Add MS 39843

LA SAINTE ABBAYE, and other religious treatises, in French, originally a part of the same volume as Add. MS. 28162, which contains La Somme le Roy. The contents are :-

(1) Treatise without title, beg. " La sainte abbaie et la religion doit estre fondee esperituelment," ends " et einsi sera labbaie ordenee et renformee comme deuant." Other copies of this work are in Add. MSS. 20697, f. 29 (imperfect), 29986, f. 149 b (with several variants), and Brussels, Royal Library, MS. 2304 (old no. 9555-8), ff. 151-4; see Paul Meyer, in Bulletin de la Soc. des anc. Textes français, 1912, p. 52, no. 11

Add. MS. 29986 and the Brussels MS. have the rubric " Le liure du Cloistre de lame que Hue de Saint Victor fist " (" que fist Hue de Saint Victor " in the Brussels MS.), and the latter is stated in the catalogue to be an abridged translation of the De Claustro Animae (Migne, Patr. Lat. clxxvi. 1017-1182) but the connexion between the two works, if it exists, is very slight. f. 2 ;-

(2) Treatise on the Love of God, etc., written in reply to a request for comfort of the soul, without title, beg. " Vous vouliez que ie vous enuoiaisse chose qui confortast uostre ame. mes ie fais le contraire. car ie vous enuoi mes greuances," ends " a cele parfaite conioncion desperit ou ciel Ihesu Criz li filz deu qui uiuit et regnat deus per omnia secula seculorum Amen." Identical with Royal MS. 20 B. iii, ff. 1-27 b, except that the last chapter, beg. " Fluminis impetus letificat ciuitatem dei. I1 dist que vne riuiere bruianz esleesce la cite de deu " (f. 28) is not in the Royal MS. Another copy is in Paris, Bibl. Mazarine, MS. 788, f. 49^vo. f. 7 ;-

(3) Treatise on the state of the soul, with title " Ci commence li liures de lestat de lame," beg. " Trois estaz de bones ames sunt," ends " et auoir parfaite ioie en la vision de sa face parmanablement sanz fin Amen." Other copies are in Paris, Bibl. Nat., MS. fr. 940, f. 169, and apparently Bibl. Nat. MS. fr. 939, f. 93^vo, and Bibl. de l'Arsenal, MS. 2058, f. 87, although there are differences in these last. f. 28 b;-

(4) Anonymous translation of the Tractatus de Tribulatione, doubtfully ascribed to Peter of Blois (Migne, Patr. Lat. ccvii. 989], beg. " Da nobis domine auxilium de tribulatione. A toi ame liuree aus temptacions et aus tribulacions," ends " or di donques a ton deu Da nobis domine " etc., followed (f. 81 b) by a summary of the contents, beg. " En cest liure sunt contenu li seruice et li bien que font tribulacions a creature. Premierement les tribulacions sunt aussi comme uns secours que dex enuoie a home et a femme contre les ioies " etc., ends " Li douziemes si est que eles te tesmoignent a auoir lamour de ton creatour." Other copies, without the summary, are in Royal MS. 16 E. xii, f. 84; Paris, Bibl. Nat., MSS. fr. 1802, art. 5, 1830, art. 1, 1865, art. 3 (f. 87); Bibl. de l'Arsenal, MS. 2058, f. 69, Bibl. Mazarine, MS. 788, f. 20^vo. See Paul Meyer, in Bulletin de la Soc. des anc. Textes français, 1912, p. 51, no. 9 ; cf. ibid., 1884, pp. 74-5 ;1894, p. 65. f. 53. Vellum; ff. ii + 1* + 82. 10 in. x 7 l/4 in. Circ. A.D. 1300. Executed in France. Double columns of 28 lines. Gatherings of 8 leaves (2 single leaves at beginning; vii¹², viii¹²; last two leaves of ix cancelled; ff. 6, 29, 52 supernumerary to the gatherings). See. fol. " -siterres." With four full-page miniatures, the first three of which are of extraordinary beauty and delicacy, and are unsurpassed as examples of French art of the period; the fourth is by another

artist, who appears to have been responsible for the miniatures in Add. MS. 28162, and is one of the miniatures missing from that portion (see below). The subjects of the four miniatures, which are fully described by Dr. 31. R. James iii Vol. i of Mr. Yates Thompson's Catalogue, are :- (1) The ideal state of the " Sainte Abbaye." f. 1 b ;- (2) Mass attended by officials of the " Sainte Abbaye " ; a procession in lower compartment (another illustration to art. 1). f. 6 b;- (3) The " states of good souls," viz. Penitence. Devotion, Contemplation (illustrating art.3). f.29;- (4)Christ teaching the Lord's Prayer. f.52b. This belongs to the Somme le Roy; it should follow f. 3 and precede f. 2* (misbound) of Add. MS. 28162 [ = no. vi of the list of subjects from Paris, B.N., MS. fr. 938 printed in L. Delisle, Recherches sur la Librarie de Charles V, Vol. i, p. 238. The four miniatures still wanting to complete the series are nos. ii, iv, v, xiv of the above list, viz. :- The Apostles draw up the Creed, inspired by the Holy Ghost ; the Last Judgement ; the trees of the mystic garden watered by the seven virgins; Chastity, Luxury, Holofernes, Joseph and Potiphar's wife]. Illuminated initials to the various divisions of the text, those of artt. 1-3 of exceptional delicacy. The signature " Jacques ", 16th cent., occurs (ff. 1, 6, 29, 52) as in 28162 ; this owner has not been identified. Subsequent owners of the whole were " P. Ponin, presbitere," 16th cent. (Add. MS. 28162, f. 2); " Peyrat," 17th cent. (ibid. ff. 1, 146) ; Dr. Demons, early 19th cent. (who is said by Comte Bastard to have been responsible for separating the two portions, see . 5 of a note by M. Delisle preserved inside the cover of 28162) ; Comte A. de Bastard (28162 f. 1 ; Peintures et Ornements des Manuscripts, Pl. 251 bis, ter. ; Études de symbolique chrétienne, 1861, pp. 183-187, where the statement is quoted, p. 185 note 1, that the MS. belonged to the monastery of Poissy ; this appears impossible to verify), and apparently [Joseph] Barrois, Deputy for the Département du Nord (Didot sale-cat., 1879, p. 92). The present portion, only, belonged. to Ambroise Firmin-Didot (sale-cat., 1879, lot 36 ; bought in), and Mr. H. Yates Thompson (Catalogue Vol. i, no. 40 ; Illustrations, i, Pl. vi-ix 1; sale-cat., 1919, lot 3). See also Burlington Fine Arts Club, Exhibition of Illum. MSS., 1908, no. 140, Pl. 95. For a page in colour see Schools of Illumination, v, Pl. 14.