Bibliothèque nationale de France, français 95

From Seven Sages of Rome

Manuscript
Reference Number Fr31
Location Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France
Siglum/Shelfmark Français 95 (formerly Regius 6769)
Page/Folio range 355ra-380ra
Standardised title of narrative Sept Sages de Rome
Incipit or textual title A Romme ot I empereour qui ot a non Dyoclesiens…
Version (siglum) Overlap of Versions A and L
Language Group within Version French A/L Overlap
Narrative/Scholarly Group within Version
Further scholarly subgroup (1)
Further scholarly subgroup (2) Text Q
Translated/adapted from (Version/Text)
Source for information on textual relationship to broader tradition Runte, Society of the Seven Sages Portal (2014)
Scribe
Author
Place of Manuscript Production Thérouanne, France
Date of Manuscript Production c. 1280
Source of date Manuscript Production BNF: https://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cc13594b
Material Parchment
Language of Manuscript Old French
Regional or specific Language of Manuscript Old French (Nord)
Source for regional or specific Language of Manuscript BNF: https://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cc13594b
Prose or Verse Prose
Other texts in the Manuscript 1ra-113va: L'estoire del saint Graal

113va-354vb: Le roman de Merlin en prose, avec la Suite Vulgate du Merlin

355ra-380ra: Le roman des sept sages de Rome

380ra-394vb: André le Moine, La penitance Adam

Script style/form
Total pages/folios in Manuscript 394
Height 470
Width 330
Illustrations Yes
Digitisation https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6000108b
Modern Editions Plomp, De Middelnederlandsche bewerking van het gedicht van den VII Vroeden van binnen Rome (1899)Runte, Les sept sages de Rome: An On-Line Edition of French Version A (2006)
Catalogue Arlima: https://arlima.net/no/4153BNF: https://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cc13594b
Modern Research Literature Plomp (1889)Runte (1974)Runte, Society of the Seven Sages Portal (2014)Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984)Runte (1989)Le Roux de Lincy (1838)Paris (1876)Berne-Aïache (1966)Berne-Aïache (1977)Speer (1981)Foehr-Janssens (1994)Coco (2016)

Note

Spectacular initial minature and marginalia.

A note on grouping: This text is listed as part of Version A in JONAS, Arlima, Runte, etc. However, because of the presence of Filia and Noverca, I have grouped this with the other texts demonstrating the bleed between A and L.

The BNF catalogue notes that this manuscript and the manuscript 'Phillips 130' (Yale University Beinecke Library, MS 229) are 'complémentaires'. The Beineke Library manuscript contains: Le livre de Lancelot du Lac, La queste del Graal, La mort au roy Artu. This has led to some cataloguing confusion; on the JONAS site, for example, the listing for the 'Sept Sages de Rome, version A' includes 'Yale University Library Beinecke Ms 229'. This appears to be in error, and due to the linking of the two manuscripts through their Arthurian texts.

This text is also apparently closely related to Cambridge Gg.6.28. Plomp (1889) observes that BNF 95 and Cam Gg.6.28 are so closely related that they replicate the same error: Anxilles is introduced 2nd, and Lentulus 3rd, but Lentulus tells the 2nd story, and Anxilles the 3rd.

Pattern of embedded stories in this manuscript

Short StorySequence NumberNarratorName Variations
Arbor1Empress
Canis2Bancillas
Aper3Empress
Medicus4Lentulus
Gaza5Empress
Puteus6Anxilles
Senescalcus7Empress
Tentamina8MalquidrasMalquidarz
Virgilius9Empress
Avis10CatoCaton
Sapientes11Empress
Vidua12Jesse
Filia13Empress
Inclusa14Meron
Roma15Empress
Vaticinium16Prince
Noverca17