The Abridged English Metrical Brut Edited from London, British Library MS Royal 12 C.XII

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.