Help us create a biggest collection of medieval chronicles and manuscripts on line.
#   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z 
Medieval chronicles, historical sources, history of middle ages, texts and studies

THOMAS JOHNES, ESQ. Memoirs of the life of Sir John Froissart

DOWNLOAD THE FULL BOOK

DOWNLOAD THE ONLY FULL EDITIONS of

Sir John Froissart's Chronicles of England, France, Spain and the Ajoining Countries from the latter part of the reign of Edward II to the coronation of Henry IV in 12 volumes 

Chronicles of Enguerrand De Monstrelet (Sir John Froissart's Chronicles continuation) in 13 volumes 

 
 
 
  Previousall pages

Next  

THOMAS JOHNES, ESQ.
Memoirs of the life of Sir John Froissart
page 61



St fourteenth century ; and though many things are deficient in each of themv their antiquity ought to give them the preference. My opinion is the fame refpeéting the manufcript number 8333, being the moft ancient of the fecond volume, though it does not feem to me to have been written earlier man the middle of the fifteenth century. The number 8321 is a continuation of number 8320 : there are fewer miniatures, but they are equally beautiful, which is the only merit the number poûeflès; for otherwife, k is, properly fpeaking, but an extract of Froiflart, and frequently many chapters are omitted together. Number 16 is of the fame writing as number 15, of which it is a continuation, and contains, befides the fecond volume, a part of the third,, as far as thefe words of the 44th chapter, page 151 of the edition of Sauvage, * Thus was broken off" the expedition by fea at this time,* to-which it adds* ' which coft tbe kingdom of France one hundred thoufand francs, thirty times told.' Number 8SS© has for title, * The third Volume of the Chronicles of Froiflart/ although it contains but the fecond. . By a fimilar miftake we •cad, at the end of number 8335, which concludes the third volume». ' Here ends the fecond volume of the chronicles of Froiflart.' This* manufeript, which is but of the middle of the fifteenth century, is that in. which the language of old times is the moft preferved : perhaps it has beeiL copied from fome other more ancient than thofe which we poflbfa. There-are at the end fome eircumftances concerning Froiflart, which are alfo in-, the manufcripts 8328 and 232, and which are not in the printed copies. It is chiefly the antiquity ef the ftyle which makes me confider the manufcript 8329, although fcarcdy earlier than the end of the fifteenth century, as the beft we have for the fourth volume. We find in it, as in the numbers 8331, 8341, 42 and 17, two important additions* The firft is the preface, which-I have noticed in the life ef Froiflart, the fecond terminates the whole of his chronicle, when the author, towards the end, fpeaking of the death of Richard, fays that he would not enter into any detail of it, from want of iiaving fufficient information. The addition is a fort of letter, true or falfe^ which is addrefled to him* and by which he is informed of all the particulars*, fuch as had been written by a man. worthy of heli£ who. was then in.


  Previous First Next