[f. 290ra] estora il qil noma toutes de son non . /
Incipit
[f. 1ra] NOS trouons por escripture . / Qe hercules outre nature . /
Explicit
[f. 290ra] La grant ystoire (et) la plus maire / De celui roi qe uainqi daire / Ai ci finee an roman . / janus pois le tans adan / non fu ta(n)t larg ne ta(n)t cortois / duc ne p(ri)nce ne co(n)t ne rois . / Ne nen sera iusqe ala fin . / De se serai ge tout deuin. //
Material
Material:
Material object (4)
Watermark:
Condition:
Medium to high quality vellum, sometimes rigid, some holes and stitches. The manuscript is generally in good condition, some stains, some instances where the ink has faded (e.g. f. 186).
Structure
Collation:
1-308 3110 32-368
Quire structure:
36 quires; quaternions, except quire 31 which is a quinion allowing the ending of the Roman de Troie to coincide with the ending of a quire (Jung 1996, 194). Based on the distribution of texts over quires, divergent quire structure and blank folios at the end of quires, the manuscript can be divided in five booklets or libelli: (ff. 1-16, quires 1-2) Hercules, Histoire ancienne (Greeks and Amazons); (ff. 17-80, quires 3-10) Liber Catonis, Regimine familie, Consolation de Philosophie, Passion, Secret des secrets, Dits des sages, History of Kings up to Romulus; (ff. 81-250, quires 11-31) Roman de Troie; (ff. 251-266, quires 32-33) Histoire ancienne (Eneas), Histoire ancienne (Rome I, up to the death of Romulus); (ff. 267r-290r, quires 34-36) Hector et Landomata, Histoire ancienne (Alexandre). This does not mean, however, that the manuscript is not the product of a carefully considered plan.
Numerous historiated initials (height: 2-8 lines). The eye of the letters have been filled with portraits. Some miniatures (e.g. full-height portrait f. 29v
General decoration:
Fairly uniform decorative programme alternating between pen-flourished (height: 2-3 lines) and clearly Italian historiated initials (height: 2-8 lines). Paragraph signs in the border (e.g. Liber catonis) or body (e.g. Regimine familie) of some texts. The structuring rationale of decorative elements is particular to each of the texts in the collection. The decoration and rubrication of the Histoire ancienne sections of the manuscript has not been completed, except for the Aeneas/Romulus part (ff. 251r-266v).
Evidence of readership:
On f. 190va, a manicula points towards the verselines 'mais au garder ce mest ains . / Pris puet lan tost auoir oqis'. Both lines have been marked by a coloured paragraph sign. On f. 194va, another manicula highlights 'Qi loiaum(en)t san uiaut garder.'
Foliations description:
Modern foliation in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto.
Mise en page
Description 1
Number of lines varies between 42-45. Changes in layout depend primarily on the text (prose/verse, but also number of lines, column-width and justification). Differences even between prose texts following each other in the same booklet (whether or not they are copied in different quires).
Mise en page ff. 1-12v (Hercules)
Page sampled
1r
Layout
MSLayout object (4)
Page dimensions
364x264 (mm)
Justification
280x190 (mm)
Columns
29mm between columns
Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Mise en page ff. 61r-66r (Secret des Secrets). The part of the text copied in the following quire has the same number of lines (42) as the Dits des sages which is also in this quire.
Page sampled
61r
Layout
MSLayout object (3)
Page dimensions
364x264 (mm)
Justification
275x185 (mm)
Columns
213mm between columns
Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Decorations and rubrics not completed. Directions in the margins (e.g. f. 270r).
Writing above top line?
False
Sample page layout:
Hand(s)
Level of Execution:
Execution object (4)
Script
Script object (1)
Folio range
From 1ra to 290ra
Date
c. 1300 to 1325
Scribe description:
Southern textualis (very round 'h'), praescissus characteristics (especially long 's').
Notes
Provenance
Description
'Au f. 290v une inscription, partiellement érasée, et qui paraît être du XVe siècle, signale un ancien possesseur. CROSS, Landomata, p. 22-23, et PALERMO, Hector et Hercule, p. 23, ne font que transcrire Paulin Paris, qui avait lu: Hic liber est Johanely de Mudda poete doctissime parochiae sancte Marie Podiensis. Je lirais plutôt: Iste liber est Johannely de Midda [Medda ?] Vercellana [?] parocie Sancte Marie ...' (Jung: 1996, 196). Jung leaves out one word after 'midda'. The inscription appears to read 'Iste liber est Johanelly de midda . porte v(er)cellane p(ar)ochie s(anc)te marie podens'.
Date
?1400 to 1499
Place
Place object (1)
Ownership
Person object (8)
Description
'Bibliothèque des ducs de Milan au château de Pavie, inventaires de 1426 et 1489. L'entrée de la Consignatio librorum de 1426 est la suivante:
GESTA HERCULIS ET PLURIUM ALIORUM AC TROIANI [sic], in gallico rithimo, voluminis satis magni et grossi, coperti corio rubeo veteri. - Incipiunt: Nos trovons per escriture, et finiuntur: la stoire secont (voir A. THOMAS, dans Romania, 40, 1911, 581, numéro 22).
On notera que malgré la victoire d'Hector sur Hercule dans le premier texte du manuscrit, l'inventaire ne retient que les 'gesta Herculis', et que seuls les 'Troiani' ont été jugés dignes de figurer dans l'intitulé de l'inventaire.' (Jung: 1996, 196)