parts , ▁and ▁de als ▁with ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁Norm ans ▁from ▁ 8 5 2 ▁to ▁the ▁death ▁of ▁Duke ▁Richard ▁in ▁ 9 9 6 . ▁It ▁gl or ifies ▁the ▁Norm ans , ▁and ▁was ▁largely ▁used ▁by ▁William ▁of ▁J umi è ges , ▁W ace , ▁Robert ▁of ▁Tor ign i , ▁William ▁of ▁Po it iers ▁and ▁Hugh ▁of ▁Fle ury ▁in ▁compiling ▁their ▁chron icles . ▁ ▁More ▁recently , ▁Le ah ▁Sh op kow ▁has ▁argued ▁that ▁Carol ing ian ▁writing , ▁particularly ▁two ▁sain ts ' ▁lives , ▁the ▁nin th - century ▁V ita ▁S . ▁Germ ani ▁by ▁He ir ic ▁of ▁A ux er re ▁and ▁the ▁early ▁t enth - century ▁V ita ▁S . ▁Lam ber ti ▁by ▁Stephen ▁of ▁Li ège , ▁provided ▁models ▁for ▁D udo ' s ▁work . ▁ ▁The ▁work ▁was ▁first ▁published ▁by ▁André ▁Duch es ne ▁in ▁his ▁Historia e ▁Norm ann orum ▁script ores ▁anti qui , ▁at ▁Paris ▁in ▁ 1 6 1