Bibliothèque nationale de France, français 95

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/4153, BNF: 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 Story	Sequence Number	Narrator	Name Variations
Arbor	1	Empress
Canis	2	Bancillas
Aper	3	Empress
Medicus	4	Lentulus
Gaza	5	Empress
Puteus	6	Anxilles
Senescalcus	7	Empress
Tentamina	8	Malquidras	Malquidarz
Virgilius	9	Empress
Avis	10	Cato	Caton
Sapientes	11	Empress
Vidua	12	Jesse
Filia	13	Empress
Inclusa	14	Meron
Roma	15	Empress
Vaticinium	16	Prince
Noverca	17