Charles du Fresne du Cange

Charles du Fresne du Cange (1610-88), French scholar, born in Amiens, and educated in law. He later devoted himself to philology, history, and linguistics. Among his works are Histoire de l'empire de Constantinople sous les empereurs français (History of the Empire of Constantinople at the Time of the French Emperors, 1657) and two pioneering glossaries, Glossarium ad Scriptores Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (Dictionary of Medieval and Late Latin, 1678) and Glossarium ad Scriptores Mediæ et Infimæ Græcitatis (Dictionary of Medieval and Late Greek, 1688). The glossaries, showing the historical development of medieval Latin and Greek, were accepted as standard texts for two centuries.