Renan's words to La Borderie about the latter's ignorance of Breton are well known: "This must have often hindered you in your work." Judging by the scope of the great Breton historian's research, we can at least say that he was not sufficiently convinced of this embarrassment to feel he had to learn the language. But was La Borderie an exception in his day? Without attempting a detailed examination here, it can be argued that the vast majority of those who dealt with the history of Brittany in the 19th century did not know Breton. While they renewed the history of Brittany in many essential respects, their knowledge of the language was no better than that of their predecessors under the Ancien Régime.