Dolopathos

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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
Version Number
Title	Dolopathos
Author

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

Recorded secondary versions
Dolopathos French Dolopathos Latin Dolopathos

Connected manuscripts

Manuscript Language Location Date of Production Brixen im Thale Pfarrbibliothek Taz IX Latin Brixen im Thale, Pfarrbibliothek 1400 - 1500 Brno Moravský zemský archiv, Cerroni II 234 Latin Brno, Moravský zemský archiv 1400 - 1500 Gdańsk PAN Biblioteka Gdańska Mar. Q 27 Latin Gdańsk, PAN Biblioteka Gdańska 1400 - 1450 Innsbruck Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Tirol Cod. 60 Latin Innsbruck, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Tirol 1471 London British Library Add. MS. 18922 Latin London, British Library 1400 - 1500 Luxembourg Bibliothèque Nationale Ms. 110 Latin Luxembourg, Bibliothèque Nationale 1250/1300 Metz Bibliothèque Patrimoniale Réserve Précieuse MS 1629 Old French Metz, Bibliothèque Patrimoniale 1200 - 1300 Montpellier Bibliothèque interuniversitaire, Section Médecine H 436 Old French Montpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire 1250 - 1299 Mühlhausen (Thüringen) Stadtarchiv Ms. 16 Latin Mühlhausen (Thüringen), Stadtarchiv ca. 1400 Paris Bibliothèque Nationale Cod. lat. 3619 Latin Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France 1453 Paris Bibliothèque nationale de France, français 1450 Old French Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France 1225 - 1250 Paris Bibliothèque nationale de France, français 24301 Old French Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France 1266 - 1300 Paris Bibliothèque nationale de France, nouvelles acquisitions françaises, 934 Old French Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France 1300 - 1400 Praha Knihovna metropolitní kapituli Ms. G 42 Latin Praha, Knihovna metropolitní kapituli 1340/1450 Praha Národní knihovna České republiky Ms. XII. B. 20 Latin Prag, Národní knihovna České republiky 1410 Wien Österreichische Nationalbibliothek cod. 4739 Latin Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek 1459/1460

Language and Composition
Original 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
Notes on motifs
Notes on the frame

Pattern of embedded stories in this version
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Connected prints
No connected prints