Francois Villon

 The Four Important Lines Of Francois Villon

Francois Villon was a medieval French post. He was involved in robbery, brawling, and theft. Francois was sentenced to death by hanging because he killed a priest in 1455. While he was in prison he wrote a book called Ballade Des Pendus. Francois wrote this book before he was hanged. He wrote a couple of lines in French that caught the attention of many readers. Those same lines in English were, “ o brother men who live, though we are gone, let not your hearts be harden at the view, for if you pity us you gaze upon, god is more like to show you mercy too, pray then to god that he forgive us all.” Francois wrote these lines with the intention of telling people that even after doing an awful thing to an individual, its always going to come back to mind.

            These same lines were used at the beginning of Truman Capotes book ‘In Cold Blood’. I believe Capotes’ reason for putting these lines at the beginning of his book, was to give readers a head start or a thought of what his book was going towards. From what I have read in the book, these lines probably mean that the person who killed the Clutters, In Cold Blood, will remember what he/she did and have regrets, grief, and bitterness in him/her for what he/she had done to the innocent family. So much that he/she will need to ask god for forgiveness for the severe criminal he/she has committed.