L'arbre des batailles .. [etc.]

A composite manuscript comprised of at least eight distinct pieces. Primary among these are Honoré Bonet’s L’arbre des batailles, John Lydgate’s The churl and the bird, and the anonymous 15th-century poem on English sea power, The libel of English policy. Also present are several smaller items. The two principle parts of this codex (ff. 1-163v and ff. 164-190), existed as at least three distinct manuscripts before they were bound together into the present volume in the Burgundian Netherlands/northern France during the third quarter of the 15th century. Based on geographic origin, age, contents, and three inscriptions bearing the name "Will[el]mo Caston," the ownership of this volume has sometimes been attributed to William Caxton, the first English printer. See the provenance note below. Some contents also cataloged separately.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library