FRENCH. 63 



Lavall^e) to " Henri de Vergy, Seigneur de Fere," and (by M. 

 Alphonse Chassant) to " Henri de Ferrieres " and " Denis 

 d'Horraes." See the articles by MM. Sorel and Lavallee in 

 the "Journal des Chasseurs," August 1868 and September 1869, 

 and Chassant, "Bulletin du Bouquiniste," June 1869. (Tire \ 

 part, 50 exemplaires, 1870.) 



In a neatly lithographed essay of 16 pp. 4to (Paris, 1888, 

 Barthe, Rue Le Peletier 51), M. Victor Bouton, Heraut d'Armes, 

 discusses this question, and, disagreeing with MM. Lavallee and 

 Chassant, believes that in the Tresor de Vknerie of Hardouin, 

 1394, wherein allusion is made to contemporary authorities on 

 the chase, he has discovered the author. of Le Livre du Roy 

 Modus in Jean de Melun, Sieur de Tancarville, Chambellan du 

 Regent Philippe V. (dit " le Long "). If so, as the regency in 

 question lasted only a year, the date of the MS. would be 

 1318; but there is no reason why it should not have been 

 written by him after he had ceased to hold this appointment, 

 the title of which might still be continued out of compliment. 

 Moreover, in some of the MSS. there is evidence to show that 

 the actual date of the composition is 1328. 



M. Grasset d'Orcet, criticising this view in a letter, which I 

 have been privileged to see, addressed to M. Pierre A. Pichot, 

 Directeur de la "Revue Britannique," reads the inscription in the 

 outer circle "Fit DuRHelEN REIESERE," that is, "fit du 

 regent regisseur," a term which he admits is applicable to Jean 

 de Melun, Vicomte de Tancarville, and adds that, in his opinion, 

 the letters of the inner circle, HDOSEDMISNER, indicate 

 Theodose de Misner, ou Seigneur du Mai. 



The date of the first MS. is fixed approximately by the author's 

 statement that he had seen Charles IV., who died in 1328, hunt- 

 ing in the Foret de Br^teuil, and lived to become the historian of 

 Charles V., who died in 1380. For several reasons, then, it 

 seems justifiable to attribute this "Livre" to the Vicomte de 

 Tancarville — (i) his identity is sufficiently indicated by the 

 letters in the rosace ; (2) he was living at the dates referred to 

 by the author, and died in 1382; (3) he is specially mentioned 

 as an authority on Falconry by his contemporary, Pero Lopez 

 de Ayala (the Spanish Ambassador to the Court of Charles V.), 

 in his "Libro de la Caza de las Aves," written in 1386; and 

 (4) he is mentioned several times by name in the Jugement des 

 Chiefis et des Oyseaulx with which the " Livre du Roy Modus " 



