Longus (2nd century AD), about whom nothing is known, wrote the most famous of the five surviving Greek romances: Daphnis and Chloe. It is a typical example of the pastoral romance genre: the goatherd Daphnis and the shepherdess Chloe, both abandoned at birth, fall in love, face various trials separately, and reunite after being recognized by their parents.

Jacques Amyot's translation (1559), reproduced here, has been the standard version of the text since its publication. It is lyrical and poetic without being overblown. The impetus for publication was not the 150-year-old translation, but the involvement of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and regent for his cousin Louis XV from 1715 to 1723 (the period known as La Régence or Regency). Philippe was an avid painter and engraver and had painted an extensive cycle of illustrations from Daphnis and Chloe. He selected some of these (according to his notes in a rather splendid copy described by Brunet) to be engraved and included in the work. The edition is therefore known as “l'édition du Régent”. The final engraving – showing the entwined feet of lovers in heat and hence known as “Petits pieds” – present in many but not all copies, was engraved by the Comte de Caylus (1728).