this makes no sense here, nor can it mean “a boast,” as the editor of
the Roxburghe Club edition explains it. But Mid. Eng. «brayde», as
well as O.E. «brægd» or «bregd», often signifies “deceit, craft, a
cunning trick, a fraudulous contrivance, a stratagem or artifice.” See
Mätzner’s «Wörterb.» and Halliwell’s «Dict.» This, I think, is also the
meaning of «brayde» in l. 247. Floripas has been engaged to Lukafer who
had promised the Soudan, her father, to bring the emperor Charlemagne
and all his twelve peers to the foot of his throne, in return for
the hand of his daughter. Floripas, not at all enamoured of the king
of Baldas, but obeying the will of her father, said she would only
agree to [p103] accept him when he had fulfilled these conditions.
But she does not believe that Laban thinks of ever fulfilling them,
she is persuaded that those words, those promises made by Laban, are
only a «brayde», i. e. a stratagem or artifice devised by him in the
hope of winning her hand before the performance of his promise. This
signification of «braide» has been retained in the Mod. Eng. adjective
«braid», “crafty, deceitful.”
p. 8, l. 257. The «Ethiopes», “Ethiopians,” are not mentioned in the
other versions of this romance. On the rhyme «Aufricanes» : «stones»
cf. «Introduction», p. xxxv.
p. 9, l. 278. «Destruction», l. 908:
“Sortibrans a mande Mabon l’engineor.”
p. 9, l. 283. «depe» : «tyde». The rhyme becomes perfect if we read
«wide» instead of «depe».
p. 9, l. 286. French text gives, l. 934:
“Si emplirons les fossés.”
p. 9, l. 289. Cf. «Destruction», l. 627. “Mahon te benoie,” and l. 925,
“Mahon te doint honour.”
p. 9, l. 293. «Men myght go even to the walle», compare the
«Destruction», l. 918:
“K’om poet aler al mure.”
and l. 958:
“K’om pooit bien au mur et venir et aler.”
p. 9, l. 295. «assaile», evidently a mistake. Read «assaute», as in l.
2205.
p. 9, l. 298. «shour», “fight, attack.” See Zupitza’s note to «Guy»,
l. 9206. «sharpe shoures», as in the «Destruction of Troy», l. 5804,
“sharp was the shoure.” Cf. also l. 950 of this poem, “bataile was
sharpe.”
p. 9, l. 300. «stones thai bare», etc. «Destruction», l. 967:
“Ces dedens ou grans pieres firent grant lapide.”
p. 9, l. 303. French text gives (l. 975):
“Maintes pieres del mur ont contreval rue.”
p. 9, l. 306. In the «Destruction», l. 977:
“L’asalt dureit cel jour jusque a la nutee.”
p. 9, l. 307. French: “Payen se sont retrait.” «Destruction», l. 979.
p. 10, l. 311. For «tyde» : «chidde» see «Introduction», p. xliii.
p. 10, l. 312.
“Lucafer li traitre traison ad pense,
Qu’il se contrefera les armes del cite;
Et tote si pense sont a Labam demonstre.
‘Sire admirail d’Espaigne,’ ceo dist li diffaies,
‘La cite est moult fors, et François sont doute;
Ils defendront le mur, ja mais n’iert entre,
Que par une voidie que jeo ai porpense.
Il ad dedens un conte de mult grant crualte,
Savaris ad a non, est de grant parente;
Chescon jour il s’en ist, s’est oue nous melle,
De la gent dieffae, mainte teste a coupe.”—«Destr.», ll. 986–96.
[p104]
p. 10, l. 317. «Destruction», l. 997.
“J’ai bien conu ses armes et les ai avise.”
p. 10, l. 331. «Destruction», l. 1011:
“Tantost le mestre porte aurons moult bien ferme.”
p. 10, l. 332. «Destruction», l. 1057:
“Mais tot le premier bail ont Sarrasin poeple.”
p. 10, l. 336. «discumfiture», “defeat.” See below, note to l. 1320.
p. 10, l. 339. «ryme», “to speak loudly, to cry.” O.E. «hrêman» or
«hrŷman». See Stratmann, p. 322.
p. 10, l. 340. French text (l. 1063):
“De V. M. ne remendrent que iiiC sans fausser.”
See note to l. 67.
p. 10, l. 341. «twelfe» : «selve»; «f» and «v» very often stand for one
another, see «Introduction» on p. xliii.
p. 10, l. 344. «shite» : «mette». See Ellis, «Pronunc.», I. 272, and
«Introduction», on p. xliv. Cf. also ll. 2054, 2963, 2960. «by than» =
then; see Mätzner’s «Wörterb.» p. 217(2).
p. 11, l. 346. «Estragot» or «Astragot». This name is not to be found
in the other versions, it only occurs in the «Sowdan» and in the
«Destruction»; cf. «Destr.» l. 1090–4:
“Estragot le poursuit uns geans diffaies
. . . . . . . . .
Teste avoit com senglers, si fu rois corones.
El main tient .i. mace de fin ascier trempe,
Un coup a Savaris desur le chef done.”
p. 11, l. 360. French text reads:
“Et la novele en ont l’apostoile conté.”—«Destr.» l. 1101.
p. 11, l. 363. «consaile» : «slayne». See «Introduction», p. xliii.
p. 11, l. 364. See above, l. 78.
p. 11, l. 368. «erille» is not derived from the Erse, as the editor of
the Roxburghe Club edition supposes. It is simply another spelling for
«erle», which occurs in l. 1986. O.E. «eorl», Mod. Eng. «earl».
p. 11, l. 369. There must be a gap of some lines here; between this
and the following line a space has been left of about the width of one
line; l. 370 is written in a much later hand.
p. 11, l. 376. «lettres» translates the French “li brief” («Destr.» l.
1121), «in haste» = French “isnelement” («Destr.» l. 1119).
p. 11, l. 377. «we ordeyne» makes no sense. Read «were ordeyned», as in
l. 2396. Cf. the «Destruction», l. 1133:
“Tot troi sont coiement de la cite hastés.”
p. 12, l. 379. «at a posterne.» On the posterns compare Skeat, «Spec.
of Eng. Literature», 359, 165.
p. 12, l. 380. «aboute mydnyghte.» French: “Tote la nuit alerent ou la
lune clarté.” «Destr.» l. 1136. [p105]
p. 12, l. 394. «honde of honde», “hand to hand.”—In the Glossary of the
Roxburghe Club ed. we read: “Cast. Wherewithal to throw.” This is the
sense of «cast» in l. 2471; but it occurs with two other meanings. In
l. 394 «cast» signifies “device, plot, intention,” as often elsewhere.
In ll. 460, 2091, 2099, 2467, 2603, 2792, it means “the act of
throwing, the throw.”
p. 12, l. 400. «hevy», “afflicted, sorrowful.” So in ll. 3037, 3224.
p. 13, l. 427. «Estagote», miswritten for «Estragote», cf. ll. 346,
352, and «Destr.» l. 1090. «brake on three», cf. ll. 2234, 1388, 1269.
p. 13, l. 441. «Sarsyns» : «Romaynes». See «Introduction», p. xliv.
p. 14, l. 464. «oost» does not rhyme with «beste». Both the sense and
the rhyme will be improved if we read «rest» for «oost».
p. 14, l. 473. As it stands, the line makes no sense. «This» is written
indistinctly in the MS., so that we may read either «this» or «thus»;
the sense requires the latter, which I think is the true reading. Or
else we may keep «this» and write «idone» instead of «it done».
p. 15, l. 488. «aras.» Read «a ras», and see note to l. 1349.
p. 15, l. 491. «and armes» makes no sense, as we are hardly entitled to
take «armes» for the 2nd person plural imperative; which in this poem
always ends in «-eth». See «Introduction», p. xxxvii. I think we must
change «and» into «as». For the explanation of the phrase “as armes,”
see note on l. 2660.
p. 15, l. 495. The «Ascopars» or «Ascopartes» are mentioned in the
«Destruction» as the subjects of the Soudan. The name of this people is
not to be found in any other version. «Astopars» is merely a clerical
error for «Ascopars», which may be easily accounted for by remembering
that in the MSS. the characters «c» and «t» are very often formed
almost alike. The true spelling «Ascopars» is found in ll. 2196, 2648;
cf. also the «Destruction», ll. 98, 426. Nothing is known of the origin
and the home of the Ascoparts. That they must have been men of great
bodily strength follows from l. 496, “for ye be men of mighte,” and l.
2645, “that bene boolde and hardy to fighte.” Compare also what is said
about them by Donne, in his first satire:
“Those Askaparts, men big enough to throw
Charing-cross for a bar.”
It is worthy while to note that a giant, called Askapard, occurs in
the romance of Sir Bevis of Hamptoun. See Ellis, «Metr. Romances», ed.
Halliwell, p. 263.
p. 15, l. 500. «Ho» is evidently a mistake for «we». «rere-warde»,
“rear-guard;” the van is called «fowarde», ll. 502, 732, the main body
«the medyl partye», l. 735.
p. 15, l. 504. «than» : «gon». See «Introduction», p. xxxv.
p. 15, l. 510. «oon» makes no sense. I suspect the reading of this
and the following stanza is quite corrupt. If ll. 510 and 511 should
belong to different stanzas, the «enjambement», or continuation of the
[p106] sense from one stanza to another, would be unusually strong.
I am therefore inclined to think that originally a stanza began at l.
510, and that there is a line wanting after l. 509, which contained
the rhyme to «bon» (l. 508). The scribe noticing the absence of rhyme
tried to restore it himself. Adding «oon» to l. 510, he made it rhyme
with «bon» (l. 508). Having thus destroyed the rhyme of ll. 510 and 512
(«Alisaundre» : «Cassaundre», as in l. 984), he added «gaye» to l. 512,
which now rhymed to l. 514, where he still added «to fraye». In order
to get a rhyme to l. 518, he changed in l. 516 the original «laye»
(: «Romayne») into «lan» (“he ceased, stopped”), and wrote “«to»”
«the grounde» instead of “«on»” (cf. l. 1186) or “«at»” (cf. ll. 533,
435) «the grounde», connecting thus these words with l. 515, whereas
originally they belonged to «there he laye», or—as «there» also may
have been added by the scribe—to «he laye». If now we read «with mayne»
instead of «ful evene», in l. 521, we get a perfect rhyme to l. 519; l.
520 having lost its rhyming line, he made it rhyme, by adding «than» to
l. 522, which originally rhymed to l. 524. Now to get a rhyme to l. 524
he composed and inserted himself l. 526. Therefore I think the original
reading of these two stanzas ran as follows:
Sir Ferumbras of Alisaundre 510
That bolde man was in dede,
Uppon a steede Cassaundre
He roode in riche weede.
Sir Bryer of Poyle a Romayne 514
He bare through with a spere;
Dede on the ground [there] he laye,
Might he no more hem dere.
That saw Huberte, a worthy man, 518
Howe Briere was islayne,
Ferumbras to quite than
To him he rode with mayne.
With a spere uppone his shelde 522
Stiffly gan he strike;
The shelde he brake imiddis the feelde,
His hawberke wolde not breke.
Ferumbras was agreved tho, &c. 526
On the rhyme «Romayne» : «laye» (l. 514) cf. ll. 536, 890.
p. 15, l. 514. «Bryer of Poyle» does not occur in any of the other
versions.
p. 15, l. 516. «lan», preterite of «lin», “to cease;” more common in
the compound «blin», contracted from * «be-lin».
p. 15, l. 517. «might he no more hem dere.» On the order of words, cf.
ll. 2954, 649, 2435.
p. 16, l. 520. «qwite», “to requite, reward, retaliate, pay off.” See
below note to l. 780.
p. 16, l. 531. On «stronge» (O.E. strang) : «istonge» (O.E. gestungen),
see «Introduction», p. xxxv.
p. 16, l. 532. «astraye», “out of the right way or proper place,
running [p107] about without guidance.” O.French «estraier», which is
derived from Latin «ex strada», see Diez, «Etym. Wörterb.» I. 402; II.
296.
p. 16, l. 541. «werre», “war,” seems to owe its origin to the French
«guerre», as it is not found in O.E. It appears for the first time
in the «Saxon Chronicle»,—«he coude», “he knew, had endured.” See
Mätzner’s «Grammatik», II. 262.
p. 17, l. 555. It is evident that «all ane» must be a corruption.
Perhaps the conjecture of the editor of the Roxb. Club edition,
supposing «all rafe» to be the true reading, may be right. But he is
certainly wrong to identify this «rafe» with the «rafe» in l. 866,
which, being the infinitive mood of a verb, cannot be taken for an
adjective or adverb, which the sense seems to require in l. 555.
Halliwell, «s. v.» Raff, gives: “in raff = speedily.” There is a Danish
adjective, «rap», “brisk, quick.” Cf. Skeat, «Etym. Dict.» s. v.
«raffle» and «rap».
p. 17, l. 570. «certaine» spoils the rhyme. The rhyme becomes perfect
if we read «without faile», as in l. 322.
p. 17, l. 573. «aplight», “on plight, on my word.” See Zupitza’s note
to «Guy», l. 8541. It is often used as an expletive.
p. 17, l. 580. «who the sowdan», etc. = who is the Sowdan. The verb of
the sentence is wanting; cf. note to l. 2156.
p. 17, l. 587. French text gives:
“Et Guion de Bourgoyne ad a lui appelé
Fils est de sa soror et de sa parenté
Cosins, vous en irrés. . .”
«Destr.» ll. 1179, «et seq.»
p. 18, l. 613. «hight» = (1) “was called,” (2) “promised,” (3) “called”
(partic. past). It is the preterite tense of «haten», «hoten», or «hat»
(l. 3154). Cf. Zupitza’s note to «Guy», l. 169.
p. 18, l. 614. «than» seems to be a corruption, and I think must be
left out. «Florip» is the genitive of «Florip», which occurs as a
nominative in ll. 2075, 1527. There is another nominative «Floripas»
which forms the genitive «Floripas», ll. 1659, 2350.
p. 19, l. 625. «Isres», the name of the “chief porter of the town,” who
betrayed the city, only occurs in the «Sowdan»; in the «Destruction»
the same treachery is committed by «Tabour», «D.» 1203.
“Uns traitre del cit que del porte out les cles.”
p. 19, l. 636. «bandon», literally “proclamation,” means “power,
disposal.” See Skeat, «Etym. Dict.» s. v. «abandon».
p. 19, l. 647. French:
“Le chief al portier trenche,” «Destr.» l. 1236.
p. 19, l. 648. In the «Destr.» l. 1244–5:
“Dieux” fist il “te maldie, et que t’ont engendre,
Kar traitour au darain averont mal dehe.”
p. 19, l. 650. «met», a mistake for «mot», which we find in ll. 1582,
2334, 3170. [p108]
p. 20, l. 663. Cf. the «Destr.» l. 1260:
“Al moustier de saint Piere est Fierenbras alés.”
p. 20, l. 665. «the crosse, the crown, the nailes bente.» The relics
mentioned in the «Destruction» are the crown of thorns, the cross, the
nails, and the “signe,” which, as I have shown in my «Dissertation»
(pp. 45, 46), does not mean “inscription of the cross,” but is the
Greek σινδων, and signifies “the shroud, or winding-sheet, of the Lord,
suaire, sudatorium.” In the French «Fierabras», as well as in «Syr
Ferumbras», no mention is made of the cross.
p. 20, l. 673. «thare» instead of «there» would improve the rhyme. See
«Introduction», p. xxxv.
p. 20, l. 678. «fade», O.E. fadian, “dispose, suit.” «Stratmann», p.
187.
p. 20, l. 679. «frankencense» = “pure incense.” Compare Skeat, «Etym.
Dict.»
p. 20, l. 686. «roial», “excellent.” Cf. “roial spicerye,” «Chaucer»,
ed. Morris, III. 135/142.
p. 21, l. 699. «Alle on a flame that cite was»; cf. the French:
“Kant il vindrent a Rome si virent luy porte oueree
La flambe en la cite moult granment alumee.
Pour grant chalour qu’i fu n’i povoient entrer.”
(«Destr.» ll. 1378–80.)
p. 21, l. 723. The «Destruction», ll. 1384–1408, has:
“Si dirrai de Charlon, le fort roi corone.
De par totes ses terres avoit ses gens mande,
N’i remest dus ne quiens ne baron el regne,
Qu’il assemble ne soient a Paris la cite.
Quant il i furent tous venu et ajouste,
L’emperere de France en halt en ad parle:
‘Seignours, or escoutes, si vous dirrai verte,
Li admirails d’Espaigne a no pais gaste
Et oue lui CM sarrazin diffaie.
Il ont ensegie Rome, m’admirable cite,
Tot le pais entour ont il pour voir robbe;
Si jeo ne les soccour tot l’auront il gaste.’
‘Sire,’ firent li princes, ‘a vostre volonte:
Nous ne vous failliromes tant que poons durer.’
Adonc en ad li rois grant joie demene.
Quant si gent furent prest a complir son pense,
Adonc s’en est li rois eralment aprestes
Et si firent li contes de France le regne.
Quant sont appareillie si sont enchemine:
iii C mil chevaliers ad li rois el barne
Oliviers porte sa baneer que ben leu ad guie,
Rollans fu en arriere, li vassals adures.
De soccoure Guion s’en est li rois hastes.
Tant ont il nuit et jor chivalche et erre.
Qu’il sont en Romenie, n’i ont reine tire.”
p. 22, l. 744. «He knewe the baner of France.» The French text has:
[p109]
“Guis parceut le baniere le roi de saint Dine,
Encontre lui chevalche, la novele ont conte,
Come la forte cite li payen ont gaste:
La corone et les clous d’iloec en sont robbe
Et les altres reliques. . .”
p. 23, l. 766. «for», “notwithstanding, in spite of.” So also in l.
2904.
p. 23, l. 771. «Destr.», l. 1425:
“Li vens en fiert es voiles que les a ben guies.”
p. 23, l. 776. «for south», “forsooth,” cf. ll. 2014, 897, 2024, 1025,
2246.
p. 23, l. 778. French: “il sont en terre entre.”
p. 23, l. 779. «fonde» : «grounde». «fonde» is spelt «founde» in ll.
1857, 3020, 344, 2353, 2363.
p. 23, l. 780. «stroyeth» = “destroyeth.” “Compounds of Romance origin,
the first part of which is a preposition, or words derived from such,
often mutilate, or even entirely drop the preposition” (Zupitza’s note
to «Guy», l. 576). Thus we have «sail», l. 385, = “assail;” «longeth»,
l. 3254, = “belongeth;” «skomfited», l. 1320, = “diskomfited,” ll.
336, 1464; «quite», l. 520, = “requite;” «perceived», l. 2659, =
“aperceived;” «saut», ll. 619, 2200, = “assaut,” l. 615; «ginne», l.
2326, = “enginne,” l. 333; «playne», l. 177, = “complayn;” «skaped», l.
2049, = “askaped,” l. 2218.
p. 23, l. 787. French: “iiiC mile François.”
p. 24, l. 812. «ychoon» : «Mahounde». See «Introduction», p. xlii.
p. 24, l. 820. «stroke» : «stoupe». See «Introduction», p. xliii.
p. 24, l. 820. «stenyed», “stunned,” not from O.Fr. «estaindre», as
the editor of the Roxb. Club ed. suggests, but from O.E. «stunian»,
“percellere, stupefacere.” See «Stratmann», p. 540.
p. 24, l. 835. Observe the subject expressed twice; cf. ll. 723, 1031,
1682, 1814, 2331.
p. 25, l. 836. «Neymes.» This celebrated hero has been especially
famous by the advices and counsels of which even in matters of greatest
difficulty he was never at a loss. “Tel conseiller n’orent onques li
Franc,” «i. e.» the French had never such a counsellor. This passage
of the romance of «Aspremont» may be looked upon as containing the
portrait of Neymes as we find him described in all poems. The story of
his birth and youth is in the romance of «Aubri le Bourgoing». He was
the son of Gasselin, king of Bavaria. Cassile, an usurper, is about to
seize the throne and to kill the young Neymes, when Charlemagne comes
to his help and re-establishes the legitimate inheritor.
p. 25, l. 836. «Ogier Danoys» (cf. l. 1687) is one of the twelve
peers in this poem. His life is contained in the French poem of the
“«Chevallerie Ogier»” by Raimbert de Paris. According to that romance
Ogier had been delivered in his youth to Charlemagne as [p110] a
pledge to secure the discharge of the tribute which his father
Geffroi, king of Denmark, was bound to pay to the emperor. The French
ambassadors having once been insulted by Geffroy, Charlemagne swears to
make Ogier pay with his life the offence done by his father, and Ogier
is going to be executed when the emperor, following the urgent requests
of messengers arrived from Rome, suddenly starts to deliver this city
from the Saracens. On this expedition the French army is hard pressed
by the enemy, but Ogier by his eminent prowess and valour enables
Charles to enter Rome. He now is pardoned and becomes the favourite of
the emperor. Several years afterwards Ogier’s son Baudouinet is slain
by Charlot, the son of Charlemagne, as they were quarrelling about a
party of chess. Ogier, in order to revenge his son, goes as far as to
attack Charlemagne himself, but on the point of being taken a prisoner,
he escapes and flees to Didier, king of Lombardy. Charles makes war
on Didier, and after a long struggle Ogier is taken and imprisoned at
Reims, where he is going to be starved, when a sudden invasion of the
Saracens obliges Charlemagne again to have recourse to the courage and
valour of the Dane. Ogier delivers France by slaying the giant Bréhus.
To reward him for the service done to his country, Charles gives him
the county of Hainaut, where afterwards, as the poem tells us, he died
in the renown of holiness.
p. 25, l. 845. «it» = “hit.” Cf. note to l. 41.
p. 25, l. 847–50. These four lines seem to be incorrect. As they stand,
the three first lines are rhymed together, and there is no rhyme to the
fourth. The diction of the whole passage, which cannot be said to be
ungrammatical, is nevertheless wanting in precision and exactness.
p. 25, l. 866. «rafe» = rave.
p. 25, l. 868. «Moun-joye» is the name of Charlemagne’s sword in this
poem (cf. ll. 3111, 850), whereas, according to all other romances, the
emperor’s sword was called «Joyeuse». «Mounjoie» or «Montjoie» was the
name of the French standard; it was likewise used as the battle-cry of
the French, cf. «Fierabras», l. 1703, and «Syr Ferumbras», ll. 2285,
2652, 4577, 4727. The sword «Joyeuse» had been forged by the celebrated
Weland or Galand, as we read in the French «Fierabras», l. 635:
“Et «Galans» fist Floberge à l’acier atrempé,
Hauteclere et «Joiouse», où moult ot dignité;
Cele tint Karlemaines longuement en certé.”
Compare Gaston Paris, «Histoire Poétique», p. 374.
p. 26, l. 875. «Durnedale.» This renowned sword was forged by the
famous Galand or Weland. The French «Fierabras» (l. 645) is the
only romance which attributes it to Munifican. It had been given by
Charlemagne to Roland as the best of his warriors. As to the exploits
achieved with it, Roland enumerates them himself in that celebrated
passage, where in his death-hour he tries to break [p111] Durnedale
to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Saracens («Chanson
de Roland», ll. 2316–2337). The steel blade of this sword has been
highly praised for its extraordinary hardness. It had been tried
by Charlemagne himself on that “perron,” or steel block before the
emperor’s palace in Aix-la-Chapelle (see «Histoire Poétique», p. 370).
Durnedale proved good as well as Almace, the sword of Turpin. But
Courtain, Ogier’s sword, was then shortened by half a foot. According
to l. 1407 of the «Sowdan», Durnedale broke; but this incident has been
mentioned nowhere else. Cf. «Syr Ferumbras», l. 997, and «Fierabras»,
l. 1740.
p. 26, l. 876. «romme», spelt also «rome», «rowme», «roum», is Mod. E.
«room», O.E. «rûm», “spatium.”
p. 26, l. 880. «dinge»; read «gan dinge». «Dinge» is the infinitive
mood, but the sense requires a preterite tense. The preterite of
«dinge» is «dong», «dongen», which occurs in l. 1263. But as «dinge»
cannot be altered here, on account of the rhyme, the passage is easily
corrected by adding «gan» = “he began to strike, he struck.”
p. 26, l. 884. «Alloreynes of Loreynes» and «Aleroyse» (l. 1699) are
probably identical. Then «Allorey»n«es» would be an error of the
scribe, who having already the following «Lorey»n«es» in his mind wrote
«Allorey»n«es» instead of «Alleroyse».
p. 26, l. 900. «in fay» = “truly,” «fay»= “faith, truth.” O.Fr. «fei»
or «feid», Lat. «fides».
p. 26, l. 904–5. Cf. «Chanson de Roland», ll. 1903–4:
“Rollanz est proz e Oliviers est sages,
Ambedui unt merveillus vasselage.”
p. 27, l. 913. I cannot tell what «treyumple» means, or whether it be a
corruption.
p. 27, l. 939. This kind of prayer or apostrophe addressed to the
God of War is certainly taken from another English work, which I am
unable to trace, but which must have been much known at the time of
our author, as we find it referred to in different authors. That it
has been taken from another poem is proved by some phrases of this
prayer which are somewhat obscure or rather unintelligible here, and
which we certainly should be able to explain if we knew the original
context in which they occurred. Then the form «hase» (l. 940) is
somewhat suspicious, as it is the only instance of the 2nd person
singular present dropping the «t», which it has always in this poem.
The arrangement, too, of the following stanzas differs from that
generally observed in the «Sowdan». If we consider our poem as composed
in eight-line stanzas (but see «Introduction», p. xl) we mostly find
the 1st and 3rd lines rhyming together, then the 2nd and 4th, the
5th and 7th, and finally the 6th and 8th, so that «four» different
rhyme-endings are necessary to one stanza. If now we consider the
stanza from l. 939 to 946, we only have two rhyme-endings, all the
pair lines rhyming together, and all the odd ones [p112] together. In
ll. 947 to 950 the 1st and 4th rhyme together, whilst the 2nd and 3rd
are paired off together.—ll. 939–941 we find alluded to in «Chaucer»,
see «Introduction», p. xlvi, and the «Prioress’s Tale», ed. Skeat
(Clarendon Press), p. xvii. Compare also Lindsay, «The Historie of
Squyer Meldrum», l. 390:
“Like Mars, the God Armipotent.”
p. 27, l. 939. «rede Mars.» “Bocaccio uses the same epithet in the
opening of his Teseide: ‘O rubiconde Marte.’ «Rede» refers to the
colour of the planet.” Morris, note to «Knight’s Tale», l. 889.