readers of which the notice of this little discovery was particularly acceptable. Thus M. Lalanne, who ascertained first the true character of the volume, may be said to have discovered it. I owe to him the knowledge of the book, and I am pleased to have the opportunity of fully expressing all my obligation to his clever article on the subject, without which the present publication would never have seen the light.

The manuscript, written on strong paper, is an 18mo., rather square, measuring 0.095 millimeters in width, by 0.139 in height, and consists of 86 folios, numbered by a later hand.

Its present binding, dating only from the end. of the seventeenth century, is plain red morocco; the back is ornamented with fleurs-de-lys, and the sides with the arms of France. The edges are gilt, and we will remark that, in gilding the edges, the binder has been careful with them; for it is usual to see the letters closely written at the end of lines to get in an entire word, and the last letters are in no instance cut. It is thus certain that the volume has retained its original shape. On its garde is the present number 8660, and, on the

first leaf numbered, the older number 66412. Underneath the latter are these contemporaneous lines: "Maria D. G. Scotor. Reg. Galliæ vero Delphina," thus evidently written after Mary's wedding with Francis, the first son of Henry II, which took place on the 24th of April, 1558, when she was sixteen years of age, and before the accession of her husband to the French throne, which occurred on the 10th of July, 1559; for it was only during that time she could be called dauphine of France. Under it is the signature of Ballesdens, which may be seen in the fac-simile, and concerning whom it is here necessary to say a few words, in order to show by whose worthy hands the manuscript was preserved.

Jean Ballesdens was born in Paris at the end of the sixteenth century; he was advocate at the Parliament and Council, and private secretary to the chancellor Pierre Séguier, who was much attached to him, and presented him for election to the Académie Française, of which he was the protector. At a first candidature, Ballesdens, being in competition with the great dramatist, Pierre Corneille, was so just and respectful to the genius

of his rival as to decline all pretensions against him. This becoming and honourable modesty served Ballesdens; for he was the next elected in 1648, in the place of the poet Claude de Malleville, one of the first founders of this literary society. Although Ballesdens held frequent intercourse with all the learned men and authors in his country, he wrote little himself, but, as a true collector of books and manuscripts-for so he was, and many are known signed by him—was rather an editor of the works of others, among which we may quote the Elogia Clarorum Virorum by Papyrius Masson; the theological works of Gregorius Turonensis; the deeds relating to the acquisition of the Dauphiné by the crown of France; many works by Savonarola; and the Epistles of St. Catharine of Sienna. He died on the 27th of October, 1675.

As already stated, the manuscript contains the French theme and the Latin translation. The Latin, of which the titles are written in capitals with abbreviations reproduced in this edition,* is all by

* It is almost unnecessary to say that the letters S. P. D., frequently used in these directions, are for the words salutem plurimam dicit.

the hand of Mary, not transcribed at once, but written severally and probably day by day. The writing, the pen, the ink, are different, although by the same hand, neat and clever, quite Italian in form, and indisputable, as it will be seen by comparison with the numerous fac-similes of her later handwriting. But it is quite different with the French. It is evident that the book was blank when given to Mary, who was to transcribe her themes on the recto of each leaf, but who sometimes was so inattentive as to write on the verso. When the book was nearly full, the French themes were collected and written in their fit places by one hand, and perhaps at once; for the handwriting is identical in all places, and it is evidently that of a manual copyist; and, as some themes were lost, the leaf waiting them was left blank. This, as well as the character of the letters, though still gothic in their form and very bold, prevents the supposition that the French is a version by her fellow-scholar Elizabeth, from the Latin letters directed to her by Mary; some slight differences furnish also another proof that this French is in fact the original theme, and not a

version from the Latin. It is also improbable that we have there the hand of the preceptor; for the reader will soon discover some blunders which show evidently the hand of a mere amanuensis.

It would be curious to ascertain the name of this preceptor; Brantôme does not inform us of it in his article on Mary, but M. Lalanne has judiciously suggested that it is probably indicated in Brantome's article on Elizabeth; she, at least during one year, having had the same preceptor as Mary, as in one of these letters written by him he addresses himself to the two princesses.* The name of her preceptor, therefore, would give the name of the preceptor of Mary. These are the words of Brantôme, speaking of Elizabeth: "Elle avoit beau sçavoir, comme la royne sa mère l'avoit faicte bien estudier par M. de Saint Estienne, un précepteur qu'elle a toujours aimé et respecté jusqu'à sa mort." Some words of the Spanish historian of Mary agree entirely with this hypothesis: "Entregandolo a Catalina de Medicis, reyno de Francia, la fue errando con el mesmo amor que si fuera su madre."+ Yet this can only be given as a

* See letter XLV and also letter XXII.

+ Antonio di Herrera, Historia de lo Succedido en Esco