Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/21

Rh been well acquainted with this class of literature as it then existed, formed the plan of a collection of tales, of what would then be considered a rather more important character. At this time, in what was considered as the Roman church, it was natural enough to look back for historical examples to the times of the Romans. As we have seen, when the Oriental Sendabad was published in the West in a Latin dress, the translator imagined the eastern viziers to be wise men of Rome, and he gave to his book the title of Historia septem sapientum Romæ. Bercheure was led by the same feelings, and apparently without any special design, he takes all his stories as events which had occurred in Rome, and generally in more or less close relation to the emperor himself. Hence he gave to this new collection the title of Gesta Romanorum, the word Gesta, in the Latin of that time, meaning historical exploits, or acts. A history of