Beinecke MS 216                                                       France, s. XV^^2
Raoul LeFevre, Le Recueil des histoires de Troies

     1. ff. 1r-5v    [Table of contents:] Cy commence la table des Rubriches
     dung chacun chappitre de ce present Volume intitule le Recueil des
     hystoires de troyes...que hercules estoit mort a cause de son
     ignorance.

     2. ff. 6r-262r    [Author's Prologue to Philip the Good, Duke of
     Burgundy:] Quant Je Regarde et congnois les opinions des hommes nourris
     en aucunes singulieres hystories de troyes...[text:] Cy demonstre la
     genealogie du Roy saturne...Tous les filz de noe espartz par les
     climatz les regnes et les estranges habitacions des siecles...par la
     grace de dieu duc de Bourgoigne et cet. quen gre vueille mon Rude
     labour recepuoir. Amen. f. 262v blank

          Paper (watermarks: similar in design to Briquet Lettres et
     Monogrammes 9747), ff. ii (paper) + i (contemporary paper) + 262 + ii
     (paper), 275 x 205 (189 x 135) mm. Written in 31 long lines, single
     vertical and horizontal bounding lines, full across; ruled in crayon.
          I^^6 (1=contemporary paper flyleaf), II-VII^^12, VIII^^11 (too
     tightly bound to determine which leaf is missing). Catchwords along
     inner bounding line perpendicular to text (Scribe 1) or along lower
     edge of folio (Scribe 2).
          Written in bold batarde by two scribes. Scribe 1: ff. 1r-125r;
     Scribe 2: 125r-262r.
          On f. 6r, a 4-line initial in red and black, crude. 3- to 1-line
     plain initials and paragraph marks, in red. Rubrics, sometimes with
     calligraphic flourishes extending into margins, throughout.
          Binding: s. xviii. Yellow edges. Blue diced calf, gold-tooled,
     with red labels.

          Written in France probably in the second half of the 15th century;
     early provenance unknown. Unidentified shelf-mark: round paper tag with
     "1655" on spine. Belonged to John Towneley (1731-1813, bookplate); sold
     by Evans, 8 June l8l4. Sold by Saunders (13 April 1818) to Sir Thomas
     Phillipps (no. 8385, on spine). Acquired in 1956 from Hans P. Kraus
     with income from the Altschul Fund.

     secundo folio: [f. 2, table] Comment Iupiter
          [f. 7, text] leua ung

     Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 41, no. 216.

     Barbara A. Shailor