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LORiJ.wALTERS
hername,andtotheactofaffxinghersignaturetotextsshehascomposed
and/ortranscribed14.WeknowthattheQueenwasfamiliarwiththispassage,
sincetheMutacionisincludedinChantilly493.
TheattentionChristinepaystotheformofhersignatureiscomplemented
byheruseofanagrams,whichisparticularlyprominentintheQueen’sMS15.
ThefrstonecomesattheendofherCentbalades,fallingonfol.21r:"Enescris
yaymismonnom".Insosaying,Christineissuesatacitinvitationtoherread-
erstosearchforheridentityinthelettersinthetext.Inthiswaysheinsinuates
thatthecoreofheridentityconsistsinthelettersinscribedupontheparch-
mentleavesofherbooks,manyofwhichsheinscribedthereherself.
Butheruseofanagramsisevenmorepronouncedintheseriesofthree
anagramsfoundintheexplicitofitems#14,LeDebatdes.ii.amans,fol.71r;#15,
LeLivredes.iii.Jugemens,fol.81r;and#16,LeLivredePoissy,fol.94r.Allofthese
anagramsstresstheonomasticconnectionbetweentheauthor’snameand
Christ’s.TheanagramlocatedattheendofLeDebatdes.ii.amansstatesthat
hernamecanbe"foundeverywherewhereChristianityisimplanted"16.Since
ChristwasthoughtofastheLogos,theWordincarnate,inemployingthese
anagrams,ChristinecastsherselfasafemaleservantoftheincarnateWord.
ThesignatureasitwereguaranteeswhatmyFloridaStateUniversitycol-
leagueAnneColdironcallsChristine’sIauthoritytoadvise’17;inotherwords,
herauthoritytospeakasthevoiceofthebodypolitic.
Christine’sde-eroticizedpersonacanbeexpressedmetaphoricallyas
atonguedisengagedfromitsmooringsintheflesh,whichisexactlyhow
ChristinerepresentsthevoiceofherpatronsaintintheLivredelacitédes
dames,whichisbyfarthelongesttextsheincludesintheQueen’sMS.What
characterizesChristine’srecastingofthesaint’slifefoundintheMiroirhisto-
rialishercaretoemphasizetheonomasticlinkbetweenherownnameand
thenamesofbothherpatronsaintandChrist18.ItisnoteworthythatBook3,
Chapter10,devotedtoStChristinevirginandmartyr,containsthehighest
concentrationofoccurrencesofthedivineabbreviationintheQueen’sMS.
14AllreferencestotheMutacionaretoLeLivredelaMutaciondeFortune,éd.SuzanneSolente,
4t.,Paris,A.etJ.Picard,1959-1966.
15SeetheonlineAppendix,citedabove,Iforachartshowingthepositionofanagramsin
theQueen’sMS.
16Accordingly,throughouttheQueen’sMSshewritesthewordIChristianity’usingthe
sacredabbreviation,Ixpiente’.Theuseofthesacredabbreviationinthattermreinforcesheruse
ofthesacredabbreviationinthewritingofherownname.
17AnneE.B.Coldiron,EnglishPrinting,VerseTranslation,andtheBattleoftheSexes,1476-
1557,Farnham(GB),Ashgate,2009,p.43:"Christine’sauthoritytoadviseisanessentialfeature
ofherauthorship...".
18KevinBrownlee,"MartyrdomandtheFemaleVoice:SaintChristineintheCitédesDames
ImagesofSainthoodinMedievalEurope",ed.RenateBlumenfeld-KosinskiandTimeaSzell,Ithaca,
CornellUniversityPress,1991,p.115-135,atp.123.
