Add MS 36614

1. PERCEVAL le Gallois, or the Conte du Graal, a poem left unfinished by Chrestien de Troyes, and continued by various writers; in about 32000 octosyllabic lines. French. f. 4. Begins with the usual prologue " Qui petit seimme petit queut," etc., in 66 lines (see Perceval le Gallois, ed. Ch. Potvin, Soc. des Bibliophiles Belges, Mons, 1865-1872, vol. ii. p. 307); omitting the preliminary " Élucidation de l'histoire du Graal" with which the Mons MS. begins (ib. ii. p. 1). This is followed by the 'beginning of the narrative (" En la terre de Gale estoient," etc.), corresponding. to ll. 485-1282 of the Mons text, and not found by Potvin in any other MS. (see vol. vi. p. lxx.). The text agrees, on the whole, with that of the Mons MS. (,see especially f. 87, and op. cit. iii. p. 47), but with many variations, e.g., the present MS. omits (f. 43, col. 2, f. 174 b, col. 2) ll. 5101-5304, 22885-23278 (op. cit. ii. p. 171, iv.p. 93), and contains (ff. 149-151, 166) two additions of considerable length (op. cit. iv. pp. 5, 343, 60)-agreeing in these cases with the Montpellierr MS. In many other passages the agreement is substantial rather than textual. The passage in which the first of Chrestien's continuators names himself is on f. 261 b, col. 2:-

Gauciers de donaing qui lestoire Nos a mise auant en memoire." The poem ends: " En tin cendal si le reporte Et Perceval se reconforte." f. 271. This answers to 11. 34933-4 of the Mons text. Berne MS. 113 also ends here (op. cit. v. p. 150, vi. p. lxxx.); and M. Gaston Paris regards this as the end of the continuation by Gauciers (see Hist. Litt. de la France, vol. xxx. p. 28). A fuller description will be given in vol. iii. of the Catalogue of Romances; see vol. i. p. 395, for a notice of an Icelandic version.

2. Life of St. Mary of Egypt; in about 1350 octosyllabic lines. French. f. 271 b. Wanting two leaves after f. 281 (about 240 lines). Begins: Tot li home et totes les femes Qui uuelent prendre penitance." Ends: Car mult demena aspre uie Puis [a?] deu se fu conuertie. Explicit." f. 282 b. Although beginning and ending are different, this is the same life as that printed by M. Cooke, R. Grossetete Carmina Anglo- Normannica (Caxton Soc., 1852), p. 62, and extant in several MSS. (see Notice8 et Extraits, vol. xxxv. pt. ii. p. 492). Vellum; ff. 282, in double columns (except f. 11, an inserted leaf) of 30 to 32 lines. XIII. cent. An illuminated initial on f. 4; initials in red and blue throughout. An ivory panel, representing the death of Jacob, which had been inserted in the binding, is now in the Department of British and Mediaeval Antiquities. Formerly Barrois MS. I in the Ashburnham Library (sale-cat. 1901, lot 463). 12 1/8 in. x 8 in.