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Gervase of Tilbury, learned administrator and jurist of the Emperor Otto IV, presented in his encyclopedic ›Otia imperialia‹ (early 13th century) numerous marvellous phenomena or events, classifying them as natural, but not comprehensible facts or as white or black (i. e. demonic) magic or as divine miracles, but all of them as absolutely true and testified by good authorities, in contrast to the lies of the mimi et histriones. This view of things must be accepted by us as the usual and valid one among medieval scholars and connoisseurs of literature and may explain the widespread contemporary misunderstanding of purely fictional romances (like Chrétien's) which are not concerned with reality at all. It is only a slight exaggeration to say: The medieval audience expected - apart from fables and allegories - true or made-up facts, nothing but facts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]