p. 37, l. 1277. The scene as related here widely differs from that described in the Ashmolean version. In the «Sowdone», Oliver gets hold of the sword which is “trussed on Ferumbras’s stede.” In the Ashmolean poem it is not Oliver who is disarmed, but Ferumbras, and Oliver allows him to pick up his weapon again. This in itself furnishes us an argument for conjecturing that the author of the «Sowdon» did not follow, or even know of, the Ashmolean version. In the French poem, as well as in the Provençal, it is likewise Oliver who is disarmed. If in those poems we find mentioned besides that Ferumbras offered his enemy to take up his sword again—an incident not related in the «Sowdan»—we do not consider this to disprove our supposition that the French version was the source of the «Sowdan», as we may consider our author in this case simply to have adhered to his favourite practice of shortening his original as much as possible, so far as no essential point is concerned. Cf. the French «Fierabras», ll. 1289–1346. p. 37, l. 1286. «saught» is a misprint for «raught». p. 37, l. 1289. «He thought he quyte.» «quyte» may be explained as standing for «quyted», or else «he» must be changed into «to»: «He thought to quyte», the latter reading is perhaps preferable. We find in l. 3110 a passage agreeing almost exactly with this. p. 38, l. 1298. «Qwyntyn.» The name of this Saint does not occur in any other version of our romance. p. 38, l. 1308. There is no mention made of this prayer in the Ashmolean version, the «Sowdan» here (ll. 1308–1340) agrees again with the French «Fierabras», ll. 1164–1244 (and with the Provençal poem, l. 1493, «et seq.»), with the only difference, that the prayer which Charlemagne addressed to God, in order to bestow the victory upon the Christian hero, is much longer in «F»; and is stuffed with so many details of the Scripture, that in some way it may be regarded as a succinct account of the whole life of the Lord. p. 38, l. 1320. «skomfited» = «discomfited», l. 1464. It is formed by the same analogy as stroyeth = destroyeth. See note to l. 780. The substantive «discumfiture», O.Fr. «desconfiture», occurs in l. 336; the same [p118] word, without prefix, is found in M.H.G., cf. «Kudrun», ed. Martin, 646, 2: “dô si hêten gerne die porten zuo getân dô muosten si daz lernen durch «schumphentiuren» verlân.” The Italian noun is «sconfitta», and the verb «sconfiggere». p. 38, l. 1327. «God aboue» does not rhyme with «lord almighty». The rhyme is easily restored if we read «of might» (cf. l. 2059) for «aboue», and if we change «almighty» into «almighte», so that we have: l. 1327. “Tho Charles thanked God of myghte.” l. 1329. “And saide, ‘blessed be thou, lord almyghte.’” The adjective «almiȝt» is of frequent occurrence in Mid. Eng. writers. So in «Allit. Poems», I. 497: “in sothful gospel of god almyȝt;” «Syr Ferumbras», l. 3580, “God almyȝte: siȝte;” «ibid.» l. 3815, “god almyȝt: wyȝt.”