24 ARTHURIAN LEGENDS foliated bars, with birds, grotesques, <strong>and</strong> monsters, are attached; <strong>and</strong> with numerous smaller initials in gold <strong>and</strong> colours, chiefly decorative, but occasionally enclosing figures. For f. 160, see Cat. <strong>of</strong> Huth Bequest, pl. 4. Apparently belonged to <strong>the</strong> philologist Charles Du Fresne, Sieur Du Cange (b. 1610, d. 1688), a note on f. 1 being pronounced by a subsequent owner REEL 3 cont "de la main du fameux Mr Du Cange d'Amiens." On <strong>the</strong> same page is <strong>the</strong> signature <strong>of</strong> [Jacques Joseph Guillaume Pierre, Comte de] Corbière (Minister <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Interior, etc., d. 1853). Inside <strong>the</strong> cover, "No 261." Huth Bookplate. The Huth Library, iii, pp. 954-7. REEL 4 Egerton Ms 2515 IPOMEDON <strong>and</strong> Pro<strong>the</strong>silaus. two metrical Romances in French, by Hue de Rotel<strong>and</strong>e, a poet who lived at Credenhill, near Hereford; written by a scribe named Johan de Dorkingge (f. 70 b):- The Ipomedon begins imperfectly with line 150, <strong>and</strong> is in more modern French than <strong>the</strong> older version, as found in Cotton MS. Vesp. A. vii. The scribe has also omitted most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> local allusions that occur in <strong>the</strong> poem. ff. 3-70 b. The Pro<strong>the</strong>silaus is perfect, <strong>and</strong> ends with an epilogue addressed (between <strong>the</strong> years 1174 <strong>and</strong> 1<strong>19</strong>1) to Gilbert Fitz-Baderon, Lord <strong>of</strong> Monmouth. (The only o<strong>the</strong>r extant copy <strong>of</strong> this romance is in <strong>the</strong> Bibliothèque Nationale, Fonds Français 2169; but it is imperfect at <strong>the</strong> end.) ff. 70 b-141. 2. Romance <strong>of</strong> Lancelot: a portion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> second part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> prose romance, beginning with <strong>the</strong> adventure <strong>of</strong> Agrav<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> proud, <strong>and</strong> breaking <strong>of</strong>f, in an unfinished state, with <strong>the</strong> words " Cele nuyt fu lancelos couchez a aise si se reposa car assez estoit." ff. 142-<strong>19</strong>5. For a fuller description <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> MS. see <strong>the</strong> Catalogue <strong>of</strong> Romances. Vellum; ff. <strong>19</strong>7. Early xivth cent. With an illuminated initial <strong>and</strong> border on f. 70 b. At <strong>the</strong> end, f. <strong>19</strong>5 b, is a charm for <strong>the</strong> "dolor oeulorum," 15th cent. Belonged, in <strong>the</strong> 18th century, to Philippa Leman. Large Octavo. Front <strong>the</strong> Farnborough Fund. Lansdowne Ms 757 Roman de Lancelot du Lac. Written on vellum in <strong>the</strong> fourteenth century <strong>the</strong> beginning imperfect. It contains about a third part <strong>of</strong> that celebrated romance <strong>of</strong> chivalry; <strong>and</strong> like all <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r manuscripts <strong>of</strong> it, is far more
ARTHURIAN LEGENDS 25 copious, <strong>and</strong> interesting for <strong>the</strong> antiquity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> language, than any <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> printed copies.
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