The fifteenth-century play

Wisdom

survives in two manuscripts: the Macro (Folger: MS. V.a. 354) and Digby (Bodleian: MS. Digby 133) versions. The Macro manuscript is earlier in date (from 1465-70) and more complete, however the Digby version (from 1490-1500) has been more carefully copied and modern editions tend to correct the Macro text with reference to Digby. Neither of these manuscripts give a name to the play, and from the nineteenth century critics have cited it as either

Wisdom

,

Wisdom: Who is Christ

or

Mind, Will and Understanding

. The first of these is in most common usage today. The language and provenance of the play, like the majority of surviving medieval English non-cycle drama, is East Anglian. The earliest known owner of the Macro copy is thought to be Thomas Hyngham, a…

1478 words

Citation: Cummings, James. "Wisdom". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 August 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8821, accessed 19 March 2024.]

8821 Wisdom 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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