An anonymous prose adaptation of the Roman de la Rose survives in two MSS: B.N. fr. 1462 and Chantilly 484. This prose version dates from early- to mid-fifteenth century and precedes Molinet's moralization. Both MSS are unedited and virtually undocumented.
Chapter I contains physical descriptions of both MSS, the hands used, and the rubrics. It offers a comparison of common traits and variants of the two MSS in order to establish that they do represent the same prose adaptation.
Chapter II provides a comparison of the prose version with the MS variants documented by Langlois. While no single verse source can be pinpointed, common variants link the prose MSS to certain MS families.
In Chapter III the prose tradition is discussed. Procedures of adaptation which have been outlined by critics such as Georges Doutrepont are described and applied to the prose version.
Chapter IV contains representative passages from MS 1462. The passages offer examples of how the techniques of unrhyming and modernizing the verse text have been applied.
In Chapter V the effect of the Quarrel of the Rose is examined. Many of the passages attacked by critics Christine de Pizan and Jean Gerson remain essentially unaltered in the prose version, while others show evidence of some attempt at moderating what had been perceived as misogyny.
Appendix A lists the rubrics and folio numbers of the prose MSS, and Appendix B provides facsimiles of representative folios of both MSS.