71 



kingdoms of Europe. But the great bulk of the volume is 

 occupied with nice disquisitions upon points of Chivalry and 

 Military achievement. This book is enriched with a great 

 number of Illuminations, done in outline by means of wooden 

 blocks, and then highly and beautifully finished by the hand 

 in colours. 



Bonnor, who was prior of Salon, composed the work by 

 order of Charles VIII, king of Trance, for the instruction of 

 the dauphin. The original B'mding remains, though in a very 

 imperfect state. It consists of thick boards, covered with 

 stamped leather. The leather is enveloped in strong brown 

 silk (called Chemise), upon and through which the brass 

 bosses are placed, at the corners and in the middle of each 

 side. Sometimes this chemise, being elongated at the top, (as 

 apparently in the present instance) was turned over, in order to 

 keep the dust from penetrating. No lettering was put on the 

 hack ; but at the top of one of the sides the title of the work, 

 L'^arbre des Batailles, is written and surrounded by a small 

 oblong brass frame. When on the shelf, this side was placed 

 in front, and not the back of the Book, which was left wholly 

 unornamented. Before the invention of printing, such was 

 the usual method of placing manuscripts on the shelves of a 

 library, so that each of the volumes took up much room. The 

 following extracts (translated from the original French) are 

 given as specimens of the author's manner : — 



1st. " If a knight dies in battle, whether we shall say his 

 soul is saved or damned ? 



" I ask now, if a knight die in battle, whether we shall say 

 that his soul is saved ? And it seems not. For war and battle 

 cannot happen without sin. Also (which is a stronger reason), 

 if a knight dies in battle he ought not to be buried in a con- 

 secrated place, as a church or a church-yard. But again it 

 seems the reason that his soul is not saved is this, that mortal 

 man who dies in anger and ill-will, we believe to die in mortal 

 sin. And so may we think of him who dies in battle. But 



