Le gouuernement des rois et princes terriens. Le liure de bonnes meurs / [Jacques Legrand].

Format
Manuscript, Book
Language
Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
Published/​Created
[France], [between 1425 and 1450]
Description
79 leaves : parchment, illustrations ; 298 x 221 (202 x 140) mm bound to 308 x 233 mm.

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Special Collections - Manuscripts Garrett MS. 130 Browse related items Reading Room Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Former owner
    Donor
    Bookseller
    Related name
    Rare books genre
    Getty AAT genre
    Related work(s)
    Contains
    Summary note
    Apocryphal letters between Alexander the Great and Aristotle on princely government, and Legrand's treatise on manners.
    Notes
    • Incipit: [Le gouuernement des rois] “Sensuit le prologue dun dotteur en recommandant aristote. Dieu tout puissant vueille garder notre Roy et la gloire de ceulx qui croient en lui. Et conferme son roiaume pour prendre la loi de dieu…” -- [Le liure de bonnes meurs] “[C]y commence la Premiere partie de ce liure laquelle parle du Remede qui est contre les sept pechez mortelz. Et premierement, Comment Orgueil desplaist a dieu de quoy parle ce premier Chappitre. Tous orguilleux se veulent a dieu comparer en tant quilz se glorifient en eulx mesmes et es biens quilz ont…”
    • Explicit: [Le gouuernement des rois] “Mais considere tous les signes dun homme et regarde les signes qui plus habondent en lomme et te tien a la mielleur et plus prouffitable partie. Explicit le gouuernement des Rois et princes terriens.” -- [Le liure de bonnes meurs] “Parquoy il appert que pou vault lesperance de ceulx qui dient que ce monde durera moult longuement. Cy fine le liure du philosoge(!) de sapience ou Autrement dit Le liure de bonnes meurs. Deo gratias.”
    • Ms. composite codex.
    • Title from explicits of the two works.
    • Collation: Parchment ; fols. iii (modern paper) + 79 + iv (modern paper) ; catchwords on the last verso of the quires ; modern foliation in pencil in lower corner.
    • Layout: 34 lines per page in two columns ; ruled in red.
    • Description: Rubricated ; each rubric prededed by a blue paraph mark ; alternating blue and gold paraph marks.
    • Decoration: Chapters and sections begin with 3- to 6-line pink or blue initials on gold fields, with flowers and tracery. Le Gouvernement des rois opens with a 1-column miniature and half border. Livre de bonnes meurs opens with a 2-column miniature and full border; books 2-5 accompanied by half borders. See the entry in Medieval & Renaissance manuscripts in the Princeton University Library, volume 1, page 299 for detailed descriptions of the miniatures.
    • Origin: Executed about 1435, perhaps for a patron in Brittany, to judge by the decoration.
    Binding note
    Later binding. United States, 20th century. Gold-stamped central circle with title on upper cover. Gold-tooled and stamped border on covers and turn-ins.
    Language note
    Middle French
    Script
    Secretary.
    Contents
    • 1. fol. 1r-1v: [Table of contents of Le gouuernement des rois et princes terriens]
    • 2. fol. 2r-23r: Le gouuernement des rois et princes terriens. French translation of portions of Secretum secretorum, a Latin version of a portion of Kitāb Sirr al-asrār.
    • 3. fol. 24r-24v: [Table of contents of Liure de bonnes meurs]
    • 4. fol. 25r-79r: Le liure de bonnes meurs. A vernacular adaptation of the second part of Sophologium sapientie.
    Provenance
    Unidentified and obscured heraldic device, perhaps belonging to the original owner (fol. 25r). In 1900 owned by the Paris firm of Damascène Morgand. Robert Garrett purchased the two parts of the manuscript. His gift to the Princeton University Library, 1942.
    Source acquisition
    Gift Robert Garrett, Princeton Class of 1897, 1942.
    References
    Place name(s)
    France.
    Other title(s)
    • Gouvernement des rois et des princes. Le sophiloge de sapience
    • Secretum secretorum. French (Middle French)
    • Liure de bonnes meurs.
    • Sophiloge de sapience.
    • Gouvernement des rois et princes terriens.
    OCLC
    1099488605
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