Beinecke MS 227                                                          France, 1357
Arthurian Romances

     1. ff. 1r-11r    Nostre sires auoit mult danemis et auersaires contre
     luy. Et si auoit pau de deciples...et de ciaus quil auoit en iauoit il
     un piour que mestiers ne li fust...Et se ie la laissoie atant nus ne
     sauroit que toutes ces choses seroient deuenues ne pour quel
     senefianche ie les aroie de parties. f. 11v blank.

     Robert de Borron, Joseph d'Arimathie. See A. E. Knight, "A Previously
     Unknown Prose Joseph d'Arimathie," Romance Philology 21, no. 2
     (Nov., 1967) pp. 174-183; G. Weidner, Der Prosaroman von Joseph von
     Arimathia (Oppeln, 1881); and R. F. O'Gorman, "An Edition of the Prose
     Version of Robert de Borron's Joseph d'Arimathie" (unpublished
     dissertation, Univ. of Penn., 1962). Knight assigns the Yale "Joseph"
     to O'Gorman's "y group", the stemma of which he alters slightly in
     order to accommodate it.

     2. ff. 12r-140v    Ci qui la haute ce et la seignorie de si haute
     estoire com est cele du graal met en escript par le commandement du
     grant mestre mande tout premierement saluz...Einsit com mesires robert
     de borron le trest en listoire en la tranlata de latin en romans par la
     piere monseignour gautier de montbeliart en cui seruise il estoit au
     iour de lors et commence dun conte en tel maniere mult fu irez ennemi.

          Robert de Borron, Lestoire de Saint Graal. See H. O. Sommer, ed.,
     The Vulgate Version of the Arthurian Romances (Washington 1909), v. 1,
     p. xxvii-xviii, and Knight, op. cit, pp. 181-82.

     3. ff. 141r-316v    Si commence la vie Merlin. Mout fu iries li anemis
     quant nostre Sires out este en enfer et il en ont gete adam et Eve...En
     cel maniere fu Artus esleu a roy de par nostre seignour iheucrist [sic]
     et de par Mellin. Et tient le roiaum de logres mes ce ne fu mie
     longement em pes. Ci apres trouueres conment li rois artus si deffendi
     contre les larronsdon pais qui ne uoloit pas quil fust rois mes melins
     li aida molt durement sa guere a maintenir. [The text continues f. 172v
     with the Vulgate Continuation:] Ci endroit dist li contes que apres la
     mi aoust que li rois artus fu couronnes. que il tint court
     merueilleuse...et ce fu celui qui le trai comme mauuais traiteur et
     desleal. et par qui il perdi le noble chastel que trebes auoit non quil
     auoit moult chier. Ein si comme li contes le deuisera ca auant en la
     marche degaule le quart liure. Cis liures fu parescripit lan mil. ccc.
     lvij. le premier samedi de guillet et le fist Jehan de loles escriuem
     nes de hainnaut pries pour lui et ce que vous en dires puissiez vous
     auoir soit bien soit mal.

          Robert de Borron, Lestoire de Merlin; see A. Micha, "Les
     manuscrits de Merlin," Romania 79 (1958) p. 174. According to Knight,
     op. cit., pp. 182-83, the Yale "Merlin" belongs in the z family of
     alpha.

          Parchment, ff. i (parchment) + 316 (16th-century foliation 1-317,
     no f. 173) + i (parchment); 423 x 300 (305 x 206) mm., trimmed. Written
     in three columns of 47-49 lines, each with single vertical bounding
     lines full across; single or double horizontal bounding lines at top
     only, full across; ruled in brown ink. (A similar three-column format
     occurs in a "Roman de Merlin," London, B. L. Add. MS 10292.) Prickings
     in outer, upper, and lower margins.
          I^^12 (-12, following f. 11), II-XVI^^8, XVII^^6, XVIII^^4 (-1,
     following f. 137), XIX-XXXIX^^8, XL^^6, XLI^^2. Catchwords, some
     embellished with lightly drawn faces. Remains of leaf signatures on ff.
     7r-10r and 12r-52r.
          Written by five scribes in gothic textura. Scribe 1: ff. 1r-11r
     (Joseph d'Aramathie). Scribes 2: ff. 12r-83v and 3: ff. 84r-140r
     (Lestoire de Saint Graal). Scribe 4: ff. 141r-317v (Lestoire de
     Merlin), except ff. 149r-156v, the second gathering, written by Scribe
     5. [See Knight, op. cit., p. 176.] Scribe 4 is identified as Jehan de
     Loles from the colophon. [See art. 3.] Guides for rubrics written in
     lower or inner margin. Inscriptions adjoining miniatures in 14th-
     century cursive, brown or black ink, are possibly either later
     identifications or instructions to the minaturist.
          The decoration, the work of four hands, is of relatively poor
     quality [See The Waning Middle Ages, The University of Kansas Museum of
     Art (1969), no. 2, p. 8, pl. 3 [ff. 210r and 211r] and Exhibition
     Catalogue, no. 34, pp. 208-09.] and is comparable to the miniatures by
     the less competent of two hands in a Bible Historiale, olim Henry Yates
     Thompson Collection MS LXXV (Illustrations from One Hundred Manuscripts
     in the Library of Henry Yates Thompson [London, 1916] v. 6, pl. L).
     Three large miniatures, 11- to 13-line and two column: f. 1r (Joseph
     d'Arimathie) Arrest of Christ, Deposition, Entombment; f. 12r
     (Lestoire de Saint Graal) Monk prostrate beside altar with angel above,
     Priest performing mass before three kneeling men; f. 141r (Lestoire de
     Merlin) Harrowing of Hell, Monk, woman and child before enthroned man;
     blue and/or red frames, gold squares in corners, surrounded by a thin gold
     band, with gold ivy leaves on black hair-lines at midpoints and
     corners. Miniatures accompanied by 3/4 bar borders, red, blue and gold,
     with white highlights; dragon and ivy terminals, with additional ivy
     extending from the gold segments. 182 small miniatures, 8-line, one
     column, most in bottom margin, suggesting execution after the original
     illumination had been completed: thin gold, red, and blue frames,
     single gold ivy leaf on hair-line stem at each corner; gold and
     diapered grounds. Due to the relatively poor quality of the decoration
     and its repetitious character, the subjects of the miniatures have not
     been listed. One historiated initial, f. 186v, 3-line, red against a
     blue and gold ground, knight and three men outside tent. Illuminated
     initials, 6- to 4-line, for books and chapters, red against irregular
     blue grounds with white highlights; gold dots in cusps at corners,
     infilled with blue and red ivy against gold. 2-line initials (guide-
     letters remain), gold, against irregular blue, orange, and red grounds
     with white highlights; black hair-lines at corners. Rubrics in red
     throughout, with guides for rubrics written in lower or inner margin.
          Binding: s. xvi [?]. Worn purple velvet over boards, with massive
     brass corner pieces and fastenings; plaque with arms removed from front
     cover. Made possibly for Henri, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre (see Knight, op.
     cit., p. 175).

     Lestoire de Merlin was copied in France in 1357, by Jehan de Loles, as
     indicated by the colophon (art. 3). The other two works are probably
     contemporary, but rubbing on the first folio of each work suggests that
     they were once bound separately. Early provenance unknown. Belonged to
     Henri, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre (d. 1573 [Dictionnaire de la
     Noblesse v. 5, pp. 865-66). Collection of Charles Yarnold
     (his sale by Evans, 6 June 1825 no. 855). Acquired by Sir Thomas Phillipps
     (no. 1045; inscription on front pastedown and stamp on front flyleaf,
     verso; Sotheby's sale, 1 July 1946, no. 14). Owned by Dudley Colman of
     Hove, Sussex. Purchased from C. A. Stonehill in 1954 as the gift of Arthur
     M. Rosenbloom, Yale 1925.

     secundo folio: [f. 2r, Joseph d'Arimathie] del uaissel
          [f. 13r, Lestoire de Saint Graal] auait esprigie [?]
          [f. 142r, Lestoire de Merlin] suer que

     Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 43, no. 227. 
          Exhibition Catalogue, pp. 208-09, no. 34.
          "Eight Medieval Manuscripts," Gazette 29 (1955), pp. 104-05 and
     110.

     Barbara A. Shailor