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Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds français 687

Part 1

General information

Folios264
Folio notes:The larger part of the first folio has been torn. The modern foliation was not added until after this folio was lost. Consequently, the first folio has not been foliated. I will refer to it as folio 0.
LanguageLanguage object (3)
Approx. date?1400 to 1450
Date notesJung 1996, 347 has fifteenth century. The script and decoration suggest an earlier rather than a later date in that century.
Place(s) of productionFrance
Jung 1996, 347. The decoration (blue and gilt initials) possibly resembles that of the manuscript owned by the Duke of Berry and manufactured c. 1400.
First words of second recto folio[f. 2r] Sont plantiues et Arousees lun des fleuues appelle lescripture Region Et nous le / clamons beuil en plus(ieure)s langaiges [...]
First words of last recto folio[f. 263r] prison . Lors sen fuy alixandres qui de la bataille eschappa et se mist au / fort chastel alixandrin [...]
Incipit[f. 0r] [torn; (parts of) the last 13 lines of the folio remain]
Explicit[f. 263r] [...] Et adonques qua(n)t pompeius fu uenus en / la cite de Ro(m)me fure(n)t si t(res)toutes les grans batailles (et) les g(ra)ns guerres / abaissies . si(com)e eutropius raco(n)te quij nen estoit nulle quj gra(m)ment / fu greuable par tout le monde . En lan quil ot tout droitement .vjc. (et) .xiiij. ans que la cite de Ro(m)me auoit este fondee (et) estoree / ajais pour ce q(ue) jay encore fait peu de mencion de julius cesar . / Je uous en co(m)menceray cy ap(re)s second salute et lucan

Material

Material:Material object (4)
Watermark:na
Condition:Generally fair quality vellum, some holes (e.g. f. 39, f. 50) and stitches, occasionally also in the writing space (e.g. f. 122, f. 132, f. 135, f. 201, f. 254), in good condition. Some stains (e.g. f. 4, f. 5) and folds (especially in the first folios)

Structure

Collation:

1-138 146 15-288 295 30-338 346

Quire structure:Most of the quires in the manuscript are regular quaternions, except for quires 14 (a sexternion), 29 (an irregular quinion in which a change of hand occurs at f. 225v) and the last quire which together with the pastedown forms a quire of six folios.
Quire marks:MSQuiremarkDisposition object (21)
Catchwords:
Catchword disposition:MSCatchwordDisposition object (9)
MSCatchwordDisposition object (10)

Physical description

General illustration:The major part of the first folio, possibly with an opening miniature or historiated initial, has been torn. Part of the j-border in blue, red and goldleaf remains.
General decoration:The text is structured by pen-flourished initials (height: 2 lines) alternatingly blue with red flourishings and gilt with blue flourishings. Major subdivisions or important parts of the text are marked by pen-flourished puzzle initials (height: 3 to 5 lines), which do not always coincide with the conventional subdivisions of the 'Histoire ancienne'. There is an increased interest in the Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar II and Ahasverus, the conception of Alexander by Neptanabus, the conquests of Rome and most importantly the confrontation between Rome and Macedonia, which, apart from the torn first folio, is the only page decorated with a j-border.
Evidence of readership:f. 1r: old shelfmarks 'R 7134 (2)' 'baluz 133' . f. 263v: in a contemporary hand 'Cent escuz tous les jours de rente / viure en seante mille ans ou plus / La belle dame soubz la tante / que resteroit il au sourplus / paradis pour estre recluz / apres le trespas de la mort / pour ung beau souhat je cencluz / que sest pour faire gros s?l/s?ot'.
Foliations description:Modern foliation in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto.

Mise en page

Description 1Horizontal throughlines at the top and bottom of the justification.
Page sampledf. 122r
LayoutNone
Page dimensions310x232 (mm)
Justification233x150 (mm)
Columns1
namm between columns
Lines39
Line ruling present in Colours object (5) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
RubricationRed ink is used for pen-decorated initials, rubricated tituli, to highlight letters in the text, for strikethrough and for simple line-filling devices.
Writing above top line?False
Sample page layout:

Hand(s)

Level of Execution:Execution object (4)
ScriptScript object (9)
Folio rangeFrom f. 0r to f. 225v
Date?1400 to 1450
Scribe description:
NotesThe rubricated chapter titles have been written in a Northern littera textualis, probably by the scribe since this hand also changes at the shift of the hand which is copying the main text.

Level of Execution:Execution object (4)
ScriptScript object (9)
Folio rangeFrom f. 225v to f. 263r
Date?1400 to 1450
Scribe description:The orientation of this hand is clearly more cursive. The tituli have been noted in a smaller script.
NotesThe rubricated chapter titles have been written in a Northern littera textualis, probably by the sc ribe since this hand also changes at the shift of the hand which is copying the main text.