title: The Oxford History of the French Revolution
author:  William Doyle 
description: <br><em>About the Author</em>:<br> <strong>William Doyle</strong> is Professor of History and Chairman of the School of History at the University of Bristol. He is the author of <em>Origins of the French Revolution</em>.<br>
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  # Sir Nigel
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Arthur Conan Doyle
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### INTRODUCTION
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  Dame History is so austere a lady that if one, has been so
  
  
  ill-advised as to take a liberty with her, one should hasten to
  
  
  make amends by repentance and confession. Events have been
  
  
  transposed to the extent of some few months in this narrative in
  
  
  order to preserve the continuity and evenness of the story. I
  
  
  hope so small a divergence may seem a venial error after so many
  
  
  centuries. For the rest, it is as accurate as a good deal of
  
  
  research and hard work could make it.
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  The matter of diction is always a question of taste and discretion
  
  
  in a historical reproduction. In the year 1350 the upper classes
  
  
  still spoke Norman-French, though they were just beginning to
  
  
  condescend to English. The lower classes spoke the English of the
  
  
  original Piers Plowman text, which would be considerably more
  
  
  obsc