Mercator: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:54, 24 November 2025

AdulteryRapeMurderSuicideFriendshipDeceptionDeceitful womanGullible husbandFalse evidence of unchastity/criminalityEvidenceGriefRemorseMisinterpretation

The Merchant

A knight, who has a beautiful wife, is good friends with a local merchant, and the two frequently visit each other's homes. One day, when the knight is away on business, the merchant visits the knight's house, and finds the knight's wife alone. The wife lets the merchant into the house, then flings her arms about his neck, declaring her love and desire for him. The merchant attempts to dissuade her, and as he is disentangling himself from her embrace, the knight returns home. Immediately, the wife tears her face, clothes, and hair, and cries that the merchant has attempted to violate her. Furious, the knight kills the merchant. Many years later, when the wife reveals the truth, the knight is overcome with grief and dies of sorrow (or, in some versions, kills himself from remorse).

[Added by Jane Bonsall]

Note
Note: in the Latin and German Allegatio Septem Sapientum (or, Libellus muliebri nequitia plenus), the protagonists are simply good friends, without the knight/merchant distinction.

Critical Literature
Oesterley (1872), Nishimura (2001), Steinmetz (1997)

Mercator appears in the following versions and secondary versions

Mercator is narrated in the following occurrences

Narrator	Pages
Lentulus	Florence Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Gaddiano 166, Florence Biblioteca nazionale centrale, Palatino 680, Italian Prose (V), Italian Version A, Libro dei Sette Savj (A), London British Library Add. MS. 27429, Padua Biblioteca Civica C.M. 304/6, Storia favolosa di Stefano (S)
Third Master	Chantilly Musée Condé MS 683, German Version A: Allegatio/Libellus, Latin Version A: Allegatio / Libellus, St. Florian Stiftsbibliothek Cod. XI 92 B, Wien Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Cod. 2937

Mercator appears in the following manuscripts

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Inset Story
 |Has Critical Literature=Oesterley (1872); Nishimura (2001); Steinmetz (1997)
-|Has Motif=Adultery; Rape; Murder; Suicide; Friendship; Deception; Deceitful woman; Gullible husband; False evidence of unchastity/criminality; Evidence; Grief; Remorse
+|Has Motif=Adultery; Rape; Murder; Suicide; Friendship; Deception; Deceitful woman; Gullible husband; False evidence of unchastity/criminality; Evidence; Grief; Remorse; Misinterpretation
-|Has Summary=A knight, who has a beautiful wife, is good friends with a local merchant, and the two frequently visit each other's homes. One day, when the knight is away on business, the merchant visits the knight's house, and finds the knight's wife alone. The wife lets the merchant into the house, then flings her arms about his neck, declaring her love and desire for him. The merchant attempts to dissuade her, and as he is disentangling himself from her embrace, the knight returns home. Immediately, the wife tears her face, clothes, and hair, and cries that the merchant has attempted to violate her. Furious, the knight kills the merchant. Many years later, when the wife reveals the truth, the knight is overcome with grief and dies of sorrow (or, in some versions, kills himself from remorse).
+|Has Summary='''The Merchant'''
-|Has Internal Notes=Note: in the [[Latin Version A|Latin]] and [[German Version A|German]] [[Allegatio Septem Sapientum (or, Libellus muliebri nequitia plenus)|''Allegatio Septem Sapientum'' (or, ''Libellus muliebri nequitia plenus'')]], the protagonists are simply good friends, without the knight/merchant distinction.
+A knight, who has a beautiful wife, is good friends with a local merchant, and the two frequently visit each other's homes. One day, when the knight is away on business, the merchant visits the knight's house, and finds the knight's wife alone. The wife lets the merchant into the house, then flings her arms about his neck, declaring her love and desire for him. The merchant attempts to dissuade her, and as he is disentangling himself from her embrace, the knight returns home. Immediately, the wife tears her face, clothes, and hair, and cries that the merchant has attempted to violate her. Furious, the knight kills the merchant. Many years later, when the wife reveals the truth, the knight is overcome with grief and dies of sorrow (or, in some versions, kills himself from remorse).
+[Added by Jane Bonsall]
+|Has Note=Note: in the [[Latin Version A|Latin]] and [[German Version A|German]] [[Allegatio Septem Sapientum (or, Libellus muliebri nequitia plenus)|''Allegatio Septem Sapientum'' (or, ''Libellus muliebri nequitia plenus'')]], the protagonists are simply good friends, without the knight/merchant distinction.
 }}