Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds français 1628

[Part 1]

General information

Folios	274
Language	Language object (46)
Approx. date	?1250 to 1300
Date notes	Cigni 2012, 264. This is confirmed by the script (double-compartment 'a' with open upper compartment; straight 's' and round 's' in final position).
Place(s) of production	Northern France Cigni 2012, 264. The linguistic features (use of 'lou') may point towards an Eastern localisation.
First words of second recto folio	[f. 2ra] uie madame fet il m(ou)lt / b(ie)n . la deu m(er)ci . (et) li uostre /
First words of last recto folio	[f. 274ra] vie . que ge puisse celui / liure mener afin . Ge en /
Incipit	[f. 1ra] A / N ceste partie deuise / lestoire dou saint graal que apres celui ?? an q(ue) ?? la / granz queste fu ampro / se an la maison lou roi artus ensui (com) uos auo(n)s / la deuise [...]
Explicit	[f. 274ra] vie . que ge puisse celui / liure mener afin . Ge en / droit moi . merci m(ou)lt le roi henri mon seignor . / de ce . quil loe . cestui mi / en liure . (et) de ce . quil li / don ?? ... ?? pris . En la fin de / cestui mien liure . mer / ci ge nostre seignor le / creator del ciell . (et) de la / terre . de ce quil ma do / ne pooir (et) force de fi / ner le liure del bret / Explicit cest romanz /

Material

Material:	Material object (4)
Watermark:
Condition:	Lower quality vellum with many large holes (e.g. ff. 49, 107, 123, 141, 151, 183, and 233) and stitches (e.g. ff. 27, 29, 43, 49, and 203), also in the writing space. Instances in which the edge of the skin coincides with the edge of the folio (e.g. ff. 72, 98, 99, 217, and 218). The first and final folios are worn. Between ff. 34 and 35, 50 and 51, 58 and 59, 66 and 67 are large stains (oxidation?) between quires. Lacunae between ff. 10 and 11, 12 and 13, 15 and 16, 101 and 102, 184 and 85 (at least two folios have been torn out); possibly also between ff. 202 and 205.

Structure

Collation:	1⁸2⁴3⁶4-11⁸12⁴13⁸14⁷15⁶16⁸17⁴18-24⁸25⁷26³27-28⁸29⁴30-37⁸38⁵
Quire structure:	1: ff. 1-8; 2: ff. 9-12; 3: ff. 13-18; 4: 11. 19-26; 5: ff. 27-34; 6: ff. 35-42; 7: ff. 43-50; 8: ff. 51-58; 9: ff. 59-66; 10: ff. 67-74; 11: ff. 75-82; 12: ff. 83-86; 13: ff. 87-94; 14: ff. 95-101; 15: ff. 102-07; 16: ff. 108-15; 17: ff. 116-19; 18: ff. 120-27; 19: ff. 128-35; 20: ff. 136-43; 21: ff. 144-51; 22: ff. 152-59; 23: ff. 160-67; 24: ff. 168-75; 25: ff. 176-82; 26: ff. 183-85; 27: ff. 186-93; 28: ff. 194-201; 29: ff. 202-05; 30: ff. 206-13; 31: ff. 214-21; 32: ff. 222-29; 33: ff. 230-37; 34: ff. 238-45; 35: ff. 246-53; 36: ff. 254-61; 37: ff. 262-69; 38: 270-74.
Quire marks:	MSQuiremarkDisposition object (21)
Catchwords:
Catchword disposition:	MSCatchwordDisposition object (16)

Physical description

General description:	Folio 107: the transcription stops mid-sentence causing a textual lacuna between ff. 107 and 108. Possibly the scribe hesitated because of the large hole in the b-column (however, a similar hole in the a-column did not stop him). There is a change of scribe at this point. Folio 183vb: the transcription ends about one third into the column. The catchword, however, indicates that the following quire connects seamlessly. There is a change of scribe.
General illustration:
General decoration:	The manuscript opens with a large puzzle initial (height: 9 lines) in red and blue. Large subdivisions are marked by smaller puzzle initials (height: 3-6 lines) with pen flourishings in red and blue ink. The text is further subdivided by plain initials (height: 2 lines) in red ink with blue flourishings. Some blue initials with red flourishings (as from f. 51 alternating blue and red initials; as from f. 152: only red initials without decoration; between ff. 168 and 182 many of the initials are not executed; as from f. 183, pen-decorated initials alternating between blue and red). In the first folios of the manuscript (ff. 5 and 6, verse section; also f. 118) someone has added paragraph signs in the margins, which are highlighted with red ink. In the verse section, the majuscule letters at the beginning of the verseline are also marked with dashes of rubric. Simple line-filling devices in red ink.
Evidence of readership:	Folio 1r: old shelfmarks '?De la mare 283' and 'Reg 7630.3'. Annotation in the upper margin (first line(s) trimmed 'ne fere sonrepere') and in the outer margin (illegible). Folio 34r: outer margin, annotation (14th c.?), partly trimmed 'Ce liure iene [...] / guisse br[...] / ?? ... ?? qui la [...] / blera ?? ... ?? / sera a tou [...] / oi poi e no [...] / ?? ... ?? / me de sun / jeha(n) b??u??e?? / ce lum u / .ccc. lx ??s??'. Folio 49r: annotation in the upper margin 'Jo??.??s est ass(??...??) par deu??.?? honor??h??ome'. Folio 96r: annotation in the upper margin (14th-15th c.) 'Omnib(us) adde modum mod(us) est pulcherima virtus?? re(??m??)'; annotation in the lower margin 'J??he?? duz de'. Folio 136r: annotation in the upper margin 'mat(er) dicit puero / ??t??a mat(er) ??...??'. Folio 144r: annotation in the upper margin (illegible). Folio 151v: annotation in the upper margin 'gaudemus omnes in d(o)m(in)o'. Folio 198r: annotation in the intermargin (15th c?) '??.??n aui tristan se fut ung peu rassur / il mect le prem?? ... ?? la main a lespee (et) sa?? ... ??. Folio 199r: annotation in the intermargin. Folio 200r: annotation in the outer margin: 'Messire catheluj et laiguere [...] / [...]goute [...] faict / [...]'. Folio 209r: annotation in the upper margin (copy of the first words of the a-column) 'manieres quil se saur'; in the intermargin 'sai bien'. Folio 211v: annotation in the upper margin (copy of the first words of the a-column) 'monde (et) la p'. Folio 231v: in the lower margin: alphabet, abbreviations and fusions; followed by the first lines of the Pater Noster 'Pater noster qui est [in] / selis sanctificetur' 'en [...] / voluntas'. Folio 273v: 15th c. 'Ce prese(ns) liure est a moy Jehan(n)e Jardinelle / demeura(n)s deual sainct michel' (Brittany?). Folio 274r: annotations : 'ex domine ne in furrore / sire jofroi'; 14th c.: 'Ces romans est Guillemin beau petit cui dex gart' / 'Cis roumans est Guillemin biaul petit' / 'Cis roumans est Guillemin biaul petit' / .Cis roumans est Guillem ??...??. / 'Guillemins biaus petiz doit Sire jaque son frere .vi. souz bonnes ??jes?? (et).' Other marks of ownership: 'Cilz roumanz est Jeh ?? ... ??'; 'Cest liure est pour colin de ??audexvay??' (f. 274v).
Foliations description:	Modern foliation in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto.

Mise en page

Description 1
Page sampled	f. 222r
Layout	MSLayout object (3)
Page dimensions	268x190 (mm)
Justification	198x138 (mm)
Columns	2 19mm between columns Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Lines	32 Line ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Rubrication	Red ink is used for decorated initials and occasionally also to highlight paragraph marks and majuscules (verse intermezzo).
Writing above top line?	False
Sample page layout:

Hand(s)

Level of Execution:	None
Script	None
Folio range	From to
Date	None
Scribe description:	Multiple hands. Changes of scribe between ff. 107 and 108; between ff. 183 and 184.
Notes