Assag

The assag is a rite of the Courtly love preached by the Troubadours like supreme test of fine' amor (“ truth amour ”) and that the lady imposed on its amant : the two in love ones slept naked with naked without toucher.
The word comes from the Occitan assag or ensag , which means “ essai ”.

Antecedents

Already, among Arabs, the refusal to appease the desire seemed the most delicate means to perpetuate it. Ibn Dawûd said ainsi : “ Oh not, accomplished steps your promise to like me, for fear comes the oubli ! … ”

The courteous rite

With the Troubadours, it becomes a fundamental law of the joy of amor (“ joy of amour ”, the word joy being male in Occitan). Thus, Cercamon (1135-1145) dit : “ Nothing makes me more desire Than an object which always me échappe ” ; and Matfre Ermengau (fine XIII^e, XIV^e beginning) : “ The pleasure of this love is destroyed when the desire finds its rassasiement ” . This joy of amor almost always has due a woman, and as an aim the love him-même ; it is at the same time pleasure of being in love and wish to perpetuate the desire, as among Arabs, and is exalté by the reserve which the lady imposes on its amant : “ No one cannot be assured to triumph over the love, if it is not subjected in all to its volonté ” , known as for example Guillaume IX of Poitiers.
The allegiance of sighing for its lady leads it to subject it to a épreuve : “ My lady puts to me with the test and in which own way I test me to know it aime ” , known as still Guillaume IX of Poitiers. This test, the assag , becomes in XIII^e century the heroic test of kept chastity “ with the lit ” , “ naked with nu ” ( nudus cum nuda ) : if the lover yields to the desire, it is the proof that he did not like a fine ' amor . Thus, the assag is a technique of the joy which the gives fine' amor , this Courtly love free from any procreation.

Fancies and béguines

The assag is found at the Béguines and the fancies of saint François d' Assise as of XIII^e century. Thus, in the Book of the opinions of the Toulouse Enquiry ( Liber of Sententiarum Inquisitionis Tholosonæ ), one reads the deposition of a certain Guillaume Roux, according to whom fancies or Béguines could not be declared virtuous “ unless being able to remain lying naked with naked in a bed, without however making the act charnel ” ( nisi is posed ponere nudus cum nuda in uno lecto and tamen not perficerent actum carnalem ).

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