Abstract: There are two French versions of Ancrene Wisse . One of these, which is preserved in London, British Library, Cotton Vitellius F. vii, has been examined in some depth. The other, known as the Vie de gent de religion , has been examined far less, and its place on the stemma of Ancrene Wisse has not been firmly established. This article seeks to establish its place on this stemma by using the two methods that scholars traditionally use to establish more “original” readings: source analysis and the common error method. Although it may come as a surprise to those familiar with Ancrene Wisse , both of these methods suggest that this French version preserves “original” readings that are missing in the English versions. The second part of this article, which explores the implications of this evidence and the key question of the Vie ’s language of composition, shows that large sections of the Vie preserve rhyme, which calls into question the traditional argument that poetic elements in the English version of Ancrene Wisse suggest that it precedes the French. These and other findings presented here suggest that while the relationship between Ancrene Wisse and the Vie is often treated as a closed question, the issue is far more complex than has previously been acknowledged.
Krista A. Milne (Sun,) studied this question.