Royal MS 19 A XX

'LE LIVRE de linformacion des princes' : translated from the Latin tract De administratione principum, of doubtful authorship, compiled in honour of the prince who was afterwards Louis X, copies of which are in 12 B. XVIII and 12 D. XV, art. 2 (see above). The suggestion in the latter MS. of a bishop of Beauvais as author may either refer to Jean de Marigny (1312-1347) or may be merely a mistake for the Archbishop of Bourges (i. e. Egidio Colonna, 1298-1316, the author of the De regimine principum, from which the work is mainly extracted). The authorship of the translation is also uncertain, but in a Paris MS., Bibl. Nat., fonds fr. 1209, it is said to have been done for Charles V (1364-1380) by the Carmelite Jehan Golein or Goulain. Other copies are in Add. MS. 17366, where it is said to have been 'compilé par un frere de l'ordre de saint Dominique, maistre en theologie', and at Paris, Bibl. Nat., fonds fr. 126, 579, 581, 1210, 1211, 1213 (see P. Paris, Les MSS. François, i, p. 223, v, p. 65). Printed in 1516 as Le mirouer, exemplaire el tresfructueuse instruction selon la compilation de Gilles de Romme . . . du Regime et Gouvernement des Roys. For a different translation see below, 19 B. I. It must not be confused with Henri de Gauchi's translation of the original work of Egidio Colonna, copies of which are in 15 E. VI, art. 11, and elsewhere. A table of chapters precedes each of the four books. Prologue beg. 'Regnabit rex et sapiens erit &c.: Le glorieux prophete Iheremie'; bk. i (f. 4), 'Pour declarer la matere de ce premier chapitre'; bk. iv ends 'par linfinite siecle des siecles. amen. amen' Colophon, 'Stephanus fortis clericus scripsit hunc librum anno 1395'.

Vellum; ff. 152. 12 in. x 81/4 in. A. D. 1395. Gatherings (beg, f. 2) of 8 leaves (last⁷), with catchwords. Sec. fol. 'est neccessaire'. One illuminated initial border and miniature (rubbed); other initials flourished in blue and red or lake and violet. The miniature represents a king enthroned in council. The throne is fleur-de-lisé and the background chequy of gold and purple. On f. 2 is also the erased inscription of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1446), 'Mon bien mondain Gloucestre Au duc'. At the end (f. 152 b) is in a 15th cent. hand 'Ce liure de linformacion des princes est a moy Robert Roos chivaler', and on ff. 1, 152, b the name Ion Poyngz with motto 'Felix qui poterit' and Old Royal press-mark 'no. 480' (Westm. invent. of 1542, Add. MS. 25469, f. 14) ; cat. of 1666, f. 11 or 11 b; not in CMA.