Taking another look at the Pastoral Eye. New insights based upon a second copy of the Oculus pastoralis

Abstract

This article focuses on the opening text of a miscellany held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris, BNF, lat. 4686). Upon closer examination the text turns out to be a missing copy of the Oculus pastoralis, untapped by the three editors of the text whose editions are all based upon a single copy (Cleveland (Ohio, USA), Public Library, Wq 789.0921 M-C 37). This article aims to broaden the awareness of the existence of this second copy within the scholarly community. In addition, it intends to demonstrate that this witness profoundly alters our current understanding of the structure, contents and composition of the Oculus pastoralis.