De Nieuwe Taalgids. Jaargang 72

[p. 385]

New Manuscript Fragments of Maerlant' Naturen Bloeme

Some vellum fragments preserved in Aberdeen University Library should be of interest to students of Middle Dutch literature. These fragments, now numbered π0919 Fra 56, were taken during rebinding in 1951 from the binding of an early printed book, of which the bibliographical details are:

Grynaeus, Simon: Nouus Orbis Regionum ac insularum veteribus incognitarum, vna cum tabula cosmographica et aliquot aliis consimilis argumentis libellis... Adiecta est... Nauigatio Caroli Caesaris auspicio in comitijs Augustanis instituto. Apud Io. Heruagium Basileae 1555 (p. 677 ‘mense Septembrii’); folio.

The fragments are four strips, each about 50mm wide and varying in length from 170mm to 220mm, cut longitudinally from leaves that contained on each side two columns of short lines in Middle Dutch verse in a hand of the late fourteenth century,¹ with large capitals in red and line-initial letters faintly rubricated. They are now mounted in a cardboard cover, and I refer to them as they are mounted, A, B, C, D from left to right, and ‘recto’ and ‘verso’ as mounted. D verso is numbered at the top ‘lxxx’ and C recto ‘lxxxi’; Br clearly fits to the right of Dv and Ar to the right of Cr. The two strips together preserve one complete column, the second, of the recto of leaf lxxx on Dv-Br, with line-endings of the first column, and on Bv-Dr a complete column, the first, of the verso, with line-beginnings of the second; in the same way Cr-Ar preserve one column and line-endings of leaf lxxxi recto, Av-Cv one column and line-beginnings of the verso. The last lines of Ar and v are partly clipped, but to judge from the margins at top and bottom no lines are lost from any strip. All the columns contain forty lines except those on Av-Cv, which contain forty-one, though sometimes no trace remains of a very short line in the column of line-endings except the proportionate space. From this description it can be deduced that the strips preserve from whatever text it was the endings of forty lines, the complete text of the next eighty, the beginning of the next forty, the ends of the next forty, the complete text of eighty-one and the beginning of a further forty-one.

The subject-matter of the verse is the nature and properties of various trees, Arbor Ade, Bedellium, Buxus, Cedrus etc., and this at once suggests that it is from Book VIII of Jacob van Maerlant's Naturen Bloeme, and close to the beginning of that book. In fact, the complete sections correspond to VIII 183-262 and 317-399 in the edition of Dr Eelco Verwijs.²

1 Such at least it would seem to one whose experience is in reading rather Middle English manuscripts than Middle Dutch. The nearest hands in general appearance in Lieftinck, G.I., Manuscrits datés conservés dans les Pays-bas I (Amsterdam 1964) are on Plates 142, 143 and 150. My colleague Mr Colin McLaren, Keeper of Manuscripts and Archivist of the University of Aberdeen, who has been kind enough to check my reading of the text, concurs with this opinion, though with the same qualification.

2 Jacob van Maerlant's Naturen Bloeme uitgegeven door Dr Eelco Verwijs (Bibliotheek van Middelnederlandsche Letterkunde) Groningen 1878. I am grateful to Dr Lachlan Mackenzie of the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam first for checking that my identification was correct and then for providing a xerox copy of the relevant section of the text.

[p. 386]

Photographs of these fragments have been deposited at the Instituut De Vooys, but many letters are illegible on them because of the previous use to which the strips had been put. Aberdeen is perhaps too far from the Netherlands to justify a special visit by any scholar to examine such fragments, and I therefore print here the lines which are complete, numbering them as in the edition of Verwijs.³

D verso and B recto

Gaf tetene dat quade cruitt
Ende hadde wel naer al vut
Bi sulker dinc sijn heere verloren
Oec wast daer eerande doren
Sijn zap maect alle oeghen blent
Oec es daer een eruit bekent
Dat riect vtermaten wel
Maer menech cleene serpentkijn fel
Legheter in dats emmer waer
Wien so si steken hi steruet daer
Dit hebbic hier bedi ghenoemt
Hets meslijc waer de mensche coemt
Dat hi hem hoede alomtrent
Van dinghen die hi nietne kent

ARbor ade es bekent
Ende es een boem in orient
Die adaems boem heet bedi
Alse ons seghet jacob van vitri
Omdat si apple draghen vele
Scoene ende van verwen ghele
Ende elc appel met enen bete
Soe datmen sien mach ende weten
Dat got toeghet in erterike
Adaems sonden pròperlike
Ia ons seghet .ede aldus
Van andre. ..plen iosephus
Daermen die .esdaet an bekent
Warombe sodoma was ghescent
Daer got sulpher ende brant
Vanden hemele af warp tehant
Ende daer de doede zee nv leghet
Omtrent doeuere iosephus seghet

3 Professor W.P. Gerritsen has shown kindness beyond the duty of an editor in reading our text against the photographs, making many corrections and helpful suggestions. Readings from the two strips are run together, without indication of where the cut divides them. Letters which are damaged because of cuts, creases or nail-holes are printed as certain if their remains agree with those in the printed text; single letters totally illegible or doubtful are represented by single dots, longer sections of the text illegible by paired dots. At line 212 the last letter of ‘warp’ is superimposed on f or s and at line 234 the last letter of ‘soemer’ is altered from n.

[p. 387]

215

Staen boeme die scoene apple draghen

 

Maer binnen horic ghewaghen

 

Es el niet dan asschen die stinken

 

Ende dit mach ons wonder dinken

 

Datmen dese tueerande mesdaet

220

In die apple noch verstaet

 

 

 

BEdellium alse plinius seghet

 

Es een edel bloem die pleghet

 

⁺Int lant van bactria testane

 

Suart so es sine ghedane

225

Ende vander groette dat ene oliue

 

Vte dien b..me sietmen driuen

 

Eerande gumme seere goet

 

Alsemen vte kerseboemen doet

 

Die riect vtermaten soete

230

Men nutse te menegherande boete

 

Die gloese spreect vp genesis

 

Datsoe met wine ghemingt best is

 

 

 

BVxus es een bloem van sulken doene

 

.at hi staet soemer ende winter groene

235

Bosboem heet hi in onse tale

 

Men orbortene weetmen wale

 

Te taflen meest daermen in scrijft

 

Omdatd langhe gans blijft

 

Doch etent die worme alse wi vinden

240

Eer dan thout vander linden

 

 

 

CEdrus es een diere edel boem

 

Die hoeghst wast alsic neme goem

 

Wies blade wel te riekene plien

 

Ende daer serpente aue vlien

245

Sijn hout riect oec wel ter curen

 

Ende mach langhe goet gheduren

 

H.. .oept vte e..nde resine

 

Die cedria heet in ..ne

 

Daermen boeke .ede bestrijct

250

Ende nemmermeer daerna nebijt

 

An dien boec worme ne gheene

 

No sine rotten groet no cleene

 

Serpente vlien dien roke oec mede

 

Men vindt cedre in hare stede

255

Tueerande alsemen ons ghewaghet

 

Een die bloeit ende niet ne draghet

 

Een ander diene blo.it een tuint

 

Dats daermen die vrucht an vint

 

Die minste draghen dies gheloeft

+ B verso & D recto

[p. 388]

260

G.ote apple alse mans hoeft

 

Iacob van vitri die seghet

 

Dat sijn appel drie machte in heuet

 

 

 

C recto and A recto

 

 

 

Dat es beide suart ende wit

 

Ende niet alsoe goet alse dit

 

An wighen bindmen dusdaen hout

320

Want men seghet het heuet ghewout

 

Te verdriuene vanden kinden

 

Eiselike worme die wi vinden

 

Datsi in haren slape sien

 

⁺Platearius seghet van dien

325

Sijn hout ghepuluɵrt harde cleene

 

Breect inde blase die steene

 

 

 

Esculus es die mespelare

 

Sine vrucht en es niet mare

 

Eer soe groet es ghemeene

330

Elke heuet in v steene

 

Si sijn nutte ende bequame

 

Hem dien siec sijn in den lichame

 

Thout es vtermaten hart

 

Nochtan eist tehant al vart

 

 

335

FJcus alse ysidorus ghewaghet

 

Es een boem die vighen draghet

 

Sine blader die sijn quaet

338

W.t dat onder hem wast ende staet

341

Sine vrucht heeft die soefste smake

 

Diemen vindt van enegher .ake

 

Die serpente van endi

 

.leghen te leuene derbi

345

Maer die sijn soeter dan donse sijn

 

Plinius seghet die meester fijn

 

Datsi quaet sijn vremden lieden

 

Alsoe horewijt bedieden

 

Alse hi in yndia voer striden

350

Vighen tetene tallen tiden

 

Meesters segghen ouer waerheit hier

 

M.n ..e enen wreeden stier

 

Anden vigheboem hi sal der mede

 

Verliesen seere sine wreethede

 

⁺Sijn witte zap wilmen weten

356

Es goet ieghen serpents beten

 

Oec en es dat zap niet quaet

 

Der smetten .. doeghen staet

+ (Nota).

+ Nota

[p. 389]

 

⁺Galienus te verstane doet

360

Sine sijn te verduwene niet goet

 

Ende dit weetmen openbare

 

Datmense etet met ghinghebare

 

 

 

FAgus na dat ict besoeke

 

Es in onse sprake ene boeke

365

Sine vrucht es soete inden mont

 

Maer quaet der borst talre stont

 

Negheene olie es soe clare

 

No die in lampten beter ware

 

Dan diemen van boeclen slaet

370

Sijn hout es hart te houwene quaet

 

Nochta. etent de worme tehant

 

Dese boem wast in menech lant

 

 

 

FRaxinus alse ysidorus seghet

 

Es diemen esch te heetene pleghet

375

Een boem eist nuttelic te scachten

 

Sine asschen hebben vele van crachten

 

M.n maectere mede wel enen brant

 

M.n mingse met aysine tehant

 

Ende leghese daer die brant sal wesen

380

Daer b.ijft ene bleme van desen

 

⁺Essche .lade met aysine

 

Ghesta.pt wel sijn medicine

 

Iegh.. .curfte ende ieghen galen

 

Die .u.. den meneghen betalen

385

⁺Essche scorse ende esschen loef

 

Niewe ende moru des hebt gheloef

 

Wel ghewreuen met warmen wine

 

Es ene sta(r)ke medicine

 

Daer beene te broken sijn

390

Van esschen houte een laghelkijn

 

Sonder ander hout ghemanc

 

Houdmere wijn in ouer lanc

 

Die wijn es ghedronken goet

 

Hem dien de m.lte wee doet

 

 

395

IVniperus des nemic goem

 

Dinct mi sijn de jeneuer boem

 

Ende die es dus ghenatuurt

 

Dat sine cole vier. ee. jaer gheduurt

 

Datmen met .. .. asschen decket

What can be learned from the dialect of these lines about their provenance must clearly be left to experts in that field. So too must a detailed analysis of their textual relationships, though here some further observations may be helpful. In the lines printed above there are several readings that appear to be unique; at least, they are not noted in

+ A verso and C verso

+ ¶

+ ¶

[p. 390]

Verwijs's footnotes. Such are at lines 210, 223, 233, 234, 242, 334, 341, 354, 356, 361, 364, and 399. Others, such as those at 206, 214, 222, 251, 262, 318, 335, 358, and 366, and the omission of 339-40, are clearly significant in establishing relationships. Also important, however, are some differences between the incomplete lines and those corresponding in Verwijs. The line-endings on Dv accord completely with those of 143-182 in Verwijs, except that the last letter of the word before ‘dach’ in 154 is o, and that the word before ‘sine’ in 169 ends ht; the line-endings of Cr accord completely with lines 277-316. Thus the gap between the end of the first complete passage, 262, and 276 is only fourteen lines; yet the column of line-beginnings on Dr contains forty. The first six, completing ‘Cedrus’, (Duterst/Bet in/Ende da/Cedre/Omtren/Die nie) are clearly 263-268, but from the beginning of ‘Cypressus’ they run:

269	Cypr	In derde	Dat dat	Ende ghe.
270	Bin	Ende dien	Alsoe co	Eist goet
271	Want h	Ende ene.	Vte dien	Ieghen
272	Ende ne.	Die helie	Olie dier	So moet
273	Aldaer	Vul van	In den n	Eens me
	Alsoe a	Ende stop	Es goet	Ende die ve
	Teerste	Dattre g	Ende ieghe	Die salse
	Inde lu	Dan ma	Bestrijct	Ende oec sa
	Dan zet	Alsoe sta

From ‘Teerste’ onwards these correspond to the lines printed by Verwijs as 413-440, under ‘Iuniper’. And since the normal position of lines 413ff would put them into the second column of leaf lxxxi verso, it is relevant to give here the line-beginnings of fragment Cv, with numbers as in Verwijs:

400	Alsoe alse	410	Hets goet i		Die soete si	444	Onder
401	Wille hi je	411	Van desen h		Ende die sur	445	Daer b
402	Heet ende d	412	Olie van gro		Die van coe		Nemmerm
	Hare doen		Pumegheert		Es best dat		Sine blade
	Datsi ont		Want si in h		Dat zap m		Ne vallen
405	Ieghen tb		Malogranat		Doet der m		Ende sijn va
	Salmen je		Die dese app		Oec sign si g	450	Men salse
	In reghen		Ende droeghe		Best sijn de		Droeghen d
	Die met la		Tuee jaer		Want die		So bliuen
	Siede jenie		Som suur	443	LAurus		Ende sijn nu
							Platearius

Here the inserted lines are recognisable as 549-564. This evidence of disordering in these passages may be of value to future editors of Maerlant's work.

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HENRY HARGREAVES