Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/23

Rh that Pierre Bercheure was, in this manner, the author of the Gesta Romanorum. This curious book appears, from its first publication, to have been received with great favour by the Romish clergy. Its popularity was very great during the fifteenth century, to which period a large portion of the existing manuscripts, especially of those found in England, belongs.

The Gesta Romanorum, indeed, appears to have been especially popular among the English priesthood, one of whom, who seems to have had an imperfect copy, appears to have completed it with tales taken from other sources, to have exchanged some of the tales for others, and to have re-written most of those which he retained, which in this edition present many variations when we compare them with the originals. This is the text found in the original manuscripts, and is usually spoken of by scholars as the Anglo-Latin Gesta. Sir