[5] Fougères was a strongly fortified town, and was considered one of the keys of Bretagne. It was taken by surprise, in the night of the 23-24 of March 1448, by François de Surienne, on the part of the English: an event which was followed by very important results, for Charles VII. made it an excuse for resuming hostilities in order to protect the duke of Bretagne as his vassal and ally: the Constable of France Artur de Richemont, who was the duke's uncle, (but who had been opposed to the arrest of his nephew Giles,) recovered the captured town; the duke invaded Lower Normandy, whilst the king of France entered the upper province, and by a rapid series of successes they within fifteen months drove the English out of the country.
[6] Honoré Bonnet was prior of Salon in Provence, as is shown by his own dedication of the book to Charles VI. written during the sovereignty of Louis II. of Anjou in Provence, that is, from 1384 to 1390. In some of the early editions of the book the author's name was altered to Bonnor: its title is "Larbre des batailles. Sensuyt larbre des batailles qui traicte de plusieurs choses comme de leglise. Et aussi des faictz de la guerre. Et aussi cōment on se doyt gouuerner. Paris, 1493." folio. Also Paris, 1505, 4to. Among the Royal collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (20 C. VIII.) is a magnificent copy in large folio, and another, in quarto, has been recently purchased (Addit. MS. 22,768.) Respecting others at Paris see the work of M. Paulin Paris on "Les Manuscrits Français de la Bibliothèque du Roi," vol. v. pp. 101, 307.
On the fly-leaf of the Royal MS. is the following inscription in an old hand, the writer of which avowedly followed the [note] at p. [54] of the present volume:
L'Arbre des Battailles compose par Honore Bonet Prieur de Sallon en Prouuence.
Note yt in some Authors this Booke is termed Dame Christine of ye tree of Battayles, not that she made yt; But bicause she was a notable Benefactour to Learned men and perchaunce to ye autor of this Booke. And therefore diuers of them sette furthe their Bookes under her name. See ye Booke of Noblesse in englishe and Chrystines Life amongste ye autors de claris mulieribus as I remēber.
On the title-page are the autograph inscriptions of two of the former owners of the volume, Sum Humfridi LLoyd and Lumley: and at the end is inscribed Iste liber constat Joh'i Gamston' Generoso. It seems not improbable that the entry above extracted was written by Lord Lumley.
[7] At the end of the life of Saint Louis by Geoffroi de Beaulieu, in the Historiens de la France, tome xx. p. 26, (1840, folio,) will be found the Instructions of king Louis to his Son, in their vernacular language. A copy of them, headed "Ce sont les enseignemens que monsr sainct Loys fist a son filz Charles roy de France," occurs in the MS. at the College of Arms which contains many things about sir John Fastolfe. (MS. Arundel XXVI. fol. ii v.)
[8] Vegetius was a great authority with the writers of the middle ages. Monstrelet commences the prologue to the second volume of his chronicles by citing the book of "un trèsrenommé philosophe nommé Végèce, qu'il feist de la vaillance et prudence de chevalerie." The treatise of Vegetius de Re Militari had been translated into French about the year 1284, by Jean de Meun, one of the authors of the Roman de la Rose. In the fifteenth century it was one of the principal sources of a book entitled "Lart de cheualerie selon Vegece; lequel trait de la maniere que les princes doiuent tenir au fait de leurs guerres et batailles." This was printed at Paris by Anthoine Verard in 1488; and it was, at the command of king Henry VII. translated by Caxton, and printed by him at Westminster in the following year, as "The Fayttes of Armes and of Chyvallrye," which (he states in his colophon,) "Christian of Pise made and drew out of the book named Vegecius de Re Militari, and out of the Arbre of Battles." Now, Christina de Pisan was a poetess: and it is not likely that she had more to do with this treatise on the art of war than the "dame Christine" of our present author had with the Arbre des Batailles. Indeed it is probable that the two misappropriations are connected in their origin. On the actual productions of Christine de Pisan, which furnished other works to our first English printer, see the description by M. Paulin Paris of "Les Manuscrits Français de la Bibliothèque du Roi," vol. iv. 184, vol. v. 148-185, vi. 359, 399: and an "Essai sur les Ecrits Politiques de Christine de Pisan, suivi d'une Notice Litteraire et de Pièces Inédites. Par Raimond Thomassy, 1838." 8vo. pp. 200.
[9] Alain Chartier was a writer both in prose and poetry. There are separate editions of several of his works: and a collected volume of them was edited by Andrew du Chesne in 1617. An English translation of his "Curial" was printed by Caxton without date. See an account of various manuscripts of the works of Chartier given by M. Paulin Paris in his vol. vi. pp. 385-387, vol. vii. pp. 251-254.
[10] The personages speaking in the Quadrilogue are France, Le Peuple, Le Chevalier, and Le Clergie, to whose conversation l'Acteur, or the Author, occasionally interposes some remarks. Le Chevalier is also the Gendarmerie, and described as being identical with the Estat de Noblesse—an identity which is thus maintained at the beginning of the reign of Henry the Eighth:—"in all the Chevalrie of this realme, wherein be intended all Dukes, Erles, Barons, Knightes, Esquires, and other Gentlemen by office or aucthoritie." I quote this from The Tree of Common Wealth, by Edmonde Dudley, (written in 1509 or 1510,) printed for the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross, at Manchester, 1859, p. 18.