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LORiJ.wALTERS
WiththeseechoesofMark1:3andIsaiah40:321,Christineidentifesherself
symbolicallyasafemalecounterparttoJohntheBaptist,assheworkstousher
inanewageofpeaceandprosperitytobeheadedbyaworthyworldleader,
asanewChrist.
ThelayoutoftheRoseDebateEpistlesintheQueen’sMS,whichismarked
bytheprominentplacementoftheauthorialsignature,impliesnotonlythat
Christine’sauthorityissuperiortothatofthemaleclercsinvolved,buteven
moreimportantlythatshespeakswithadivinelyauthorizedvoice,which
makesherqualifedtospeakasthevoiceofthebodypolitic.Sheisawor-
thysecretarytothequeen,justassheisaworthysecretarytotheking,the
dauphin,andthedukes22.Themodelforherstanceasroyalamenuensiswas
Christine’sownpatron,CharlesV,asweseehiminthefrequentlyreproduced
openingminiatureofamanuscriptoftheFrenchtranslationofJohnofSalis-
bury’sPolicraticusdonebytheFranciscanDenisFoulechat23.Charlesisseated
beforeabookopentooneofthepsalms,withthehandofGodappearing
outofacloudtodispenseitswisdomtotheking.Thereisacorrespondence
predicatedbetweenthedivinevoiceandthedivinehand,andbetweenthe
monarch’swisdom,conferredbyGod,andthetext,thepsalms,fromwhich
theDavidickingteaches.Firstthehandwritesdowninabookwhatthedi-
vinevoicecommands,andthentheKingcorrespondinglycommunicatesto
hispeoplethedoctrineprovidedbythewrittenword.Charlesappearsinthe
miniatureastheDavidicChristianmonarch,expressingthevoiceoftheHoly
Spiritforthegreatergoodofall.Hisisthevoiceofbodypolitic.
ChristinemostclearlyfollowsCharlesV’sexample,asitisrepresented
hereinthePolicratiqueminiature,whenshecomposesherLivreducorpsde
policie,abookaboutthebodypoliticorchestratedbyitsadvisoryfemalevoice.
ShealsofollowsCharles’sexampleinherSeptpsaumesallegorisés,whenshe
recaststhesevenpenitentialpsalmsaccordingtotheprescriptionsCharles
hadmappedoutforpropertranslations,whichsheherselfreportsoninBook
3,Chapter12oftheKing’sbiography24.Christinethusrefashionsherselfasan
offciallyauthorizedtransmitterofdivinewisdomforthegreatergood,onthe
modelofCharlesVandhistranslators.
21AllbiblicalquotationsarefromtheDouay-Rheimstranslation,TheHolyBibletranslated
fromtheLatinVulgate,Baltimore,1899;repr.Rockford,Il.,1971.
22ShecanbeconsideredtobesecretarytotheQueen,andthusacounterparttotheKing’s
secretarieslikeGontierCol,oneofheropponentsintheRoseDebate.
23Paris,BnF,fr.24287wascopiedc.1372byHenrideTrévouandRaouletd’Orléans.
24SeeLoriJ.Walters,"TheRoyalVernacular:PoetandPatroninChristinedePizan’sSept
PsaumesallégorisésandCharlesV",TheVernacularSpirit:EssaysonMedievalReligiousLiterature,
ed.RenateBlumenfeld-Kosinski,DuncanRobertson,andNancyWarren,NewYork,Palgrave,
2002,p.145-182.
