The ‘Abridged English Metrical Brut’ is a verse history of the king of Britain which exists in seven manuscripts and fragments. One version was edited in 1935 as ‘An Anonymous Short English Metrical Chronicle’, but the closest literary relations of this text are found in the ‘Brut’ tradition. The Royal manuscript contains a distinct version which contains a number of unique features including a lengthy account of King Arthur in which he survives the battle with Mordred and rules for a further ten years. The text is also of interest because its main scribe was also the scribe of Harley MS 2253.
This new edition addresses questions of genre, metre, and sources, and includes a full glossary and name index as well as a summary comparison of all versions of the verse chronicle with that in the Royal manuscript.