Storia di Stefano (R)
From The Seven Sages of Rome
The Storia di Stefano, first edited by Rajna in 1880 (and thereby taking the siglum 'R'), is the only verse version of the Italian Seven Sages. It is designated as part of the 'Versio Italico' family, usually grouped alongside Erasto and L'Amabile di Continentia as the later, and more varying, iterations of the Libro dei Sette Savi tradition. Despite their textual differences, it is also presumed to be related to Storia favolosa di Stefano (S); D'Agostino (2022) suggests that the two share a (now lost) source text, possibly descended from Italian Prose (V) (due to the detectable influence of French Version L) (p. 181).
Storia di Stefano appears in one 15th-century manuscript. It is written in ottava rima, and consists of 706 octaves, broken into 23 cantos.
Tradition & Lineage
Branch of the tradition
Recorded Secondary Versions
Connected Manuscripts
Language & Composition
Pattern of Embedded Stories in This Version
| Has Short Title | Has Sequence Number | Has Narrator | Has Name Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canis – The Faithful Dog | 1 | Lenziles | |
| Arbor – The Tree | 2 | Empress | |
| Medicus – The Doctor | 3 | Lentulus | Lentulis |
| Aper – The Boar and the Fruit | 4 | Empress | |
| Tentamina – The Test | 5 | Anxilles | Ansiles |
| Sapientes – The Wise Men | 6 | Empress | |
| Avis – The Bird | 7 | Malquidras | Malchidas |
| Gaza – The Treasure | 8 | Empress | |
| Inclusa – The Imprisoned Wife | 9 | Cato | Catone |
| Roma – Rome Besieged | 10 | Empress | |
| Vidua – The Widow | 11 | Jesse | Esepe, Espe |
| Virgilius – Virgil's Marvels | 12 | Empress | |
| Puteus – The Well | 13 | Charaus | |
| Filius ingratus | 15 | Empress | |
| Nepos | 16 | Empress | |
| Arca – The Chest of Stones | 17 | Empress | |
| Turdi – The Gluttonous Wife and the Nine Thrushes | 18 | Lenziles | |
| Dimidius amicus | 19 | Anxilles | Ansiles |
| Mucius Scaevola | 20 | Lentulus | Lentulis |
| Tergi | 21 | Malquidras | Malchidas |
| Pirus incantata | 22 | Malquidras | Malchidas |