66 BOOKS ON FALCONRY. 



thbque Royale, is, in the opinion of Baron Pichon, the learned 

 President des Bibhophiles Fran9ais, much better than any of 

 the preceding editions, now so rare and costly ; and is, moreover, 

 the only one that can now be procured at a moderate price 

 (;^5 or;;^6). Thc editor found on examining the MSS. that 

 in former editions of the work whole paragraphs, and even 

 entire chapters, had been omitted, and these he has restored. 

 It should be observed, however, that he has given no notes, 

 an omission much to be regretted. 



139. LE ROI DANCUS. Le Livre du Roi Dancus. 

 Texte Fran9ais in^dit du xiii^ siecle [1284]: Suivi 

 dun Traite de Fauconnerie, egalement inedit d'apres 

 Albert le Grand, avec une notice et des notes par 

 H. Martin Dairvault. Paris, Librairie des Biblio- 

 philes, 338 Rue Saint Honor6. 1883. sm. 8vo. 



Three hundred copies only of this edition were printed on 

 Dutch paper, from the oldest known French MS. on Falconry, 

 namely, from a translation dated "19 Aout 1284," of the Latin 

 work of Albertus Magnus, who died in 1280. To this is added 

 another translation from the same Latin work, dating from the 

 end of the 15th century. 



The original Latin text has been lost, but there remain these 

 French translations and some in Italian. (See Italian 

 authors.) 



Tardif, in his " Art de Faulconnerie " (No. 142), in the 

 dedication to Charles VIII. admits that his book was " translate 

 en frangais des livres en latin du roy Danchus, qui premier 

 trouva et escrivit I'art de faulconnerie, et des livres en latin de 

 Moamus, de Guillinus et de Guicennas, et coUige des autres 

 bien sgavans et expers en ladicte art." 



According to Jean de Franchieres (No. 145), Dancus was a king 

 of Armenia, who had a great reputation as a falconer. He was 

 visited by Galatien, king of Egypt, who begged to be instructed 

 in the art, and who subsequently sent his son Atanacio to spend 

 some time at the Court of King Dancus, in order to be taught 

 by him and his falconer Martino, who had previously been 

 falconer to King Roger of Hungary. The inference to be 



