The colophon can be found at the very end of the book; it is a brief note pertaining to the specifics of the text. Colophons can describe information such as the font used in the edition, the paper the text was printed on, and number of copies produced. This manuscript version of Les Epistres sur le Roman de la Rose does not contain a colophon. However, on the back page of the book there are almost illegible, handwritten notes that recount the provenance of the book. From these notes, one can reconstruct an interesting history. It seems that the book was first given by Christine de Pizan to the Duke of Berry. In ink, but erased and only partly legible, the text reads: “This book belongs to the Duke of Berry, Jean.” Underneath this text, there is an inscription in another hand, which is also partly erased and reads: “This book was… and it was donated by Mons. The Duke of Berry to Melun in Paris.” Below that, in the same hand, it reads “Fine, [--]me [?].” Finally in a modern hand and in pencil there is a note that states: “this Ms belonged to John, Duc de Berry, see his signature above.”
There is an additional note in Latin. Unlike the others which are written in back pen or pencil, this note is red ink and it is in a different gothic hand. It reads “Memento dantis. Accipito datum placide dantisque memento Sic quod non vento des quod tibi corde precatur.” On the back cover of the book, written in the same bâtarde script as the rest of the manuscript, it reads: “Christine de Pizan.” While none of these details is typically included in a colophon, the information in these notes offers a glimpse into the many owners and mobile life of this manuscript.
