Sir Cleges survives in two manuscript versions, both from the East Midlands. The earlier, incomplete manuscript, National Library of Scotland Edinburgh MS 19.1.11 (Advocates) Fols. 71a-79b, was written c. 1400 while the later, more complete manuscript, Oxford MS Bodleian 6922 (Ashmole 61) Fols. 67b-73a., was made c. 1425. Sir Cleges is a very short romance at 577 lines which is written in twelve-line tail rhyme stanzas. There are noticeable differences in dialect and diction between the two manuscripts; these suggest the Bodleian 6922 (Ashmole 61) originates further north than the other manuscript and has led some to speculate as to the existence of a now lost original from which both manuscripts derived (see McKnight, …
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Citation: Geosits, Angela. "Sir Cleges". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 June 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38769, accessed 23 November 2024.]