FELIBRIGE, 'I e'brizle. An association founded at the Chftteau of Fontskgugne. near Avignon. on May 21, 1854, and organized in its present. form at Avignon on May 21, 1876. Its purpose is stated in the first article of its eon stitntbm: "to bring together and to encourage those who by their writings preserve the language of the land of tic, and also those scholars and lutists who study and work in the interest of this region." The langur d'oe, so called because of the word for 'yes.' or. has never ceased to be spoken in a multitude of dialects all over the south of and it is estimated that to-day s ten millions of persons know and use this language in one or another of its forms. No literature of any real value or importance was written in Provencal from the middle of the fourteenth cen tury to the beginning of the nineteenth, but the language never entirely died out as a written language. Joseph Roumanille, born in 1818, at Saint-Remy near Avignon, first conceived the idea of purifying and perfecting the dialect of his own Surrounding himself with a few enthusiastic friends, he strove to systematize its grammar and orthography, and, above all, to pro duce works of genuine poetic value that should speak to the hearts and souls of the humbler Classes in the lower Rhone Valley as no poems in French could ever do. He himself wrote several volumes of verse, and in 1852 edited a collection of Provençal poems by various authors, called Li Prourenralo.
These works form the starting-point of a re markable linguistic and literary revival. The ex ample set by Roumanille fired the imagination of a young friend and pupil of his, destined to be come a poet of genius and power, Frederic Mis tral, who forthwith devoted his life to the cause.
The names of the seven poets who met at Font segug,ne are Joseph Roumanille, Frederic Mistral, Theodore Aubanel, Eugene Garcin, Ansel me Mathieu, Paul Giera, and Alphonse Tavan. In 1868 Garcin published a violent attack upon the Felibres (Bookmakers), as the members of this association styled themselves, accusing them of disloyalty to France, calling them secessionists.
The name of Jean Brunet was therefore substi tuted for that of Garcin in the official list of the founders.
The word Felibre was furnished by Mistral, who had found it in an old canticle, wherein Jesus is referred to as disputing with the seven Felibres of the law.
Besides the task of pruning and purifying the dialect, the Felibres had to create a public for their works. To this end they set about pub lishing an annual called the Armana Prourenran, which began with an edition of a few hundred copies, and has now reached a circulation of many thousands. In 1859 Mistral published his first long narrative poem, "Mireio" ("Mireille"), which met with very great success. being praised in the most glowing terms by Lamartine, so that the Provencal Renaissance became known to the literary circles of Paris, and soon to the world in general. From this time on the output of verse in Provencal steadily increased: scores, nay, hun dreds of writers appeared, and to-day the bibliog raphy of the Felibrean literature fills a large volume.
The movement speedily found adherents, not only in southern France. but even in Spain. where the Catalan poets established Floral Games in 1859, and were soon recognized as brothers by the Felibres. In 1867 the distinguished Catalan poet and patriot Victor Balaguer was received with enthusiasm at Avignon and elsewhere, and on his return home sent the Felibres a silver cup, which has become the sacred emblem of the asso ciation and which, at the annual Felibrean ban quets after the song is intoned, passes from hand to hand.
In 1876 the formal organization was effected. There is a consistory of fifty members called Majoraux, which elects its own members; the consistory is presided over by the Capoulie. All the Felibres are divided into the three Mainte nances of Provence, Languedoc. and Aquitaine.