Cardamum

Critical Literature

No critical literature available

The inset story appears in the following manuscripts

Manuscript	Language	Siglum (Version)	Language Group within Version
Bibliothèque nationale de France, français 573		M ('Male Marastre')	French

The inset story appears in the following versions and secondary versions

Version	Original Language	Branch of Tradition	Adapted from
M ('Male Marastre')	Old French	West	A (Seven Sages)

King Barbarus of Persia, departing for battle, leaves his kingdom and the care of his beloved daughter Caradiane to his trusted seneschal, Cardamus. Like all who see her, Cardamus is awed by Caradiane's beauty, wisdom, and grace, and so he arranges for her to be taught the precepts of Islamic law. However, the holy spirit had visited Caradiane, causing her to convert to Christianity; she rejects the tutor's instructions, and her arguments are so persuasive that both the tutor and Cardamus himself are converted to Christianity as well. Barbarus returns, and announces that he has arranged a marriage for Caradiane as part of the peace deal struck with his ertswhile enemy, but Caradiane insists that she cannot give her consent to such a marraige. When Barbarus learns of the reason for her refusal - that she has promised to remain chaste and to swear herself to Jesus Christ - and that his trusted steward had permitted her conversion, he became enraged. However, he loved his daughter and seneschal too much to have them put to death; later, he himself died a cruel death.