(Latin; " Deeds of the Romans ")
Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, probably compiled in early 14th-century England.
Very popular in its time, it became a source for much later literature, including works by Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare . It contains stories from Classical history and legend and from various Asian and European sources, many about magicians and monsters, ladies in distress, and escapes from perilous situations, all unified by their moral purpose and realistic detail. Its author is unknown. Its didactic nature and the allegorical explanations attached to the stories in the early versions suggest that it was intended as a manual for preachers. It is likely that it was compiled in England.