| Summary: | Description: ROMAN DE TRISTAN: second part of the prose romance in the enlarged version ascribed to Hélie de Borron; late 13th-early 14th century French. Imperfect at end, lacking one leaf. Beg. 'En ceste partie dist li contes. . .', f. 2. See Cat. Romances, i (1883), pp. 359-361. See also Royal 20 D.II and Egerton 989. This manuscript was used for sections of the modern edition, Le Roman de Tristan en prose, iii, edition G. Roussineau, iv, edition J.-C. Faucon, vi, edition E. Baumgartner and M. Szkilnik, Textes Littéraires Français, 398, 408, 437 (Geneva, 1991-1993). See also: E. Löseth, Le Roman en Prose de Tristan, Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études, Sciences Phil. et Hist., fascicle 82 (1890); E. Löseth, La Tristan et la Palamède des manuscrits français der British Museum. Étude critique (1905); E. Vinaver, Études sur le Tristan en prose. Les sources, les manuscrits .(1925); Der Altfranzösische Prosaroman, edition E. Ruhe and R. Schwaderer. Kolloquium Würzburg (1977), Beiträge zur romanischen Philologie des Mittelalters, xii (1979). 'Per me anthoinne de campo. . .', in a 15th century hand, f. 298v. Information regarding provenance is given in a late 18th centurymemorandum, mounted on a front fly-leaf (f. 1). According to this memorandum the manuscript, which was then for sale, was the property of a French officer and had been in his family for a long time. It was formerly in the library of the Cistercian abbey of Fontfroide, nr. Narbonne, Languedoc. The officer's family were benefactors of the abbey and the family tombs were there. The Marquis de Paulmy d'Argenson (d.1787), had had the MS. rebound and brought it to the attention of the Comte La Vergne de Tressan, who was then working on his Corps d'extraite de Romans de Chevalerie, 4 volumes (1782). The Marquis wanted the volume to go to the Royal Library but the family, who believed that armorial, et cetera, in the MS. had parallels in material on their family tombs at the abbey, would not part with it. Purchased from a French immigrant, circa 1795. Vellum; following 305. Sec. folio: 'sanc qui tant est. . .'. 360 x 250mm. Gatherings generally of 8 (xi lacks 6, xiv lacks 7, xxxviii lacks 8 with loss of text), ii6, xxii-xxiii12, xxxiii6 (lacks 6). Catchwords from f. 9v, some lacking. Quires marked with arabic numerals in top left-hand corner of first folio, probably when the MS. was rebound in the 18th century A partially cropped arabic numeral appears at the centre head of f. 2. Double columns. One small southern? French gothic book script throughout. Initials and penwork in red and blue. Decorated initial and half border, f. 2. Text illustrated with 26 small framed miniatures. Pen sketches of helmets, crests and crowns, following 133v, 137v, 147v, 221v. Early 19th century British Museum binding. Contemporary patch, f. 22v. The volume has been damaged, probably by damp: following 2, 10 are faded; following 139, 267 are imperfect, with loss of text.
|
|---|