[BOUGOYNG (Simon)]

♦ The Espinette of the young prince. Conquering the kingdom of good fame. S.l.n.d. [at colophon] : Paris, Michel le Noir, 1514. Gothic folio, red morocco, triple fillet, ornate spine, interior lace, gilt edges (Trautz-Bauzonnet). Barbier, Ma bibliothèque poétique, I, n°13. - Bechtel, B-356. Second edition of this allegorical poem of nearly 20,000 verses, in the genre of Gringore, composed by Simon Bougoyng (or Bougoing), valet of king Louis XII. The name of this author is given in acrostic in 14 lines at the end of the work. Only two editions of this poem are known, this one and the original edition published by Vérard in 1508. One of the most beautiful gothic books with figures. The illustration includes 51 woodcut figures, including the one on the title, which represent knights. Some engravings are found in editions of other texts: the Roman de la Rose, the Destruction of Troy, the Regnars traversans, or the Livre des ruraulx prouffitz. The copy belonged to Joseph-Antoine de Crozat, marquis de Tugny (1696-1751), adviser to the Parliament, with his handwritten ex-libris on the verso of the title (Ex-bibliotheca D. Crozat) (cat. 1751, n°1184), and then to the duke of La Vallière (cat. 1783, t. II, n°2885) whose coat of arms which appeared on the old binding has been preserved and here glued on the linings. It appeared in the Bulletin Morgand in 1903, under n°44890 (characteristic pencil mark). From the library of Am. Berton library (ex-libris). Small ink stains on the boards and on the spine.