FRENCH. 73 



143. GACE DE LA EIGNE (ou Vigne). Le 



Roman des Oiseaux (ou Roman de Deduits) : Paris, 

 imprim^ par Antoine Verard, 4to, goth., sans date 

 [1507]. Autre edition, Paris, imprime par Jehan 

 Trepperel, 4to, goth., sans date. Autre edition, Paris, 

 imprime par Philippe le Noir, 15 16, 4to. 



This poem is singularly interesting as having been composed 

 by order of the French king Jean, during his captivity in England. 

 It was commenced at Hertford by his chaplain, Gace de la Bigne, 

 in 1359, 2-nd finished in Paris. MM. Lallemant Frbres (Bibl. 

 Hist, et Crit. pp. 95-97), following the MS. in the Bibliotheque 

 du Roi (No. 7627, sm. folio), give the full title as follows: — 

 " Gace de la Bigne, jadis premier chapelain de trbs excellent 

 Prince le Roy Jehan de France qui Dieu absoulle, commenga 

 ce Roman k Hertfort en Angleterre, I'an mccclix, du mande- 

 ment dudit Seigneur affinque Messire Philippe [de Valois] son 

 quart filz, et due de Bourgoigne, qui addonc estoit jeune, apprist 

 les desduiz pour eschever le pesche oiseulx, et qu'il en fust 

 mieulx enseigne en moeurs et en vertus ; et depuys le dit Gace 

 le parfist k Paris. Ici commence le Roman de Deduits." 



This curious poem is not printed separately, but is mislead- 

 ingly appended to the work of Gaston Phebus, Comte de Foix, 

 ** Le Myroir de Phebus des deduictz de la Chasse aux testes 

 saulvaiges " (which contains nothing on Falconry), as if com- 

 posed by that author. An analysis of it will be found in 

 the " Mdmoires sur I'ancienne Chevalerie " by La Curne de 

 Sainte-Palaye, i78i,vol. iii. pp. 389-419. See also "Notes et 

 documents relatifs \ Jean Roi de France " (PhilobibL Soc vol. ii., 

 London, 1855-56), "Bulletin du Bibliophile" (Mars 1857), et 

 " Journal de Chasseurs" (vol. v. p. 188). 



An extract from this poem, giving the story of a sparrow- 

 hawk which, being turned out to moult, caught a tame starling 

 and brought it to his owner, is given by La Curne de Sainte-Palaye 

 (No. 181, vol. iii. pp. 253-256); and another extract, entitled 

 "La devise du bel Faucon," is printed by Baron Dunoyer de 

 Noirmont in the third volume of his " Histoire de la Chasse en 

 France," p. 376. 



Amongst other incidents, Gace de la Bigne describes a flight 



f 



