Beinecke MS 648

Faucket (or Faucquet), Jean (f. 1488-1497).  Commonplace book: holograph.

French.  Burgundy or the Imperial Court, not before 1497.

1.  f. 1r  On signifie ou blasons darmes quatre vertus  Noblesse bon volent
resconfort haultesse...
	Short tract on heraldic colors.

2.  ff. 1v-58v  Sensieult une maniere de blasoner en pluseurs fascons Et
metaulx et couleurs...
	Tract on heraldry, with four hundred forty illuminated coats of arms.

3.  ff. 59r-59v  Senssieut  les vii lettres segnyffiant le non dung herault 
La premierre lettre de se non est h...
	Treatise on the qualities of a good herald.

4.  ff. 60r-60v  Le nef de leglisse est parree de la representassion et elle
ne peult estre richement...
	Short tract on sin and heraldry.

5.  ff. 62r-63r  Maximilianus Inva favente clementia Romanorum rex semper
augustus  a ungharie dalmatie...
	Copy of a document, originally dated 1488, in which Emperor Maximilian
	ennobles Jean Faucket.  Innsbruck, 17 March 1497.

6.  ff. 63v-65r  Pour donner chacun a entendre
			Des armes faucket le bason
	Poem in 16 octave commemorating the bestowal of arms on Faucket. 
	Followed by short acrostic poem and the date 1488.

7.  f. 65v  Oraison ou ballade a la vierge marie
		Des carboncle Reluisant
		Nuit et Jour sans observite
		Esmeraude trescler luysant
		Et saphir de service...
	Ballad in which the Virgin is compared to precious stones.  Signed at
	foot of page by Faucket.

8.  f. 66r  	Pour le bon loy de ta noble naissance
		Qua hault povoir mit en ta mageste
		Tresredoubte roy de haulte puissance
		Taire ne voeul le prie de ta bonte
	Ballad in praise of Maximilian I.

9.  ff. 66v-75v  Senssieult la copie de certaines lettres et promesses faites
a Jehan Faucket de St Omer de la part de tresillustre et triumphant
dompteux...
	Copies of letters of congratulations to victorious troops by Emperor
	Maximilian and the grant of the office of Greffier, principal of St.
	Omer.  Dated 1488.

10.  f. 76r  Senssieult les metaulz et couleurs en vertus | Topasse pour En
vertue pour noblesse--Or...
	Table equating gems and precious metals, assigning values such as
	nobility and simplicity to them.  In red and black ink.

11.  ff. 76r-79v  Sensieut une ambassade de turquie qui vint en france
pardevers le roy Charles de valois...
	Description of a council held in St. Omer in 1461, with the arms of the
	participants and their delegates.

12.  ff. 80r-85r  Sensieult la maniere et comment se doibt couronner le Roy
de franche.
	Treatise on the ritual of coronation.  In red and black ink.

13.  f. 85v  Les sept eages de lomme | Le premiere eage de lomme est enfance
Et dure de sa nativite.
	Short tract on the Ages of Man.  Signed at bottom: "Par le bien vostre
Joan Faucket de sainctaumer".

14.  ff. 86r-87r  Thoison dor sur le faict darmoires | Pour ce que plusieurs
chevaliers escuyers et gens doffice darmes...
	Essay on aspects of the Order of the Golden Fleece by a King of Arms to
	Duke Philip of Burgundy.

15.  f. 87v  Secuntur qui habent eligere Romanorem Imperatorem.
	List of imperial electors, in Latin.  Note at end: "Ian faucquet tout
	votre".

16.  ff. 88r-95v  Sensieult comment le roy darmes des franchois fu premier
cree et puis nomme...
	History of the office of the King of Arms, along with a list of duties
	pertaining to that office.

17.  ff. 96r-98r  Armes faictes a oultrances | Lardenant Treshault excellent
et puissant prince...
	Oath of allegiance and subsequent bestowal of knighthood, undertaken
	before Jean sans Peur, Duke of Burgundy, in 1411.

18.  ff. 98r-105r  La premiere maniere de faire empereur | Premierement
empereur se cree en deux manieres...
	Treatise on the creation and bestowal of various orders of knighthood
	and on the standards of behavior expected of each rank.  Headings in red
	ink.

19.  ff. 105v-112r  Armes a oultrance | Mon tresexcellent et trespuissant
seigneur leige Richart par la grace de dieu Roy dengleterre...
	Copy of an oath presented to King Richard (III?) of England, followed by
	various oaths and conventions of chivalric behavior.

20.  ff. 112r-116r  Senssieut une maniere de Requeste en forme de
supplication pour les Roys darmes.
	Copy of a form submitted to the King of Arms in order to obtain a patent
	of nobility, followed by a shorter form of similar content.

21.  ff. 116r-118r  Cyapres senssieut les atricles de lobeissance que ung
nouvel herault doibt jurer et promettre en la presence de tous les nobles et
gentilz...
	Copy of the oath to be sworn by all heralds.

22. ff. 118r-124r  Sensieult les dictz des Philosophes | Tous hommes
naturellement desirent de scavoir at apprendre meisment les choses qui sont
soubz lexcercice de leurs offices...
	Treatise on the duties and privileges of a herald.

23.  ff. 124v-126v  Senssieut pluseurs ensegnemens notables servans aux Roix
darmes heraulx et poursuivans | Julius cesar et Pompee de Rome ordonnent et
fixent les choses cy apres declares...
	Tract on the ancient origins of heraldry.

24.  ff. 126v-128r  Comment obseques et funerailles de grant seigneur
doibvent faire par honneur...
	Guidelines for the funerals of great lords.

25.  ff. 128r-130v  Epistre | Ainsy que le boeuf est le nom de subiection
Tout anisy est seigneur nom de puissance ou de prelation par juste...
	Tract on nobility.

26.  ff. 130v-132r  Aultre epitre | Le homme est de briefve vie.  Laquelle
est plaine de mistere et de pouvrete...
	Moralizing tract on the human condition.

27.  ff. 132r-133r  Senssieut aulcunes nobles ordonnance dont ung chacun
endroit soy doibt avoir cognoissance et par especial tous Roys darmes et
heraulx...
	Short treatise concerning chivalric offices and heraldry.

28.  f. 133r  Les trois plus haultes et plus dignes personnes deglise |
Premierement nostre saint pere le pappe lequel est lieutenant de dieu...
	Tract on the authority of the Pope and the archbishops of Besancon and
	Cologne.  Followed by the note: "Court et loyal. Faucket".

29.  ff. 133v-134v  Icy senssieut les couleurs desquelles ont fait armes en
armoires | Premierement selon nature. La couleur dor est la plus noble...
	Tract on the colors of heraldry.

30. f. 134v	Pries dieu pour moy
		Quant je Rendray lame
		Se plus ne vous voy...
	Prayer flanked by Faucket's "JF" monogram.

Paper, four distinct watermarks: one resembles Piccard, vol. 2, IX 96
(Xanten, 1452), one resembles Piccard vol. 2, IX 182 or 190 (Rhine valley,
1470-1480 or Flanders, 1463-70), one closely resembles Briquet 9196 (St.
Omer, 1491), and a fourth closely resembles Briquet 8992 or 8993
(Vaudrevange, 1499 and 1493, respectively).  ff. 131, 282 x 213 (204 x 129)
mm.  One column, variable number of lines.  Single vertical bounding lines.
Ruled in lead.  Prickings in outer margins of ff. 86-87 and 126-134.  Several
pages in first quire loose.

I-VII^^8, VIII^^16-2, IX^^12+3, X^^8+1, XI-XII^^8, XIII^^10, XIV^^12.

Written by the author in a gothic bastarda script.

Numerous full color illuminations of coats of arms.  Ornate initials in black
and red throughout.  Rubricated.

Binding: Heavy black cloth over boards made of early printed material. 
Several parchment manuscript fragments which were used in binding are visible
in the spine.  One contains 12th century caroline miniscule and the other
contains a gothic bookhand of the 13th-14th century. Damaged, front board
detached.

Provenance: Bookplate of Ferdinand Hoffman.  Label with ink no. 24 on front
cover, label with ink no. 18[0] on spine.  Hoffman's library became part of
the library of the Princes Dietrichstein, founded by Adam von Dietrichstein 
(1527-1590) at Nikolsburg in Moravia, which was dispersed by sales
initiated in 1933 by Gilhofer von Ranschburg, Vienna.  See Bogeng, Die
Grossen Bibliophilen (1933), vol. III, pp. 186, 198.  Purchased from
Laurence Witten, 1984.

Albert Derolez