Aberystwyth National Library of Wales Cardiff MS 3.4 (RMWL Cardiff MS 5)

'Elis Gruffydd ai Ennedigayth yngronnant vcha ymplwy llanhassaph yn Sir y fflint ai ysgrivenodd anno M CCCCC XXVII yn llundain ymhalas Sir Robert Wyng[field] yn yr amser hwnw depetti ynghaleis' (Evans 1902, p. 101).

[Roughly translated: "Elis Gruffydd of Enedigiaeth in Gronant Ucha in the parish of Llanasa in the county of Flint wrote it in the year 1527 in London, in the house of Sir Robert Wingfield, who at that time was deputy in Calais."]

See Evans (1902) pp. 96-103 (p. 101) for full manuscript contents.

In his introduction to the Middle Welsh version of the story, Lewis noted the anomalous story order in this text, observing that Senescalcus had been 'lost'. The empress's last story is then, strangely, Tentamina - the details of how this is moralised and contextualised would require close examination of Lewis's text (in Welsh). The final sage, Martins, does not tell a story, but instead simply presages the prince's tale on the following day (Lewis 1925, 1958, 1967; pp. 29-30). (Note: confirmation needed from text.)

Lewis also notes that the usual name of the third master, Bankarrios/Painkaros rather than Lentulus, is an anomaly shared with NLW Llanstephan MS 117. Whether than suggests a relationship between the two texts (e.g., Cardiff MS 3.4/ MS 5 as a source for Llanstephan 117, which was composed c. 1544-1552) is not discussed (Lewis (1925, 1958, 1967), p. 29).

(Added by Jane Bonsall)

Authorship & Production

Scribe

Elis Gruffydd

Author

Elis Gruffydd

Place of Production

London, UK

Date of Production

1527

Source of Date of Production

Lewis (1925)

Physical Description

Material

Paper

Total pages / folios

266

Height

284

Width

203

Prose or verse

Prose

Illustrations

No

Contents & Additional Texts

Other texts in the Manuscript

Evans gives a general description of the contents of The Book of Elis Grûfydd as: 'Poetry, the XXIV Chief Kings, the Genealogy of the Saints, theological and astrological tracts etc.' (p. 96)

Catalogues & Research Literature

Catalogue

[1]

Modern Research Literature

Lewis (1925), Lewis (1925, 1958, 1967), Lewis (1929), Evans (1902)

Embedded Stories in This Manuscript

Has Short Title	Has Sequence Number	Has Narrator	Has Name Variation
Arbor – The Tree	1	Empress
Canis – The Faithful Dog	2	Bancillas	Bantillas
Aper – The Boar and the Fruit	3	Empress
Medicus – The Doctor	4	Auguste	Augustus
Gaza – The Treasure	5	Empress
Puteus – The Well	6	Bankarios	Bankarrios
Ramus	7	Empress
Roma and Lupus	8	Malquidras	Malcwidas
Virgilius – Virgil's Marvels	9	Empress
Vidua – The Widow	10	Caton	Cato
Sapientes – The Wise Men	11	Empress
Inclusa – The Imprisoned Wife	12	Jesse
Tentamina – The Test	13	Empress

Research Material

Has Research Material Title	Has Research Material Link	Has Research Material Description