ALAIN CHARTIER
Vellum, 11.375 x 8, ff. 91, 40 and 30 lines to a page. 15th cent., in several clear rather current hands.
Donor, T. C. S.
Collation: 18 - 48 510 | 68 76 88 - 118 12? (three).
The upper R. corner of f. 1 is torn away.
Contents:
1. Inc. quadrologium áinuectiuumñ … . . . . . f. 1
ad morum Gallicorum…..
The áAuctourñ.
Aboute the spr(inge of the day whenne the sonne) scheweth
hys (ffirst light).
The words in brackets are scribbled on L. in a later hand.
Ends 27b: by goode exortacion than for repref to any persone.
2. A famylyer dyaloge of the ffrende and the ffelowe vppon the
lamentacion of the myserable Calamyte of ffraunce . . 27b
The Auctour.
What ys yt my moste trysty ffrende
Ends 41b: And fare we bothe wele yn the comon peece. Amen.
Here endeth the famylyer dialogue of the ffreende and the ffelawe
vppon the lamentable compleynte of the Calamyte of ffraunce.
Below is scribbled honorificabilitudinitatibus.
On f. 42 originally blank are scribbles, Thomas Taylur, etc.
3. Change of hand.
L' Espérance, a Dialogue: interlocutors, Deffyaunce, Jndygna-
cion, Desesperaunce, Understondyng, Feyth, Hope . . . 43
The Auctour. In the tenttith (tenth) yere of my soro(f)ull exyle.
There is a gap and change of hand after f. 56.
Ends f. 91b:
as {th}ei served god and dyde dewe sacrifyce to {th}e dyuynyte. Expl.
These are all versions of works by Alain Chartier. Of another tract, The Curial, Caxton made an English version (reprinted for E. E. T. S.).
M. S. Blayney (ed.), Fifteenth-century English translations of Alain Chartier's
'Le Traite de l'esperance' and 'Le Quadrilogue invectif', Early English Text Society, 270 and 281 (London, 1974-80).
Translations of the above works also in the Bodleian Library Rawlinson A338.
Other Chartier translations can be found in Newberry Library (Chicago), MS. f. 36, Ry 20 (Add. MS.8) and Sion College, London, L.40.2/E.43.
There is a gap of about 2 folios after fol. 53, a gap of perhaps an entire gathering of 8 folios after fol. 56, and a gap of about a folio after fol. 86.