It seems superfluous to point out the inadmissibility of regarding the French prose version as the original of «A», the first edition of the prose version being of a much later date than the Ashmole «Ferumbras». But also that version from which the prose romance has been copied or compiled, cannot have been the original of «A». For although the phrase of «A», 3888—“A skuntede as a bore”—seems to contain some resemblance of expression with the reading of the prose «Fierabras»—“il commença à escumer come s’il fust ung senglier eschaufé,” which Caxton translates—“he began to scumme at the mouthe lyke a bore enchaffed”—the reading of «A», ll. 1307 ss., which greatly varies from Caxton’s version (a translation of the French prose «Fierabras»), renders inadmissible the supposition that the original of the French prose version is the source of «A».[44] Having thus compared the Ashmolean «Ferumbras», as far as can be done at present, with all existing versions of this romance, we arrive at the following conclusions. The Ashmole «Ferumbras» is a pretty close translation of some French version, which we are at present unable to identify. Its original was neither of the same family («w») as the «Fierabras», edited by MM. Krœber and Servois, nor yet of that of the Escorial version. Nevertheless, the original of «Sir Ferumbras» cannot have differed much from the common original, from which these two groups of MSS. are derived. To this original, called «y» by Grœber, the MS., from which «A» has been copied, appears to have been more closely related than to the Provençal version, from which it certainly is not derived. As the liberties which the author of «Sir Ferumbras» took in translating his original, consist only in very slight modifications, we may conclude [p-xxii] from his closeness of translation in general, that in those passages of «A» which exhibit significant deviations from the known French versions, these variations are not due to the composer of the Ashmolean poem, but were already to be found in its original. Therefore the Ashmole «Ferumbras» may be considered as representing by itself the translation of an independent French MS., which perhaps belonged, or at least was nearly related, to the type «y».