M ('Male Marastre')

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The Old French Ystoire de la Male Marastre, also known as Version M, is a particularly anomalous redaction of the Roman des Sept Sage narrative. It was composed the late thirteenth or early fourteenth centuries, with a ("much mutilated") text of the French Version A as its probable source, judging from the style and order of the first few stories (Campbell 1907).

Unusually, this version not only gives the name of the emperor (Dioclesien), but also the name of the prince, who is called Phiseus (or Fiseus). It also contains six unique stories, found nowhere else in the tradition, titled Filius, Nutrix, Antenor, Spurius, Cardamum, and Assassinus (replacing Puteus, Senescalcus, Tentamina, Virgilius, Sapientes, and Roma in Version A). Almost all of these additional stories (with the exception of Nutrix) have orientalised settings, and an unusually overt focus on religious conversion and/or conflict between Christianity and Islam.

In his introduction to his 1974 edition of the Ystoire, Runte notes that although all seven sages are introduced by name, two of them - Malcuidanz and Martins - do not appear to tell their stories (1974, p. xxiii). Runte suggests that Lentulus appearing twice to tell both Vidua and Cardamum is simply due to scribal error. However, the fact that the final story is told by Markes (or Marcus), the son of the sage Cato/Chaton, is indicative of his unusual prominence in the narrative. This also serves as evidence of the links between Version M and the 'continuations' (or sequels) to the Seven Sages material, in particular Le Roman de Marques de Rome, which continues the story of Markes.

Identification & General Information

Title

Ystoire de la Male Marastre

Tradition & Lineage

Branch of the tradition

West

Adapted from (version)

A (Seven Sages)

Source for composition and adaptation information

Runte (1974)

Recorded Secondary Versions

• M ('Male Marastre')
  • French Version M

Connected Manuscripts

	Has Language	Has Location	Has Date Range Of Production
Florence Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Ashburnham 52	Old French	Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana	1300 - 1350
Paris Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal 2998	Old French	Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal	1400 - 1500
Paris Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal 2999	Old French	Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal	1400 - 1500

Language & Composition

Date of Composition

1250 - 1350

Source for date of composition

Runte (1974)

Modern Scholarship & Editions

Modern research literature

Runte (1974), Runte (1971), Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984), Foehr-Janssens (1994), Runte, Society of the Seven Sages Portal (2014), Campbell (1907)

Modern Editions

Runte, Li Ystoire de la Male Marastre (Version M) (1974)

Notes & Commentary

Note

Note: Spelling of sage's names taken from MS Ashburnham 52, using Runte's 1974 edition of that text.

Pattern of Embedded Stories in This Version

Has Short Title	Has Sequence Number	Has Narrator	Has Name Variation
Arbor – The Tree	1	Empress
Canis – The Faithful Dog	2	Bancillas
Aper – The Boar and the Fruit	3	Empress
Medicus – The Doctor	4	Anxilles
Gaza – The Treasure	5	Empress
Avis – The Bird	6	Cato	Chaton
Filius	7	Empress
Vidua – The Widow	8	Lentulus
Nutrix	9	Empress
Anthenor – The King's Daughter	10	Jesse
Spurius	11	Empress
Cardamum	12	Lentulus
Assassinus	13	Empress
Inclusa – The Imprisoned Wife	14	Markes	Marcus

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