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Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds français 758

[Part 1]

General information

Folios447
LanguageLanguage object (44)
Approx. date?1400 to 1450
Date notesBased on the script: Northern textualis with box 'a', exclusive use of round 's' in final position and abundant use of (decorative) hairlines. This appears to be a 15th-c. rendering of textualis script.
Place(s) of production{unspecified}
Arthurian Fiction Database (based on Stones).
First words of second recto folio[f. 2ra] que le roy descoche auoit fait crier / en illande vng tournoiement
First words of last recto folio[f. 447ra] ie viurai Car ie men iray auecq(ue)s / vous et vserai le remana(n)t de ma / vie en lermitage [...]
Incipit[f. 1ra] Le co(m)menchement de che liure chi a este tire du grant liure de tristan et chi ensieuant mis / en brief terme pour che quil eust este trop long a escripre et co(m)menche ainsi quil senssieut EN ceste p(ar)ti dist li co(n)tes / que qua(n)t euist / serui le roy de farmo(n)t / c(er)tain espasse de temps / le fille du roy le vit bel enffant et sage / et auena(n)t en toutes choses si len ?? ... ?? a / tant quelle ne pooit auoir repos / ne nuit ne iour Et porta asses lon / guement ceste doleur quelle ne(n) sauoit / co(m)me(n)t faire [...]
Explicit[f. 447ra] [...] Si fine ichi / son liure si vraieme(n)t que apres / che ne(n) porroit nuls conter qui / ne(n) mentist de toutes choses Chi fenist la destructions / des cheualiers de la table reonde / le boin roi artus de la grant / bretaigne

Material

Material:Material object (4)
Watermark:
Condition:Good quality vellum, with few holes (e.g. f. 32) and stitches (e.g. ff. 28 and 43). Stains (e.g. ff. 23 and 25)

Structure

Collation:

14 2-98 103 [part 2] 118 126 13-188 192

Quire structure:The first quire is a quire of four leaves. This was probably originally a quaternion with four flyleaves, one of which remains, at the beginning of the manuscript. The main body consists of regular quaternions. The final quire of the first section of this part of the copy (ff. 69-71) is an irregular quire of four leaves. The section between ff. 72 and 382 forms the original 13th-c. manuscript. The final section of the codex (ff. 383-447) is again part of the 15th-c. addition. The final quire (ff. 446-7) is a binion.
Quire marks:MSQuiremarkDisposition object (43)
Catchwords:
Catchword disposition:MSCatchwordDisposition object (15)

Physical description

General description:This transcription was added to complete an older 13th-c. copy which either had lost quires at the beginning and the end or was incomplete to start with. Given that there is no frontispiece for the 13th-c. part of the manuscript which starts with a regular pen-decorated initial (height: 2 lines) and the copy ends at the beginning of a chapter, the former is probably the case.
General illustration:
General decoration:The text is structured by means of puzzle initials (height: 3-4 lines) in red and blue ink. Further subdivisions are indicated by plain initials (height: 2 lines) in red ink, which is also used to highlight letters in the text (e.g. to mark the beginning of a clause or direct speech) and simple line-filling devices.
Evidence of readership:f. 447: scribble in the bottom margin.
Foliations description:Modern foliation in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto. The roman numeral at the top of f. 447r ('iiij xlii ??ff??') may refer to an original count of folios which, however, skipped five folios.

Mise en page

Description 1
Page sampledf. 3r
LayoutMSLayout object (3)
Page dimensions313x235 (mm)
Justification222x146 (mm)
Columns2
20mm between columns
Column ruling present in Colours object (5) (RulingMaterials object (1) )
Lines38
Line ruling present in Colours object (5) (RulingMaterials object (1) )
RubricationUsed for puzzle initials and plain initials, to highlight letters in the text and for simple line-filling devices.
Writing above top line?False
Sample page layout:

Hand(s)

Level of Execution:Execution object (4)
ScriptScript object (4)
Folio rangeFrom f. 1ra to f. 71vb
Datec. 1400 to 1450
Scribe description:Northern textualis with double-compartment 'a' the upper compartment of which is closed (box-'a'). Exclusive use of round 's' in final position. Use of 'v' in initial position. Profuse use of hairlines (at the end of the horizontal stroke of 't', straight 'r'). Unusual fusions of round 'r' and 'd' with box 'a'. Few abbreviations which include 's'-like apostrophe, nasal bar also used for 'q(ue)', and 'p' with crossed descender.
Notes