Desrey was born around 1450 and died around 1514. He was a native of
Troyes. His motto was said to be
Tout par honneur (All in good faith). Little is known of his life, but his work indicates that he was well educated and had broad interests. He was a scholar with deep knowledge of the scriptures, a translator and a compiler of history who drew on various sources. In his continuation of the
Chronicles de Enguerran de Monstrelet, which includes the whole reign of
Charles VIII of France, he describes himself as a "
simple orateur de Troyes en Champagne." Since there is no record of his being a member of the clergy, "
orateur" may be taken as meaning "prose writer". Desrey contributed to the
Mystère de la Passion de Troyes, and acted in the plays as a member of the
Compagnons de Mystère. According to Théophile Boutiot, Desrey was one of the main actors in 1497, and could be called the principal. That year he represented the eternal Father. The town gave him 100 sous for his expenses and effort. His writings include a Latin version of the
Danse Macabre (1490), a translation of
Nicholas of Lyra's
Les Postilles et Expositions des Epistres et Evangilles Dominacales (1493), a translation of
Werner Rolevinck's
Fasciculus Temporum entitled
Fleurs et Manières des Temps Passées (1495), a compilation (1504), ''Parement et triumphe des Dames d'Olivier de la Marche
(1510) and contributions on Monstrelet (1512) and Gaguin (1514) to the Grandes Chroniques de France''. Desrey is thought to be the author of several poems, and is also thought to be the author of the Troyes
Mémoire. This was apparently written in 1492. It is a set of instructions for artists making tapestries for the
Church of Saint-Urbain, Troyes, that would depict legends of
Saint Urban and
Saint Cecilia. They gave a good sense of the details he thought important as an iconographer, but left considerable freedom of expression to the artist. Desrey's
Genealogie de Godefroi de Buillon, completed in 1499, survives only in print. It gives a complete history of the
Crusades, starting with the birth of the
Chevalier au Cygne (
Knight of the Swan), the mythical ancestor of
Godfrey of Bouillon (1060–1100), and ending after the accession of
Philip IV of France (1268–1314). At least six editions are preserved from the 16th century, published between 1504 and 1580. ==Surviving publications==