Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Hooper.djvu/19

Rh sense intended by Douce, yet there is a considerable difference between the MSS. of England and of the Continent, and between each of these and the printed Vulgate. He is of opinion that the Gesta was originally compiled in England; that it rapidly passed to the Continent; was then considerably altered, by additions and corruptions; and that, on the invention of printing, an edition (A) containing 150 stories, selected by the editors, as they thought best, was issued. Shortly after, an enlarged edition (B) was issued. This last is the Vulgate. Neither A nor B was a reproduction of any one MS.; and they were both compiled from MSS. belonging to group C. It is easy to understand why the "English Gesta" was never printed. The Vulgate appeared in England before there was time to commence printing an edition of the Gesta from the MSS. of the English group, and being much larger than even the best of these (Harl. 2270, above referred to), speedily got possession of the field, and rendered it superfluous to produce another Gesta. Probably not one man in ten thousand would know of the existence of MSS. containing stories not in the Vulgate. And when Wynkyn de Worde printed his edition (1510–1515) a need for an English version had arisen, which he met by printing a complete translation of one of the MSS. of the English group (see p. ix.).

Herr Oesterley admits that it is possible that the Gesta was originally compiled in Germany, and thence carried to England, and enlarged by the addition of specially English stories, while in Germany a process of growth was also going on. But he thinks that the balance of probability is in favour of the view which places the home of the Gesta in England. He considers that the names of the dogs in Tale CXLII. are distinctly English; and that the German proverb in the