Except for footnotes and similar, all brackets [] are in the original. Conversely, except for the indented stanzas at ll. 699-719, all blank lines within the poem were added by the transcriber.] The Romans of Lancelot of the Laik. Dublin: William Mcgee, 18, Nassau Street. Edinburgh: T. G. Stevenson, 22, South Frederick Street. Glasgow: Ogle & Co., 1, Royal Exchange Square. Berlin: Asher & Co., Unter Den Linden, 11. Boston, U.S.: Dutton & Co. New York: C. Scribner & Co.; Leypoldt & Holt. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. LANCELOT OF THE LAIK: A Scottish Metrical Romance, (About 1490-1500 A.D.) re-edited From a Manuscript in the Cambridge University Library, with an Introduction, Notes, and Glossarial Index, by THE REV. W. W. SKEAT, M.A., Late Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge; and Translator of the Songs and Ballads of Uhland. [Second and Revised Edition, 1870.] LONDON: Published for the Early English Text Society, By N. Trübner & Co., 60, Paternoster Row. MDCCCLXV. 6 John Childs and Son, Printers. PREFACE. I.--DESCRIPTION OF THE MS., ETC. A former edition of the present poem was printed for the Maitland Club, in 1839, and edited by Joseph Stevenson, Esq. It has saved me all trouble of transcription, but by no means, I am sorry to say, that of correction. Those who possess the older edition will readily perceive that it differs from the present one very frequently indeed, and that the variations are often such as considerably to affect the sense. Many of the errors in it (such as _casualtyee_ for _casualytee_, _grone_, for _gone_, _reprent_ for _repent_) are clearly typographical, but there are others which would incline me to believe that the transcription was too hastily executed; several passages being quite meaningless. Near the conclusion of Mr Stevenson’s preface we read: “The pieces which have been selected for the present volume[P1] are printed with such errors of transcription as have crept into them by the carelessness of the scribe;” a statement which certainly implies that there was no intention on his part of departing from the original. Yet that he sometimes unconsciously did so to such an extent as considerably to alter (or destroy) the sense, the reader may readily judge from a few examples:-- [Footnote P1: The volume contains other poems besides “Sir Lancelot.”] LINE. EDITION OF 1839. TRUE READING OF THE MS.