Gutenberg Articles

Appearance

Excerpt ​

Excerpt from The High History of the Holy Graal, by Unknown Author

INTRODUCTION

This book is translated from the first volume of "Perceval le Gallois
ou le conte du Graal"; edited by M. Ch. Potvin for 'La Societe des
Bibliophiles Belges' in 1866, (1) from the MS. numbered 11,145 in the
library of the Dukes of Burgundy at Brussels. This MS. I find thus
described in M. F. J. Marchal's catalogue of that priceless collection:
'"Le Roman de Saint Graal", beginning "Ores lestoires", in the French
language; date, first third of the sixteenth century; with ornamental
capitals.' (2) Written three centuries later than the original
romance, and full as it is of faults of the scribe, this manuscript is
by far the most complete known copy of the "Book of the Graal" in
existence, being defective only in Branch XXI. Titles 8 and 9, the
substance of which is fortunately preserved elsewhere. Large
fragments, however, amounting in all to nearly one-seventh of the
whole, of a copy in handwriting of the thirteenth century, are
preserved in six consecutive leaves and one detached leaf bound up with
a number of other works in a MS. numbered 113 in the City Library at
Berne. The volume is in folio on vellum closely written in three
columns to the page, and the seven leaves follow the last poem
contained in it, entitled "Duremart le Gallois". The manuscript is well
known, having been lent to M. de Sainte Palaye for use in the Monuments
of French History issued by the Benedictines of the Congregation of St
Maur. Selections from the poems it contains are given in Sinner's
"Extraits de Poesie du XIII. Siecle", (3) and it is described,
unfortunately without any reference to these particular leaves, by the
same learned librarian in the "Catalogus Codicum MSS. Bibl. Bernensis",
J.R. Sinner. (4)

M. Potvin has carefully collated for his edition all that is preserved
of the Romance in this manuscript, comprising all the beginning of the
work as far as Branch III. Title 8, about the middle, and from Branch
XIX. Title 23, near the beginning, to Branch XXX. Title 5, in the
middle. Making allowance for variations of spelling and sundry minor
differences of reading, by no means always in favour of the earlier
scribe, the Berne fragments are identical with the corresponding
portions of the Brussels manuscript, and it is therefore safe to assume
that the latter is on the whole an accurate transcript of the entire
original Romance.

Explanation ​

This excerpt is the introduction to The High History of the Holy Graal (Perceval le Gallois ou le Conte du Graal), a 19th-century English translation of a medieval French Arthurian romance. The text itself is not a narrative passage but rather a scholarly preface explaining the manuscript sources, editorial decisions, and textual history of the work. Below is a detailed breakdown of its content, themes, literary context, and significance, with a focus on the text itself and its implications.

1. Context of the Source ​

The introduction describes the material and textual history of Perceval le Gallois, a key work in the Vulgate Cycle (or Lancelot-Graal Cycle), a vast 13th-century French prose compilation of Arthurian legends. The original romance was likely composed in the early 13th century, but the manuscripts discussed here date from later periods:

  • Brussels MS. 11,145 (16th century) – A "defective but most complete" copy, missing only part of Branch XXI.
  • Berne MS. 113 (13th century) – A fragmentary earlier manuscript containing about one-seventh of the text, preserved in seven leaves bound with other works.

The translator/editor (likely Sebastian Evans, who produced the 1898 English version) relies on M. Ch. Potvin’s 1866 edition, which collated both manuscripts to reconstruct the fullest possible text.

Key Details from the Text: ​

  • The Brussels manuscript is described as "full of faults of the scribe" but is the most complete surviving version.
  • The Berne fragments (older, from the 13th century) confirm the accuracy of the Brussels MS in overlapping sections, suggesting the latter is a faithful transcript of the original.
  • The physical description (vellum, folio, ornamental capitals, three-column layout) highlights the material culture of medieval manuscripts.

2. Themes in the Introduction ​

While not a narrative, the introduction touches on several meta-themes relevant to medieval literature and textual scholarship:

A. The Problem of Textual Transmission ​

  • The passage emphasizes the fragmentary nature of medieval texts, where works often survive in incomplete or corrupted copies.
  • The Brussels MS is a 16th-century copy of a 13th-century original, raising questions about scribal errors, editorial interventions, and textual authority.
  • The Berne fragments serve as a control text, verifying the Brussels MS but also showing that "variations of spelling and minor differences" exist even between reliable sources.

B. The Role of the Editor/Scholar ​

  • The introduction is self-reflexive about the process of reconstructing a medieval text.
  • Potvin’s collation (comparison of manuscripts) is presented as a scientific effort to recover the "original" romance.
  • The mention of Sainte-Palaye and the Benedictines of St. Maur ties the work to 18th- and 19th-century philological traditions, where scholars like Paul Meyer and Gaston Paris systematized the study of Old French literature.

C. The Materiality of the Book ​

  • The description of the Berne MS ("folio on vellum, closely written in three columns") reflects the physical labor of medieval book production.
  • The ornamental capitals in the Brussels MS suggest it was a luxury object, possibly commissioned by nobility (the Dukes of Burgundy).
  • The fact that the Berne fragments are bound with other works (including Duremart le Gallois) shows how medieval manuscripts were often anthologies, not standalone books.

3. Literary Devices & Rhetorical Strategies ​

Though not a literary work in the traditional sense, the introduction employs several rhetorical and scholarly techniques:

A. Appeal to Authority ​

  • The text cites multiple scholars (Marchal, Sinner, Sainte-Palaye) to legitimize its claims about the manuscripts.
  • Phrases like "it is therefore safe to assume" and "making allowance for variations" present the editor’s conclusions as reasoned and evidence-based.

B. Precision in Description ​

  • The detailed cataloging (e.g., "Branch XXI, Titles 8 and 9") reflects medieval and modern bibliographic practices.
  • The physical descriptions (vellum, folio, columns) help readers visualize the manuscripts, reinforcing the tangibility of the text.

C. Comparative Analysis ​

  • The introduction contrasts the two manuscripts:
    • The Brussels MS is later but more complete.
    • The Berne MS is older but fragmentary.
  • This dialectic (old vs. complete) is a common trope in textual criticism, where scholars must weigh age against completeness.

4. Significance of the Passage ​

A. For Medieval Studies ​

  • The introduction is a primary source for understanding how 19th-century scholars approached medieval texts.
  • It reveals the challenges of editing pre-print works, where no single "definitive" manuscript exists.
  • The Vulgate Cycle (to which Perceval le Gallois belongs) is crucial for Arthurian studies, as it expands on Chrétien de Troyes’ earlier Perceval, the Story of the Grail.

B. For Textual Scholarship ​

  • The passage exemplifies stemmatics (the study of manuscript relationships) and eclectic editing (combining sources to reconstruct a text).
  • The Berne fragments’ confirmation of the Brussels MS suggests that, despite scribal errors, later copies can preserve earlier readings.

C. For Literary History ​

  • The Graal (Grail) legend is a cornerstone of Western mythology, and this introduction situates Perceval le Gallois within that tradition.
  • The physical manuscripts (Berne, Brussels) are artifacts of cultural transmission, showing how stories were copied, preserved, and transformed over centuries.

5. Close Reading of Key Phrases ​

Several lines in the excerpt warrant deeper analysis:

"Written three centuries later than the original romance, and full as it is of faults of the scribe, this manuscript is by far the most complete known copy of the 'Book of the Graal' in existence..."

  • "Faults of the scribe" – Acknowledges that human error shapes textual history.
  • "Most complete" – Despite flaws, completeness is prioritized over antiquity, a common editorial dilemma.

"Making allowance for variations of spelling and sundry minor differences of reading, by no means always in favour of the earlier scribe..."

  • "Not always in favour of the earlier scribe" – Challenges the assumption that older = better; sometimes later scribes corrected errors in earlier copies.

"The volume is in folio on vellum closely written in three columns to the page..."

  • "Folio on vellum" – Indicates a high-status manuscript (vellum was expensive).
  • "Three columns" – Suggests economic use of space, common in medieval books to save materials.

6. Connection to Broader Arthurian Tradition ​

While the excerpt itself is bibliographical, it indirectly touches on major themes in Grail literature:

  • Quest for Authenticity – Just as Perceval seeks the Grail, scholars seek the "original" text.
  • Fragmentation & Wholeness – The Grail is often a broken or incomplete object; similarly, the romance survives in pieces.
  • Sacred vs. Secular – The Bibliophiles Belges (a 19th-century book club) treating a medieval religious romance as a collector’s item reflects the secularization of sacred texts.

Conclusion: Why This Introduction Matters ​

This introduction is more than a dry bibliographic note—it is a microhistory of how literature survives. It reveals:

  1. The physical reality of medieval books (vellum, scribes, bindings).
  2. The intellectual labor of editors reconstructing lost works.
  3. The cultural value placed on Arthurian legends across centuries.

For a modern reader, it serves as a reminder that texts are not static but evolving, contested, and physically embodied in the manuscripts that preserve them. The Grail, in this sense, is not just a mythic object but also a metaphor for the elusive "original" text that scholars, like knights, perpetually seek.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect, such as the Vulgate Cycle’s structure or the editorial methods described?