The Romaunce of the Sowdone of Babylone and of Ferumbras His Sone Who Conquerede Rome
General
The Romaunce of the Sowdone of Babylone and of Ferumbras His Sone Who Conquerede Rome
Charlemagne, Emperor, 742-814 -- Romances; English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500; Romances, English
“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]
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