Livre des Eneydes (French translation of Virgil, Aeneid)

Livre des Eneydes (French translation of Virgil, Aeneid)

The vogue for vernacular translations of classical epics, whether in prose or in rhyme, intensified throughout the fifteenth century as bibliophiles became less comfortable reading the original Latin or Greek texts. Among the more successful French translators was Octavien de Saint-Gelais (1468–1502), whose ecclesiastical career as bishop of Angoulême (as of 1494) brought him into contact with Louise of Savoy, mother of the future king of France, Francis I (r. 1515–47). The present manuscript is a fine copy of Octavien’s verse translation of the Aeneid, written in decasyllabic couplets. Like many such manuscript copies, the volume was intended from the start to accommodate large introductory miniatures for each book, but these remain blank.

Author: Octavien de Saint-Gelais

ca. 1505–10

Manuscript on parchment, 161 fols.

University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Codex 909

France