"An Epistle of Noble Poetrye"
Subtitle: a Middle English translation of Christine de Pizan's "L'Epistre d'Othéa"
By: edited from London, British Library, MS Harley 838 by Richard J. Moll, Anne Schuurman, and Emily Pez
Contributors: Moll, Richard J. (Richard James), 1966- editor; Schuurman, Anne, editor; Pez, Emily, editor
Series: Middle English texts -- 65; Middle English texts -- 65.
Publisher: Universitätsverlag Winter
Published: 2022
Place of publication: Heidelberg
Language: eng
Number of pages: 173
ISBN-13: 9783825349653
Copyright date: 2022
Subjects: Princes; Early works to 1800; Conduct of life
Other titles: Epistle of Noble Poetrye :
Work titles: Epître d'Othéa à Hector
Description: "'An Epistle of Noble Poetrye' is a late-fifteenth-century English translation of Christine de Pizan's 'L'Epistre d'Othéa' (ca. 1400). The 'Epistle' survives in London, British Library, MS Harley 838, a family volume that passed from Anthony Babyngton (who probably acted as copyist) to his great-grandson and namesake who plotted the assassination of Elizabeth I. Presented as a letter of advice from the goddess Othea to the young Hector of Troy, the work draws on two distinct traditions: the glossing of Roman myth and the encyclopedic gathering of maxims and aphorisms from authoritative sources. In one hundred brief verses, Othea alludes to narratives that might guide Hector's behaviour. Each verse is followed by a prose 'Glose' and 'Moralyté' that explain the chivalric and spiritual lessons to be drawn from the myth. This is the first critical edition of the Middle English text to include a discussion of Christine's original text and the techniques of the translator, a study of the Epistle's codicological context, and an analysis of the language of the scribe. The text is followed by a commentary, glossary, index of names, and bibliography."--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-173), glossary and index.

Original text in Middle English; critical matter in English.