Royal MS 20 B XVI

'VNG RECOEUL nomme le Blason darmes pour congnoistre et apprendre a blasonner armes . . . recoeulliet par le sieur de Maumetz et de Boncourt cappitaine dauxi . . . et aussy aultres traictiez concernant lorigination des rois darmes herauldz darmes comme il apert au contenu de ce liure. RIOTUAS': a heraldic compilation. The arms and name of the scribe and compiler are on f. 2 b, viz. arg. a saltire couped az., within a bordure engrailed gu., and underneath 'Frere Jehan du Sautoir escripuent de ce liure. Passer fault sautoir ou'. On the preceding page are the arms of Jehan de Eguignehaut (or, a bend raguly vert) and Alienor de Bernieulles (or, a cross ancrée gu.) his wife, and the marriages of five (arms of four of the husbands) of their daughters, one of the sons-in-law being 'Maistre Pierre du Sautoir sieur du Prier, bailly de Fiennes', who had three sons and a daughter. Possibly the scribe was one of the sons. The identification of the author of art. 1 seems uncertain. In an extract from the same work in Egerton MS. 795, f. 76, he is called le Sieur de Boncourt de Hollande, Sicur de Mammez et de Moulle, capitaine dauxi. According to Anselme, Hist. généal. viii, 1733, p. 154, a Roland Bournel, seigneur de Boncourt, de Mamez, &c., died in 1537. Contents:-

1. Le Blason d'Armes, see above. Preface beg. 'A la loenge de dieu et de la vierge Marie et a lexaltation de noblesse ay propose de dire et de mettre par escript aulcunnes armes et blasons pour instruire tous josnes gens nobles hommes pour scauoir congnoistre et apprendre de blasonner'; text, 'Premierement jay tous jours entendu et mitz en memoire que toutes armes des nobles hommes ont la formes et figures et portaiges de plussieurs fachons'. At the end is the scribe's name reversed RIOTUAS. f. 4.

2. Treatise on the duties of heralds by Sicily, Herald of Arms to Alphonso V of Aragon (1416-1458). The author's personal name is not definitely known, but he lived at Mons in Hainault and is supposed from the arms in the frontispiece of some MSS.. e. g. Add. MS. 17351 and a Paris MS. (Bibl. Nat., fonds fr. 387), to have belonged to the family of Enghien. There are apparently different recensions of Sicily's work, and the present text differs much from that printed by F. Roland from the Paris MS., Parties inédites de l'oeuvre de Sicile, Soc. des Bibliophiles Belges, Mons, 1867, both by omissions and additions. Some of the latter (e.g. at f. 41 b, where Sicily's opinion is contested) are perhaps due to Sautoir. The prefatory letter is omitted, the work beginning with the 'Salutation en forme de recommandation', the incipit of which is 'A tous mes chers et biens aymes freres vrays amys leaux compaignons'. Text beg. 'On troeuue que maistre Jehan Erard en plussieurs chapitres tesmoigne comment loffice darmes fust fondee premierement'; ends 'la coustume et maniere du pais'. f. 33 b.

3. 'Thoison dor sur le faict darmoirie': treatise, or rather answers to certain questions, by the Duke of Burgundy's King of Arms. Beg. 'Pour ce que entre plussieurs cheualiers escuyers et gens doffice darmes et aultres sont souruenues en question touchant le faict darmoirie, moy Thoison dor conseillier de monseigneur le duc de Bourgogne et roy darmes'; ends 'aultre declaration'. f. 65 b.

4. Treatise, without title, on dignities, from the Emperor downwards. Beg. 'Quand vng empereur voeult estre renomme en tous ses faictz vray bon et droicturier il doibt venir et monter en la dignite imperiale par humilite et vraye election'; ends 'la couronne de lempire a Aix en Allemaigne'. f. 66 b. Colophon:-

'Vostre amy \\// a rebours riotuas //\\ tous jours Fine lan 1540.'

5. 'Sensuyt vng dittier du jeu de larcq et arbalestre': moralized poem on the bow and cross-bow (24 x 8 lines, rhymes abaabbcc). f. 75. Begins:-

'Arestes vous qui tombes en oizeuse Et perdes tamps en vice dissolut.'

Ends:-

'Des ennemys et des peruers tirans Et quen sa gloire en fin soyons tirans.'

Colophon:-

'Riotuas. Amen. Jhesus Maria.'

6. 'Les dictz daulcuns oyseaux (bestes, poissons)': couplets on 25 birds, 12 beasts, and 10 fishes, often punning on their names. f. 77. Begins:-'Le Sansonnet.

Vng homme sil est sans sonnet I1 en est plus gent et plus net.'

Ends:-'Le ennon.

Mulet et ennon descendons De le asne qui menge chardons. Sautoir.' 7. Copy of notarial instrument, dated 1406, between the principal French officers of arms and Hugues de Chasteau Noeuf, commandeur of the church of S. Antoine at Paris, for the use of a chapel in the said church. The heralds named are 'Gilles Merlot, dist Guyselin, roy darmes des francois, Nicolas Willart, dist Calabre, roy darmes daniou, Jacques Mestreu, dist Vealencier, roy darmes de Champaigne, Jehan le Tout, dist Jherusalem, Mareschal darmes des francois', the principal parties to the deed; 'Guillaume de Reux, dit Montioie, herauld du roy, Jehan de Beauuez, dist Orleans, herauld', whose consent is also stated; and 'Jehan le Josne, dist dauluergne, roy darmes de Berry, Colin Parent, dist Gaure, roy darmes de Ponthieu, Robert Barron, dist Charolois, le herauld, et Pierre Guilbert, dist Bacqueuille, le herauld'. The colophon again includes the scribe's name reversed RIOTUAS. f. 80.

Paper; ff. 82. Quarto. 11 in. x 81/4 in. Circ. A.D. 1540. Gatherings (beg. f. 4) of 8 leaves (iv⁷), with catchwords. The arms are roughly drawn and coloured. On f. 1 b is the inscription 'Donum Johannis Selden charissimi amici mei. Guil. Nepos rex armorum titulo Clarenceux'. Selden died 1654, and William Le Neve was Clarenceux 1635-1661; but the inscription is not in his autograph. Not identified in the old catalogues.