Egerton MS 2709

From the printed Catalogue of Additional manuscripts (1894):

'Le Canarian, a History of the Conquest of the Canary Islands by Gadifer de la Sale et Jehan de Bethencourt, cheualiers. nez du royaume de France," in 1402-1404, written by " Frere Pierre Boutier, Moyne de Saint Jouyn de Marnes, et Monsieur Jehan le Verrier, prebstres, chappellains et seruiteurs des cheualiers desus nommes." The text differs widely from that of the printed editions, the first of which appeared at Paris, ed. P. Bergeron, in 1630. The latter text (B) is taken from a MS., said to be unique, written about 1482 and in the possession of descendants of Bethencourt (see the introductions to the editions of R. H. Major, London, 1872, and G. Gravier, Rouen, 1874). The main difference between the two MSS. is the greater prominence here given to Gadifer de la Sale, who in the B text is not named at all in the preface and is throughout made subordinate to Bethencourt, many of his actions and speeches, as here narrated, being assigned to the latter. The B text moreover, though generally fuller, omits the complaints here made of Bethencourt, more especially for his having begged the sovereignty of the Canaries from the king of Castile " sans faire mencion de son compaignon Gadifer " (f. 16 b), and for his neglect, when in Spain, to succour La Sale until his own return to the islands on 19 Apr. 1404, " enuiron deux ans apres quil nous deuoit auoir secouru de gens et de vitaillez " (f. 31 b). The present MS., amongst other matter, omits chapters lx., lxii. (ed. Gravier, pp. 103, 108), relating to disputes between Bethencourt and De la Sale. A leaf has been cut out after f. 32 (op. cit. p. 111); and the text ends at the bottom of f. 36 b with ch. lxxi. (p..135), concluding the description of the islands. It is probable therefore that this MS., which is written generally in the first person and not, like the B text, in the third, represents the work in its original form (see preface), the remainder of the B text being written subsequently, when the work was recast more distinctly in Bethencourt's interest. That it was earlier than the B text receives support from the omission in the latter of a passage " Nous auons deux papez, dont nous tenons a lun et les Romains a lautre," etc. (f. 29 b), which refers to the fifty years' schism ended in 1429. Vellum; f.f. 36. With illuminated initials. At the beginning of the text (f. 2) is a nearly full-page miniature representing a ship crowded with armed men. The flags at the masthead and at the prow and stern, as well as two of the shields, bear the arms of La Sale, or La Salle, viz.: arg., three hurts in bend. The arms of Bethencourt do not appear; but there is a second flag at the stern, on which the arms in the first and fourth quarters have been erased. Circ. 1420-1430. Quarto.'