Gualterus Anglicus
Encyclopedia
Gualterus Anglicus was an Anglo-Norman
poet writing in Latin
, who (it has been suggested) produced a seminal version of Aesop's Fables
, in distichs, around the year 1175.
, archbishop of Palermo from 1168 onwards. Scholars have disputed this second step of identification; it may no longer be supported. The entire attribution is attacked.
s). Given the uncertainty over the authorship, these terms are used in scholarly works.
There is an earlier prose version of Romulus
, also; it has been dated as early as the tenth century, or the sixth century. It is adapted from Phaedrus; the initial fable "The Cock and the Jewel", supposedly the reply of Phaedrus to his critics, marks out fable collections originating from this source. Walter changed the "jewel" from a pearl
to jasper
.
The verse Romulus formed the mainstream versions of medieval 'Aesop'. It is thought to be the version used by Dante
. It with Ovid
influenced the Doligamus of Adolphus of Vienna.
When John Lydgate
produced Isopes Fabules, the first fable collection written in English, the verse Romulus was a major source. Particularly sophisticated use of this fable tradition is made later in the 15th century in Robert Henryson
's Morall Fabillis
, written in Scots.
Early printed editions appeared under the title Aesopus moralisatus, around 1500.
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
poet writing in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, who (it has been suggested) produced a seminal version of Aesop's Fables
Aesop's Fables
Aesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today...
, in distichs, around the year 1175.
Identification of the author
This author was earlier called the Anonymus Neveleti, referring to attribution in the seventeenth-century Mythologia Aesopica of Isaac Nicholas Nevelet. The name Walter (Latin Gualterus) was produced by Léopold Hervieux, on the basis of manuscript evidence, and he went on to identify the author as Walter of the MillWalter of the Mill
Walter of the Mill , Italianised as Gualtiero Offamiglio or Offamilio and Latinised as Ophamilius , was the archdeacon of Cefalù, dean of Agrigento, and archbishop of Palermo , called il primo ministro...
, archbishop of Palermo from 1168 onwards. Scholars have disputed this second step of identification; it may no longer be supported. The entire attribution is attacked.
The collection and its influence
This collection of 62 fables is more accurately called the verse Romulus, or elegiac Romulus (from its elegiac coupletElegiac couplet
The elegiac couplet is a poetic form used by Greek lyric poets for a variety of themes usually of smaller scale than the epic. Roman poets, particularly Ovid, adopted the same form in Latin many years later...
s). Given the uncertainty over the authorship, these terms are used in scholarly works.
There is an earlier prose version of Romulus
Romulus (fabulist)
Romulus is the author, now considered a legendary figure, of versions of Aesop's Fables in Latin. These were passed down in Western Europe, and became important school texts, for early education. Romulus is supposed to have lived in the 5th century....
, also; it has been dated as early as the tenth century, or the sixth century. It is adapted from Phaedrus; the initial fable "The Cock and the Jewel", supposedly the reply of Phaedrus to his critics, marks out fable collections originating from this source. Walter changed the "jewel" from a pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
to jasper
Jasper
Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for...
.
The verse Romulus formed the mainstream versions of medieval 'Aesop'. It is thought to be the version used by Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
. It with Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
influenced the Doligamus of Adolphus of Vienna.
When John Lydgate
John Lydgate
John Lydgate of Bury was a monk and poet, born in Lidgate, Suffolk, England.Lydgate is at once a greater and a lesser poet than John Gower. He is a greater poet because of his greater range and force; he has a much more powerful machine at his command. The sheer bulk of Lydgate's poetic output is...
produced Isopes Fabules, the first fable collection written in English, the verse Romulus was a major source. Particularly sophisticated use of this fable tradition is made later in the 15th century in Robert Henryson
Robert Henryson
Robert Henryson was a poet who flourished in Scotland in the period c. 1460–1500. Counted among the Scots makars, he lived in the royal burgh of Dunfermline and is a distinctive voice in the Northern Renaissance at a time when the culture was on a cusp between medieval and renaissance sensibilities...
's Morall Fabillis
The Morall Fabillis of Esope the Phrygian
The Morall Fabillis of Esope the Phrygian is a cycle of connected poems by the Scottish makar Robert Henryson. In the accepted text it consists of thirteen versions of fables, seven modelled on stories from "Aesop" expanded from the Latin elegaic Romulus manuscripts, one of the standard fable texts...
, written in Scots.
Early printed editions appeared under the title Aesopus moralisatus, around 1500.