M ('Male Marastre')
The Old French Histoire de la Male (o Fausse) 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).
This version not only gives the name of the emperor (Dioclesien), but also, unusually, the name of the prince, who is called Phiseus (or Fiseus). and the stories titled Filius, Nutrix, Antenor, Spurius, Cardamum, and Assassinus are unique to Version M (replacing Puteus, Senescalcus, Tentamina, Virgilius, Sapientes, and Roma in Version A).
In his introduction to his 1974 edition of the Ystoire, Runte also 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
Tradition & Lineage
Recorded Secondary Versions
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
Modern Scholarship & Editions
Notes & Commentary
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 |