Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 432: Chronique de Reims

Placeholder Show Content

Abstract/Contents

Summary
CCCC MS 432 contains a late thirteenth-century copy of the Chronique de Reims (or Rains) a history of the third crusade written in French. This copy, whose illustrations have suffered a great deal of damage, bears a versified inscription by John Skelton (d. 1529), written on the occasion of the manuscript's presentation to Henry VIII, Skelton's pupil. Presumably it came into Parker's possession as a result of his contact either with the Henrician or Elizabethan court, but the manuscript's exact route from the royal collection into Parker's is unknown. The book contains eleven illuminated miniatures and two historiated initials, all much damaged.
Contents
Chronique de Reims

Description

Alternative title Chronique de Reims
Type of resource mixed material
Extent ff. 3 + 116
Date created [ca. 1275 - 1299]
Language French, Old (ca. 842-1400); Latin
Material Vellum
Layout 24 lines to a page
Height (mm) 199
Width (mm) 141
Collation a(4) (wants 4) 1(8)-13(8) 14(12).
Writing in a good clear hand
Foliation ff. a-d + i-iii + 1-116 + e-h
Research The MS. is mentioned in Archives de l'orient Latin I 255.
Additions The first 3 leaves are written by Skelton in a large Gothic hand. f. ir pasted over. On f. iv: Quamuis annosa est apice et sulcata vetusto Pagina trita tamen fremit horrida prelia Martis Digna legi. Skelton Loyall., On f. iir: Bien men souien., On ff. iiv-iiiv, verses: I liber, et propera, regem tu pronus adora; Me sibi commendes humilem Skeltonida vatem: Ante suam majestatem (per cetera passim) Inclita bella refer, gessit que maximus heros Anglorum, primus nostra de gente Ricardus, Hector ut intrepidus, contra validissima castra Gentis Agarrene; memora quos ille labores, Quos tulit angores, qualesque recepit honores. Sed, Cronica Francorum validis inimica Britannis Saepe solent celebres Britonum compescere laudes. Followed by the title: Policronitudo Basileos., Margin (f. 3v): patet infra a candido ad nigram.
2 fo. mon seignour

Bibliographic information

M.R. James Date xiii late
Downloadable James Catalogue Record
Title
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:hf729vj6766/MS_432.pdf
Superseded Interim Catalogue Record
Title
https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:fg573pt6483/432.pdf
Contains
Title
Chronique de Reims. 1r-116v
Nasmith
Polichronitudo basileos sive historia belli quod Ricardus I. gessit contra Sarracenos. 1r-116v
James
Chronique de Reims. 1r-116v
Note
f. 1r has a picture at top, and historiated initial, both on gold ground and much worn. The picture shows a city (?) on R. and perhaps a figure by it, then to L. a king pointing three followers to the city. In the initial is a single figure
Text
Incipit
(1r) Des puis cele heure qe godefroiz de buillon et la royne de france orent conquise antioiche et iherusalem
Note
On f. 6r a picture. City or church on L.: three men: king on R. Single figure in initial. Rough work: gold ground
There are various marginalia in Latin verse by Skelton
On f. 24v picture: king seated on L. holding a paper (?). Before him a man. Another on R. holds book or charter. Figure in initial
On f. 32r a battle scene
On f. 39v another battle scene
On f. 51v a horse about to have its R. forefoot cut off with an axe. A man in bed on R. Saladin, ill, had demanded the foot of the best horse of the Master of the Hospitallers, and his request was granted
On f. 67r the king throned on L. Before him the Counts Gautier de S. Pol and Renaud de Boulogne struggle. Three other men
On f. 83v Louis (kneeling) crowned by a mitred (archbishop) in short robe. Two men on L. The queen and another woman on R. Kneeling king in initial
On f. 91r two shipfuls of men: a king in each. Figures and deer in border
On f. 99r (much defaced). A wolf (R.) and goat (L.) on hindlegs conversing. Two kids (?) on L. Illustrates a fable told in the text. Angel in border
On f. 114r the queen (?) seated on R. The Archbishop of Rheims gives her a letter and a fleur-de-lys. Two men on L. Initial. Kneeling king and head of God above. The text relates to a dispute as to jurisdiction of Rheims. In border a figure with inscribed scroll: Li arceuesques respondi et dist oyl. Lors. (l. 1 of text of 114r.) Also kneeling woman with book inscribed: domine in te (?)
Text ends
Explicit
(116r) et li arceuesques len mercia. et li fist liurer quanque mestier fu. et sen ala a rome et demoura grant piece
Note
f. 116v pasted over
See Hardy II 489, Hist. Litt. XXI 711
The text is known as the Chronique de Rains (Reims). Edited in 1837 by Louis Paris
TJames 80
Stanley G. 9
Location https://purl.stanford.edu/dg167rf3687
Location MS 432
Repository UK, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, Parker Library

Access conditions

Use and reproduction
Images courtesy of The Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. For higher resolution images suitable for scholarly or commercial publication, either in print or in an electronic format, please contact the Parker Library directly at parker-library@corpus.cam.ac.uk
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).

Collection

Parker Manuscripts

Loading usage metrics...