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A Portuguese Translation of Christine De Pisan's Livre Des Trois Vertus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

Charity Cannon Willard
Charity Cannon Willard*
Affiliation:
Radcliffe Institute for Independent Study, Cambridge 38, Mass.
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Extract

The International character of Christine de Pisan's writings has long ago been investigated where it concerns her familiarity with the works of her compatriots Dante and Boccaccio or her relations with the English court during the early years of the fifteenth century. Considerably less well known is the Portuguese translation of her Livre des trois vertus, which is to be found in MS. 11,515 of the National Library in Madrid. This translation was, furthermore, published in Lisbon in 1518. Although two copies of the edition still exist and are listed in Portuguese bibliographies, the only mention of such a translation among studies devoted to Christine de Pisan is a passing refererence in Mathilde Laigle's Livre des trois vertus: son milieu historique et litteraire (Paris, 1912). Here a footnote promises further information in a projected edition of the Trois vertus which has never appeared. Several years later the Portuguese translation was referred to by Aubrey Bell in his Portuguese Literature, but with several errors of detail. As the existence of the manuscript and the two printed copies cannot fail to arouse the curiosity of any student of Christine de Pisan's writings or, indeed, of the intellectual currents of the late Middle Ages, it would seem worth while to attempt a plausible explanation of the circumstances which brought the Portuguese version into being.

Type
Research Article
Information
PMLA , Volume 78 , Issue 5 , December 1963 , pp. 459 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1963

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References

1 A. Farinelli, “Dante nell'opere di Christine de Pisan,” Festschrift H. Morf (Halle, 1905); A. Jeanroy, “Boccace et Christine de Pisan,” Romania, XXVTII (1922), 93–105; J. P. Rice, “A Note on Christine de Pisan and Cecco d'Ascoli,” Italica, xv (1938), 145–151; P. G. C. Campbell, “Christine de Pisan en Angleterre,” Rev. de Lilt, comparee, v (1925), 659–670; C. Buhler, “Sir John Falstof's Manuscript of the ‘Epitre d'Othea’ and the Stephen Scropes' Translation of his Text,” Scriptorium, iii (1949), 123–128; S. Cigada, “Christine de Pisan e la traduzione inglese delle poesie di Charles d'Orleans,” Aevum, xxxii (1958), 509–516.

2 Laigle, p. 35; Aubrey F. G. Bell, Portuguese Literature (Oxford, 1922), p. 95; for a more correct account of the Portuguese version: Alvaro J. da Costa Pimpao, Histdria da Literatura Portuguesa: Idade Media (2a ed. Coimbra, 1959), pp. 11–12. An edition of the Portuguese text has appeared as this article was in the course of publication: D. Carstens Grobenberger, Christine de Pisan: Buck von den drei Tugendenden in portugiescher Ubersetzung (Miinster, Westf., 1961).

3 Fol. lr°: “Aqui se comeca o livro das tres vertudes a instruanca das damas. O primeiro capitulo devisa as tres vertudes por cujo mandamento Christina fez e compillou o livro da cidade das damas. E Ihe apareceron outra vez e Ihe mandaron que fizesse esta presente obra, o qual livro joy tornado de jfrances em esta nossa linguajem porlugues por mandado da muyto excellente et comprida de muytas vertudes Senhora a Rainha Dona Isabel, mother do muyto alto e muyto excellente prinqep e senhor, El Rey Dom Ajfonso, o quinto de Portugal et do Algarve et senhor de Qepta etc.”

4 Livros Antigos Portugueses (1489–1600) da biblioteca de Sua Majeslade jldelissima, descriptos por S. M. el-Rei D. Manuel (London, 1929), I, 349–355; Francis M. Rogers, The Travels of the Infante Dom Pedro of Portugal (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1961), p. 58 (return from travels); p. 31 (omission of France from itinerary).

5 Livros Antigos Portugueses, I, 344–355; Maria Adelaide Valle Cintra, Bibliografia de textos medievais Portugueses pullicados (Lisboa, 1960), p. 62. See also Rui do Pinto de Mattos, Manuel Bibliogrdphico Portugues (Porto, 1878), pp. 228–229; Sousa Viterbo, 0 Movimento tipogrdfico em Portugal no seculo XVI (Coimbra, 1924), pp. 138–139; Anselmo e Proenca, Bibliografia das obras impressas em Portugal no stculo XVI (Lisboa, 1926), n° 442.

6 For the Portuguese Vila Christi: Livros Antigos Portugueses, I, 44–79; Da Costa Pimpao, pp. 7–9. In the United States, copies of this rare edition are to be found at Harvard University, the Morgan Library, and the Huntington Library. See Augusto Magne, S. J., ed. 0 Livro de Vita Christi em linguagem portuguSs (Rio de Janeiro, 1957), I, xiii. For the Boosco deleytoso: Da Costa Pimpao, pp. 9–10; Bell, pp. 93–94.

7 Livros Antigos Portugueses, i, 354; also Conde de Sabu-gosa, A Rainha D. Leonor (Lisboa, 1921), pp. 308–309.

8 S. Solente, ed., Le Livre des Fais el Bonnes Meurs du Sage Roy Charles V, Soc. H. Fr., 2 vols. (Paris, 1936–41); See I, Introduction, xxvi–xxxii.

9 To the thirteen manuscripts listed by Laigle (p. 34) must be added six others: Boston Public Library (C. C. Willard, “The ‘Three Virtues’ of Christine de Pisan,” The Boston Public Library Quarterly, H, October 1950, 291–305). British Museum Add.MS. 31, 841; Oxford-Bod.MS. French d. 5; The Hague-Koninklijke Bibl. MS. 131 C 26; Brussels-Bibl. Royale MS. 10974; Vienna-Nationalbibliothek Cod. 2604. The three French editions, copies of which are in the Bibl. Nat.: Le Tresor de la Citi des Dames, selon Dame Christine (Verard, Paris, 1497); Le Trksor de la Cite des Dames de degri en degri et de lous eslah, selon Dame Christine (Michel Lenoir, Paris, 1503); Le Trisor de la Citt des Dames, selon Dame Christine, de la Cile de Pise, Livre tresulile el prouffitable four I'Introduction des Roynes, Dames, Princesses et autres iemmes de tous estatz (Jehan Andre et Denis Janot, Paris, 1536).

10 Les Enseignements aVAnne de France a sa fille Suzanne, A. M. Chazaud, ed. (Moulins, 1878), Appendice; Laigle, p. 40.

11 Sousa Viterbo, D. Isabel de Portugal Duqueza de Bor-gonha, notas documenlaes para a sua biografia et para a his-tdria das relacoes entre Portugal e a Corte de Borgonha (Lisboa, 1905), pp. 11–13, publishes a letter of 3 April 1445, which refers to this ship bearing works of art destined for Batalha (Torre do Tombo, Chancellaria de D. Affonso V, liv. 25, fol. 77).

12 See Domingos Mauricio Gomes dos Santos, S. J., D. Duarte e as responsabilidades de Tanger 1433–1438 (Lisboa, 1960).

13 Da Costa Pimpao, p. 292; Sousa Viterbo, pp. 29–30, for text of documents in the Torre do Tombo; D. Fr. Joao Alvarez, Chronica do Infante Santo D. Fernando, Mendes dos Remedios, ed. (Coimbra, 1911); documents concerning the foundation of a chapel by the Duchess Isabel in Santo An-tonio of Lisbon to the memory of her brother on 18 November 1471 have been published by V. Braamcamp Freire in Archivo Hisldrico Porluguls, VI, 438–442.

14 Kervyn de Lettenhove, ed., QLuvres de Georges Chastellain (Bruxelles, 1863–66), i, i.

15 The discourses of the Dean of Vergy were published in Oliveira Martins, Os Filhos de Joao I (7a ed., Lisboa, 1947), pp. 383–419; cf. also the last chapter, “A Descendencia do Condenado,” pp. 309–318. For D. Philippa, see Carlota Abrantes Saraiva, O Insiituto de Odivelas, breve noticia histdrica (Lisboa, 1960), pp. 5–6.

16 La Baronne Amaury de la Grange, “Itineraire d'Isabelle de Portugal,” Annates du Comite Flamand de France, XLII (Lille, 1938), 134–135; Olivier de la Marche, Mimoires, ed. Henri Beaune et J. d'Arbaumont (Paris, 1883–88), ii, 135–141; Oliveira Martins, p. 311.

17 Jose Cortez, “Infantes de Aviz retratados por Van der Weyden?”Belas Artes: Revista e Boletim da Academia National de Belas Artes (Lisboa, 1953), 2a sene, no. 8, 13–18, suggests that a portrait in the National Gallery of London represents this princess. The marriage treaty of Beatrice of Coimbra with Adolf of Cleves is preserved in Lille, Archives du Nord, B428. Cf. also Olivier de la Marche, iii, 378; Rogers, Dom Pedro, pp. 77–79.

18 Jose Cortez, op. cit. Betas Artes 2a serie, no. 6. Part in, “Dom Jaime, Cardeal da Santa Igreja Romana,” 23–27; Rogers, pp. 82–85. In “New Documents concerning Dona-tello, Lucca and Andrea della Robbia, Desiderio, Mino, Uccello, Pollaiuolo, Filippo Lippi, Baldovinetti and Others,” The Art Bulletin, XLIV, June 1962, 155–167, Frederick Hartt outlines a controversy which is taking place over the publication of the Cambini documents which were discovered (1956) in the Florentine Archivio dell'Ospedale degli Inno-centi and announces the forthcoming publication of The Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal by the Univ. of Pennsylvania Press.

19 Castellain, iii, 121 ff; La Chronique d'Enguerrand de Monslrelet, publ. par L. Douet d'Arcq, Soc. Hist, de Fr. (Paris, 1857–62), v, cxx. On the departure of her nephew Isabel of Portugal gave him a series of tapestries described as “une chambre a personnages et six autres grans tapis aussi a personnages,” Inventaire des Archives du Nord: Serie B (Lille, 1863–1906), iv, 201. For the identification of Van der Weyden's “Young Man with an Arrow” in the Brussels Museum of Ancient Art as John of Coimbra, see Jose' Cortez, “Dom Joao de Coimbra: Retrato por Rogier Van der Weyden,” CoUquio: Revista de Aries e Letras, vii, No. 7 (Feb. 1960), 9–12. The portrait was formerly thought to depict Antoine, “Le Grand Batard de Bourgogne,” but the latest edition of the Guide Bleu (1958) refers to the identification with John of Coimbra. See also Annates de Bourgogne, xxvii (1955), 63.

20 E. Martinez-Ferrando, Pere de Portugal, “rei dels Catalans,” vist a travis del registres dela seva cancelleria (Barcelona, 1936); J. Calmette, “Dom Pedro, roi des Catalans, et la Cour de Bourgogne,” Annates de Bourgogne, XVIII(1946), 7–15; “Deux lettres du XV6 siecle en portugais aux archives municipales de Barcelone,” Etudes Medievales (Toulouse, 1946), p. 184.

21 Tragedia de la insigne Reina Dona Isabel, revista e pre-faciada por Carolina Michaelis de Vasconcelos (Coimbra, 1922), Introduction, p. 20.

22 Among the chapters of Part One of the Trois Vertus, the following attract particular attention in this connection: Ch. iv: “Comment la sage et bonne princepce se penera de mettre paix entre le prince et les barons s'il y a aucun des-cort,” and Ch. xiv: “Comment la sage princepce tendra discrete maniere, meismement vers ceulx que elle saura bien qui ne l'aimeront pas ou qui aront envie sur elle.” The description of Queen Isabel by Elaine Sanceau, The Perfect Prince (Porto, 1959), is also significant: “A thoughtful girl, cultured like all her brothers and sisters, like them she found her chief solace in books. She read in several languages and caused translations to be made of devotional works besides Christine de Pisan's ‘Livre des trois vertus,‘ that code of behavior for medieval young ladies … Isabel was the hope of all her banished family, the lodestar to which they looked, expecting it would one day lead them home” (p. 4).

23 O Leal Conselheiro, edicao critica e anotada por Joseph M. Piel (Lisboa, 1942).

24 A Virtuosa Bemfeytoria, editada com una introducao e notas por Dr. Joaquim Costa (3a ed., Porto, 1946). For an analysis see Robert Ricard, “L'Infant D. Pedro de Portugal et ‘O Livro da Virtuosa Bemfeytoria’,” Bulletin des Etudes porlugaises et de I'Instilut francais au Portugal, xvii (1953), 1–65.

25 Mario Martins, S. J., Esludos de lileralura medieval (Braga, 1956): Cap. viii, “A Versao portuguesa de Vita Christi e os seus problemas,” pp. 105–110; Livros Antigos Portugueses, I, 44–79.

26 G. C. Macaulay, ed., The Complete Works of John Gower (Oxford, 1899–1902), ii, clxvii. Also Da Costa Pimpao, p. 3.

27 Reynaldo dos Santos, Os Primitives Portugueses (2a ed. Lisboa, 1957), Pl. xxvi.

28 Francisco Brandao, Conselho e voto da Senhora D. Felippa, filka do Infante D. Pedro, sobre as tercarias e guerras de Castilla. Com huma breve noticia desta Princeza (Lisboa, 1643), p. 46. Brandao believed that the manuscripts of some of the translations made at Odivelas by the princess were written and illustrated by pen drawings from her own hand. See also Oliveira Martins, p. 313.

29 Lileralura Portuguesa, p. 12.

30 The question of relations between Flanders, Burgundy, and Portugal at this period has been treated in particular by Carlo Bronne, Le Grand Sircle du Portugal et de la Bourgogne (Coimbra, 1951); A. da Veiga-Simses, La Flandre, le Portugal et les debuts du capilalisme moderne (Bruxelles et Paris, 1933); Emile Vanden Bussche, Flandre et Portugal (Bruges, 1874), and most recently by Jean-Marie Surjous, “Isabelle de Portugal et les portugais a la Cour de Bourgogne,” unpubl. diss. (Lille, 1953).