W3034, Prior

The Canterbury Tales—Three Ordering Systems

                                    Ellesmere                               Chaucer Society                               Hengwrt

General Prologue              I                                               A                                                       1
Knight's Tale
Miller's
Reeve's
Cook's

Man of Law's                 II                                              B1                                                       3

Wife of Bath's                 III                                            D                                                         2
Friar's
Summoner's

Clerk's                           IV                                            E                                                        8 (ClkT)
Merchant's                                                                                                                               5         

Squire's                          V                                             F                                                         4 (SqT)
Franklin's                                                                                                                                  6 (FkT)

Physician's                      VI                                            C                                                        9
Pardoner's

Shipman's                       VII                                           B2                                                      10
Prioress's
Tale of Sir Thopas
Tale of Melibee
Monk's
Nun Priest's

Second Nun's                 VIII                                          G                                                        7 (SNT)
Canon's Yeoman's                                                                                                                     [No CYT]

Manciple's                      IX                                            H                                                        11

Parson's                         X                                             I                                                          12
Retraction                                                                                                                     (missing leaves)

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

The Roman numerals indicate the ordering system found in the Ellesmere manuscript.  The letters designate the so-called "Six-Text Arrangement," also known as the "Chaucer Society" arrangement—it includes the "Bradshaw shift" (VII or B2 moved up to follow II or B1); note that this arrangement is mostly the invention (inspired or otherwise) of modern editors, existing in no good manuscripts.  The Arabic numerals indicate the arrangement in the Hengwrt ms.  Ellesmere and Hengwrt, the two earliest surviving manuscripts, are usually dated 1400-1410 (Hg probably the earlier).  The Chaucer Society order, first proposed in the nineteenth century, is followed by some British editors, with Americans tending to use the Ellesmere, while some recent scholars are pushing Hengwrt. In scholarship and criticism, the use of letters/Roman numerals/Arabic numbers will indicate which order is being followed.  (Other orders exist, some in more than one manuscript.)