English Erasto

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In Francis Kirkman's (presumably autobiographical, though certainly unreliable) An Unlucky Citizen (1673), he describes a boyhood appetite for literature:

"Once I happened upon a Six Pence, and having lately read that famous Book, of the Fryar and the Boy, and being hugely pleased with that, as also the excellent History of the Seven Wise Masters of Rome, and having heard great Commendation of Fortunatus, I laid out all my mony for that, and thought I had a great bargain..." (p. 10). Kirkman went on publish new versions of many of the books his character reported enjoying, including a new translation of the Erasto narrative.

General Information
Language within Version
Narrative / Scholarly Group
Parent Versions	Erasto (Es)
Child Versions
Author	Francis Kirkman
Title	The History of Prince Erastus
Siglum of the version of the Seven Sages	I (Versio Italico)
Version Number
Branch of the tradition	Seven Sages of Rome

Language & Composition
Original language of version
Translated into (languages)
Place of composition	London, UK
Date of composition	1674
Source for date of composition

Literature & Editions
Modern research literature
Modern Editions	Early English Books Online, Erastus, or, the Roman Prince (2025)

Recorded branch of this secondary version
I (Versio Italico) Erasto (Es) English Erasto French Erasto Italian Erasto Mario Teluccini, Erasto in verse Spanish Erasto Il Libro dei Sette Savi de Roma (C) L'Amabile di Continentia (Em) Storia d'una Crudele Matrigna (M) Storia di Stefano (R) Versio Italica historiae septem sapientum (L)

Connected prints

Print Language Location Date of Print Erastus: or, the Roman prince. Being a more full account of that famous history of the seven wise masters. With many pleasant additions of excellent, and divertive discourses, and songs, not unsuitable to the design of the story. London: Printed for Dorman Newman [...] and Benj. Alsop [...], 1684 English 1684 Francis Kirkman, The history of Prince Erastus, son to the Emperour Dioclesian, and those famous philosophers called the seven wise masters of Rome. London: Anne Johnson, 1674 English 1674

Adaptations
Adapted from (version)	Erasto (Es)
Adapted into (version)
Source for composition and adaptation information

Languages in Use
Language of text	English
Regional or specific language of version

Notes
Note
Notes on motifs
Notes on the frame

Pattern of embedded stories in this version
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Connected manuscripts
No connected manuscripts