Ancren Riwle

Ancrene Wisse (also Ancrene Riwle) or Guide for Anchoresses is an anonymous monastic rule (or manual) for anchoresses, written in the early 13th century. Ancrene Wisse was originally composed for three sisters who chose to enter the contemplative life. The work consists of eight parts: Parts 1 and 8 deal with what is called the "Outer Rule" (relating to the anchoresses' exterior life), Parts 2-7 with the "Inner Rule" (relating to the anchoresses' interior life).

Language and textual criticism

Ancrene Wisse was written in an early Middle English dialect known as 'AB language' where 'A' denotes the manuscript Bodley 34 and 'B' the manuscript Corpus Christi 402. Manuscript Bodley 34 contains a set of texts that have become known as the "Katherine Group": Seinte Katerine, Seinte Margarete, Seinte Iuliene, Hali Meiðhad and Sawles Warde^[1] while MS Corpus Christi 402 contains a version of Ancrene Wisse. Both manuscripts were written in the AB language, described by J.R.R. Tolkien as "a faithful transcript of some dialect...or a 'standard' language based on one' in use in the West Midlands in the 13th century." ^[2] The word Ancrene itself still exhibits a plural genitive inflection descended from the old Germanic weak noun declension; this was practically unknown by the time of Chaucer.

Surviving manuscripts

There are seventeen surviving medieval manuscripts containing all or part of Ancrene Wisse. Of these, nine are in the original Middle English, four are translations into Anglo-Norman French, and a further four are translations into Latin. The shortest extract is the Lanhydrock Fragment, which consists of only one sheet of parchment.^[3] The extant manuscripts are listed below.

Although none of the manuscripts is believed to be produced by the original author, several date from the first half of the 13th century. The first complete edition edited by Morton in 1853 was based on the British Library manuscript Cotton Nero A.xiv.^[5] Recent editors have favoured Corpus Christi College, Cambridge MS 402 of which Bella Millett has written: "Its linguistic consistency and general high textual quality have made it increasingly the preferred base manuscript for editions, translations, and studies of Ancrene Wisse."^[6] It was used as the base manuscript in the critical edition published as two volumes in 2005-2006.^[7] The Corpus manuscript is the only one to include the title Ancrene Wisse.^[1]

The Ancrene Wisse was partly retranslated from French back into English and reincorporated in the late fifteenth-century Treatise of Love.^[8]

Notes

References

• Macaulay, G.C. (1914), "The Ancren Riwle", Modern Language Review 9 (1): 63–78, JSTOR 3713428 .
• Millett, Bella (1992), "The Origins of the Ancrene Wisse: New Answers, New Questions", Medium Ævum: 206–228 . Article available from Periodicals Archive Online. Subscription required.
• Millett, Bella (1996), Annotated Biographies of Old and Middle English Literature: II Ancrene wisse, the Katherine Group, and the Wooing Group, Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, ISBN 0-85991-429-1 .
• Tolkien, J.R.R. (1929), "Ancrene Wisse and Hali Meiðhad", Essays and Studies by Members of the English Association 14: 104–126 .
• Wada, Yoko, ed. (2003), A Companion to Ancrene Wisse, Woodbridge: D.S. Brewer, ISBN 0-85991-762-2, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aw21vOIYZRcC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false .

Editions

• Baugh, A.C., ed. (1956), The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from British Museum MS Royal 8 C.i, Early English Text Society 232, Oxford University Press .
• Day, Mabel, ed. (1952), The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from Cotton MS Nero A.xiv, on the Basis of a Transcript by J. A. Herbert, Early English Text Society 225, Oxford University Press .
• D'Evelyn, Charlotte, ed. (1944), The Latin Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from Merton College MS 44 and British Museum MS Cotton Vitellius E.vii, Early English Text Society 216, Oxford University Press .
• Dobson, E.J., ed. (1972), The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from British Museum Cotton MS. Cleopatra C.vi., Early English Text Society 267, Oxford University Press .
• Hasenfratz, Robert J., ed. (2000), Ancrene Wisse, Medieval Institute Publications, Western Michigan University, ISBN 978-1-58044-070-7, http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/hasenfratz.htm . Full text available online.
• Herbert, J.A., ed. (1944), The French Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from MS. Cotton Vitellius F.vii., Early English Text Society 219, Oxford University Press .
• Mack, F. M., ed. (1963), The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from Cotton MS. Titus D.xviii. and Bodleian MS. Eng. th.c.70, Early English Text Society 232, Oxford University Press .
• Millett, Bella, ed. (2005-2006), Ancrene Wisse : a corrected edition of the text in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 402, with variants from other manuscripts. 2 vols., Early English Text Society 325 & 326, Oxford University Press . Volume 1: ISBN 0-19-722328-1, Volume 2: ISBN 0-19-920576-0.
• Morton, James, ed. (1853), The Ancren Riwle; a Treatise on the Rules and Duties of Monastic Life, Edited and Translated from a Semi-Saxon MS. of the Thirteenth Century, London: Camden Society, http://books.google.com/books?id=7BgIAAAAIAAJ .
• Tolkien, J.R.R., ed. (1962), The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Ancrene Wisse: Edited from MS. Corpus Christi College, Cambridge 402, Early English Text Society 249, Intro. by Ker, N.R., Oxford University Press . (Reprinted in 2000 ISBN 0-19-722249-8).
• Trethewey, W.H., ed. (1958), The French Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from Trinity College, Cambridge MS R.147, Early English Text Society 240, Oxford University Press .
• Wilson, R.M., ed. (1954), The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from Gonville and Caius College MS. 234/120, Early English Text Society 229, Intro. by N.R. Ker, Oxford University Press .
• Zettersten, Arne, ed. (1976), The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle: Edited from Magdalene College, Cambridge MS. Pepys 2498, Early English Text Society 274, Oxford University Press .
• Zettersten, Arne; Diensberg, Bernard, eds. (2000), The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle, The 'Vernon' text: MS. Bodleian Library Eng. Poet. a.1, Early English Text Society 310, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-722314-1 .

Further reading

• Cannon, Christopher (2005), The Grounds of English Literature, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-923039-0, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1azToJ0k-DQC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false .
• Dobson, John (1975), Moralities on the Gospels: New Source of Ancrene Wisse, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ISBN 0-19-812056-7 .
• Gunn, Cate (2008), Ancrene Wisse: From Pastoral Literature to Vernacular Spirituality, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, ISBN 978-0-7083-2034-1 .
• Potts, Jennifer; Stevenson, Lorna (1993), Concordance to Ancrene Wisse: MS. Corpus Christi, Cambridge 402, Woodbridge: D.S. Brewer, ISBN 0-85991-395-3 .
• Robertson, Elizabeth (1990), Early English Devotional Prose and the Female Audience, Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, ISBN 0-87049-641-7 .
• Savage, Anne; Watson, Nicholas, trans. (1991), Anchoritic Spirituality: Ancrene wisse and associated works, Preface by Benedicta Ward, New York: Paulist Press, ISBN 0-8091-3257-5, http://books.google.com/books?id=_oUF4_Z5bMMC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false .
• White, Hugh, trans. (1993), Ancrene Wisse: Guide for Anchoresses, London: Penguin, ISBN 0-14-044585-4 .

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ancrene Wisse

• Liturgy in the Style of the Anchoresses as used today in All Saints' Church, Norfolk
• Ancrene Wisse: a Medieval Guide for Anchoresses on www.hermitary.com