In 1907 M. Pierre Champion announced his discovery that the manuscript fr. 25248 in the Bibliothèque Nationale, consisting chiefly of poems by Charles d'Orléans, was to a great extent autograph, and where not autograph, was revised under the personal care of the poet. Important as is this discovery for the knowledge of fifteenth century French literature, there is one feature of the manuscript which may lead us, if the slender clues are followed, to an identification of a new English poet of the courtly school.
On page 346 of the ms . M. Champion finds, in the Duke's autograph, two roundels in English On pages 310–313, in an interpolated quire not originally part of the volume, are six roundels and a ballade in English. This quire contains no piece in the Duke's hand; but two pieces at the beginning of the quire are by him, and written in the hand of the earliest scribe of the volume.