BASSELIN, Olivier, an old French poet or writer of verses, was born in the Val-de-Vire in Normandy about the middle of the 14th century, and died about 1418 or 1419. He was by occupation a fuller and had a mill on the small river Vire. His songs were sprightly and joyous, and became famous. The modern Vaudevilles take their origin and name from them, and were originally called Vaux-de-Vire, vaux being the plural of vat; though, according to Ménage, the word is derived from a small town Vaux near the Vire. Basselin’s poems were collected and published in the 16th. century by Jean le Houx, and have since been re-edited by Μ. Asselin in 1811, and by Μ. Travers in 1833. The latest edition, that by P. L. Jacob, 1858, contains some other poems in addition to those of Basselin.