The

text in British Library Egerton MS 3028 consists of 2914 lines (in octosyllabic rhymed couplets), but as Ian Short (2011, 145, n. 9) notes, the excision of the first 8 folios implies at least a further 2000 lines now lost (see also Dean and Boulton 1999, 33, no. 50). Though nonetheless an anonymous

, this 2914-line “epitome” 88% of whose lines are taken from Wace’s 14866-line

, was likely “assembled” with its 337 original lines in the early fourteenth century for the illuminated manuscript in which it is found; it is

in that it is a form of abridgment of Wace’s

–– with often very different intent –– and not a “translation” of Geoffrey’s

(see notes 1 and 2). Egerton’s unusual composition is noteworthy on many…

844 words

Citation: Blacker, Jean. "Anonymous Verse Bruts: Egerton Brut". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 April 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41555, accessed 25 November 2024.]