A Folio from the Somnium Viridarii

Abstract

The auction of a folio from an otherwise unidentified manuscript of the Somnium Viridarii coincides with a recent re-examination of the textual tradition, thus providing an opportunity to position the fragment within that tradition and to determine its philological value. The Somnium Viridarii, a dialogue on papal vs. royal power surviving in eight other manuscripts, was completed in 1376 by Évrart de Trémaugon and quickly translated into French for King Charles V as Le songe du Vergier, extant in at least 25 medieval witnesses. The critical edition of the section contained in the fragment from the oldest known manuscript reveals that the folio is independent from the complete codices and contains a text that is at least as clean as the best of those other copies.