Beinecke MS 497               France, s. XV^^1
Georges d'Esclavonie, Le Chateau de Virginite

1.  ff. 1r-53r  [Top of folio, in a different hand:] Pour garder virginite.
[text:] A ma filiole en ihesu crist tresamee dame yzabeau de villeblanche
religieuse du couuent de dames de beaumont empres tours George de Esclauonie
maistre ez [with z partially erased] ars et docteur en theologie.  Chanoine
et penencier de leglise de tours.  Salut et le titre de ta virginite garder et
prendre le fruit.  Vueille sauoir. que ie fu prie et requis daucuns uenerables
seigneurs...I te prie aussi. que tu aies memoire de moy. en tes prieres. comme ie
faiz de toy.  Et la grace de notre seigneur ihesu crist soit auec toy
pardurablement.  Amen.  Donne a tours le darrenier iour de december Lan mil.
iij^^c. et xj.

     Georges d'Esclavonie (canon of the Cathedral of Tours), letter to Dame
Isabelle de Villeblanche, a nun at the Benedictine convent of
Beaumont-les-Tours; the work was apparently presented to her 31 December 1411,
and this would seem to be an early copy.  The work was published by A. Verard
(Paris, 1505) and by Jehan Trepperel (Paris, 1506).  For a recent consideration
of the text see A. Vernet, "La 'premiere minute' du 'Chasteau de
Virginite de Georges d'Esclavonie (1411)," Muenchener Beitraege 32 (1982)
pp. 233-47.

2.  ff. 53r-54r  Cest loroison comment ma filiole se doit recommander a
dieu.  O tres doulz et tres debonnaire sire ihesu crist. souurain filz du
souurain pere. qui aueques luy et le saint esperit as toutes choses cree...;
(f. 53v) Cest loroison quant ma filiole mettra le voil sus sa teste.
Sijre [sic] mon dieu et mon createur qui es tres loyal prometteur des biens
perdurables....  f. 54v ruled, but blank

     Vernet, op. cit., pp. 246-47.

     Parchment, ff. iii (paper) + 54 + iii (paper), 206 x 131 (152 x 99) mm. 30
long lines.  Single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines, mostly full
length and full across.  Ruled in lead; prickings in upper and lower margins.
     I-III^^8, IV-VI^^10.  Catchwords along lower edge near gutter.
     Written by a single scribe in a neat gothic script with batarde influence.
Annotations and corrections by a contemporary hand.
     One simple initial on f. 1r (4-line) in red; other plain initials (3-line)
alternating red and blue.  Headings, paragraph marks, strokes on initials, in
red.
     Water damage in lower margin of most leaves, ff. 13-54.
     Binding:  s. xviii.  Red straight-grained goatskin, wide gold-tooled
floral border, with Richard Weir's "broken cable" roll (see Provenance below).
Gold-tooled panels on spine.  Edges gilt.  Title on spine:  CURIEUX/  MSS
SUR VELLIN.

Written in France in the first half of the 15th century.  Two later hands,
both of the 15th century have added on f. 1r:  "Pour garder virginite" and
"Inuentoire."  Belonged to comte Justin MacCarthy-Reagh, of Toulouse
(1744-1811); the binding is the type made for him by Wier in Toulouse (cf. C.
Ramsden, "Richard Wier and Count MacCarthy-Reagh," The Book Collector 2
[1953] pp. 247-57); not in his sale catalogue.  Sold at Evans, 22 Jan. 1817,
no. 1230 (note on f. ii recto); bought by Sturt.  From the collection of
Richard Heber (1773-1833); his sale by Evans, 10 Feb. 1836, pt. XI, no. 1471
(round tag with number on spine).  Bought by Payne and Foss for Sir Thomas
Phillipps (no. 8337; tag on spine).  Acquired from Alan G. Thomas, 28 December
1970, by Edwin J. Beinecke for the Beinecke Library.

secundo folio:  de par moy. te

Barbara A. Shailor