London British Library Cotton Galba E IX

Manuscript Identification

Reference Number

Eng6

Location

London, British Library

Siglum / Shelfmark

MS Cotton Galba E IX

Page / Folio range

25v-48v

Textual Content & Tradition

Version (siglum)

A (Seven Sages)

Language Group within Version

Middle English Version A

Narrative / Scholarly Group within Version

Y Group

Further scholarly subgroup (1)

Northern English

Source for textual relationship

Whitelock (2005)

Languages

Language of text

Middle English

Authorship & Production

Place of Production

England

Date of Production

1400/1425

Source of Date of Production

British Library catalogue: https://hviewer.bl.uk/IamsHViewer/Default.aspx?mdark=ark:/81055/vdc_100000000035.0x0000b4

Physical Description

Material

Parchment

Height

345

Width

230

Illustrations

No

Contents & Additional Texts

Other texts in the Manuscript

- 4r-25r: Ywaine and Gawain;

- 25v-48v: The Seven Sages of Rome, here called 'the Proces of the seuyn sages'; - 48v-49r: Moral verses - 49r-50r: Prophecies of Merlin: the reigns of the six kings after King John; - 50v: Sir Penay; - 51v: Two poems on the Cross; - 52r-57v: Laurence Minot, eleven alliterative poems on political subjects; - 57v-66v: The Gospel of Nicodemus - 66v: Two poems, 'He that casteth off the old' and 'What shall happen as I ween' - 67r-75r: The 'Book of Penance', from the Cursor Mundi - 73v-75r: Pater noster - 76r-113r: The Pricke of Conscience - 113v: A verse on the properties of a horse

- 113v-114r: A poem on the Siege of Calais

Catalogues & Research Literature

Catalogue

Modern Research Literature

Brunner (1933), Campbell (1907), Whitelock (2005)

Embedded Stories in This Manuscript

Has Short Title	Has Sequence Number	Has Narrator	Has Name Variation
Arbor – The Tree	1	Empress
Canis – The Faithful Dog	2	Bancillas	Hancyllas
Aper – The Boar and the Fruit	3	Empress
Medicus – The Doctor	4	Anxilles	Ancilles
Gaza – The Treasure	5	Empress
Puteus – The Well	6	Lentulus	Lentilioun
Senescalcus – The Seneschal	7	Empress
Tentamina – The Test	8	Malquidras	Maladas
Virgilius – Virgil's Marvels	9	Empress
Avis – The Bird	10	Cato	Caton, Catoun
Sapientes – The Wise Men	11	Empress
Vidua – The Widow	12	Jesse
Roma – Rome Besieged	13	Empress
Inclusa – The Imprisoned Wife	14	Maxencius	Marcius

Research Material

Has Research Material Title	Has Research Material Link	Has Research Material Description

There are clear breaks in the text signalling the start of each section, i.e.: 'Here bigins [th]e Fyrst Proces' before the prologues begin, then 'Here bygins [th]e First Tale of [th]e Whyfe' before the stories begin.