Add MS 41322

PROSE WORKS, in French:-

(1) A translation of Egidio Colonna's 'De regimine principum' made at the request of Philip IV of France (to whom the Latin work was dedicated before his accession) by Henri de Gauchi, Canon of St Martin's, Liége, for whom see Hist. Litt. de la France, xx, pp. 168 sqq.; xxx, pp. 525 sqq., 620. Other copies in the Department are Royal MS. 15 E. vi, f. 327, Harley MS. 4385 and Add. MS. 22274; for some further MSS. see Hist. Litt., loc. cit. Printed, from a MS. belonging to J. E. Kerr of New York, by S. P. Molenaer, Li Livres du Gouvernement des rois, 1899. In lib. iii, ch. xxiii is not translated, but instead there is a reference back to the Latin original. Dedication beg. 'A sen especial segneur ne de lingnie roial'. Text beg. (f. 2) 'Li philosofes dist que la parole dou sage homme'. Colophon (f. 160b) 'Cifine liliures dugouuemement des rois et des princes que frere Gille de roume de lordre saint augustin afait lequel liure maistre henri de gauchi par le commandement le noble roi de france atranlate de latin en francois. Deo gratia'. ff. 1-160b.

(2) 'Ci coumence auctor et reus qui enseigne coument li demanderres et li desfenderres se doiuent contenir emplait': a tract on procedure, in the form of pleadings in an imaginary action brought by one clerk, 'Guillaume', against another, 'Pierre', for ejection from the prebend of a church dedicated to St Nicholas. Apparently unpublished. The author refers frequently to the Codex, the Digest, the Decretum, the Decretals, etc. Begins 'Autans gregoire lapostoile empetra vns clers'. Ends (f. 184b) 'Et ce que nous auons dit en cest liure qui est apelez auctor et reus des exceptions et des duplications et des triplications et des cauillations vous sousife (sic; altered from soucice) quant aore'. Colophon 'Ei (sic) fenist cis liures qui est apelez auctor et reus qui ensaigne coument onse doit contenir v[n] plait de crestiente. et en court laie ausint'. ff. 162-184b. Vellum; ff. iii+ 184. 10 in. x 7 in. Early xiv cent. Written in France. Double columns of 34 lines. Gatherings of eight leaves (xvii, xx has 8 cancelled, xxiii, 1 and 9 cancelled). Gatherings i-vi are numbered on the last leaf, the remainder mostly have catchwords. Sec. fol. 'pas metre'. Three coarsely executed miniatures and one historiated initial, the subjects of which are:-(1) The author or translator offering his book to the King. f. 1;-

(2) A doctor teaching. f. 13b;-(3) A doctor instructing the King. f. 45;-

(4) Two disputants before a judge. f. 162. Initials in red and blue, flourished. Contemporary binding of wooden boards. The following inscriptions concerning ownership occur:-(1) 'Apparten. a - Rousseau' (15th cent.). f. 161 ;-(2) 'Che liure est a mesr. Jeh. de trazeg. sr. dirchonwez [Jean de Trazegnies, Seigneur d'Irchonwelz, afterw. Baron de Trazegnies et de Silly, Prince de Rognons, Hereditary Seneschal of Liége; see Biogr. Nat. de Belgique, xxv,coll. 561-562, and cf. Delisle, Cabinet des Manuscrits, ii, p. 419] et lacheta a mons. [Mons, in Belgium] a Robert aualleur de vin, en septembre lxx[1470]', f. 44b;-(3) 'Venu de la vendue du feu sieur de Sepmeries d[e] son viuant Chastelain de la ville dath', i.e. Robert de Trazegnies, Seigneur de Semeries, Châtelain of Ath, Hainault, 1565-1580, grandson of the above Jean de Trazegnies (Biogr. Nat., col. 583). f. 1. The arms of the Trazegnies family (bendy of six, or and az., over all an 'ombre de lion' within a bordure engrailed gu.; cf. Palliot, La Vraye Science des Armories, 1664, p. 479) occur on two metal shields used to secure the thongs of the clasps (which are now missing). The same arms, or possibly those of the Rousseau family (bendy of six, az. and or), have been painted on the fore-edge of the MS. Later belonged to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (bookstamp on f. 1). The number '273' on f. iib may be an old press-mark. Inserted at the beginning (f. i) is a letter from John Caley, the antiquary, to Henry Ellis, 22 Apr. 1829, concerning the contents of the MS.