Dolopathos

The narrative Dolopathos, sive Rege et Septem Sapientibus (The King and the Seven Wise Men) was composed by the Cistercian monk Johannes de Alta Silva (or Jean de Haute-Seille) sometime between 1184 and 1212. The work is dedicated to Bertrand, Bishop of Metz, and between these dates the monastery of Haute-Seille was in the bishop's diocese. The original Latin Dolopathos was translated into Old French by the poet and trouvere Herbert in the early 13th century.

Dolopathos represents a unique version of the Seven Sages tradition, distinct from all the other Western texts. As outlined in Gilleland, the narrative opens with a lengthy preamble that sets the scene of the frame story in Sicily, whose king Dolopathos - meaning one who suffers great grief - is characterised as a beloved and benevolent ruler. His political enemies slander him to the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus, but Dolopathos travels to Rome and mounts an eloquent defense of the justice of his rule. Learning how beloved he is by his people, Augustus rules in Dolopathos' favour, and the two become friends; Augustus even gives Dolopathos his wife's sister (the daughter of Agrippa) in marriage, who bears him a son. The boy is foretold to rule Sicily, to suffer treachery, and to worship the greatest god - presaging the conversion to Christianity at the end of the text. The education of the prince Lucinus follows the pattern found in the Eastern narratives, in that a single sage - Virgil, in this case - educates him until he has mastered the arts and sciences. His vow of silence upon his return to the king's court is punctuated by his written communication; this does not stop his step-mother from accusing him of rape after her failed seduction attempt.

The following stories-as-evidence told by seven sages from Rome and eventually Virgil diverge from the expected pattern, in that the queen does not tell any stories in between the sages' tales. In addition to the omission of half the expected tales, Dolopathos is further distinguished by the unique collection of tales it does contain. The first story, Canis, is the only embedded tale found across all major branches of the tradition; of the rest, two (Gaza, Puteus) are part of all of the versions of the broad Western Seven Sages tradition (e.g., the Historia and Version A). Of the others, seven are found nowhere else in the tradition, and several - Creditor, Cygni, and Polyphemus - have important links to broader European literary traditions, sometimes appearing here for the first time before their eventual widespread popularity.

Identification and general Information
Reference Number
Siglum of the version of the Seven Sages	Dolopathos
Title	Dolopathos
Author

Tradition and Lineage
Branch of the tradition	Seven Sages of Rome
Adapted from (version)
Adapted into (version)
Source for composition and adaptation information

Recorded secondary versions
Dolopathos French Dolopathos Latin Dolopathos

Connected manuscripts

Language and Composition
Language of version	Latin
Language of text	Latin
Regional or specific language of version
Translated into (languages)	French
Place of composition	Haute-Seuille, France
Date of composition	1184 - 1212
Islamic date of composition
Hebrew date of composition
Source for date of composition	Gilleland (1981)

Modern Scholarship and Editions
Modern research literature	Gilleland (1981), Speer (1997), Speer (1996), Simons (2013), Paris (1876), Johnson (2015), Foehr-Janssens (1994), Chandramohan (2023), Berne-Aïache (1992), Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984), Le Roux de Lincy (1838), Amaury (1838), Mussafia (1864), Gontero (2014), Jaunzems (1978), Leclanche (1990), Leclanche (1998), Leclanche (1997), Herbin (1998), Bildhauer (2022), Crosland (1956), Gilleland (1977), Klapper (1943), Foehr-Janssens and Métry (2000), Lundt (2002), Gilleland (1978), Gibson (2025)
Modern Editions	Gilleland, Dolopathos (1981), Herbert, Le Roman de Dolopathos, ed. Brunet and Montaiglon (1856), Herbert, Le Roman de Dolopathos, ed. Lechlanche (1997), Oesterley, Johannes de Alta Silva: Dolopathos sive De rege et septem sapientibus (1873), Hilka, Johannes de Alta Silva: Dolopathos sive De rege et septem sapientibus (1913), Foehr-Janssens and Métry, Dolopathos (2000)

Notes and Commentary
Note	Note: The story order below reflects the Latin Dolopathos' tales, and is therefore missing Inclusa, which Herbert's translation added. In all Dolopathos versions, two of the stories listed below - Polyphemus and Striges - are embedded within the frame story of Latronis Filii.

Pattern of embedded stories in this version

Has Short Title	Has Sequence Number	Has Narrator
Canis – The Faithful Dog	1	First Master
Gaza – The Treasure	2	Second Master
Senes	3	Third Master
Creditor	4	Fourth Master
Viduae Filius	5	Fifth Master
Latronis Filii	6	Sixth Master
Polyphemus	7	Sixth Master
Striges – The Bandit and the Demons	8	Sixth Master
Cygni	9	Seventh Master

Connected prints
No connected prints