p. 81, l. 2810. «cliffe.» Here the author of the «Sowdan» goes so far in shortening his original as to be wholly unintelligible. Indeed, any reader, not comparing these lines with corresponding passages in the French poem, will be left without any clue to what «cliff» is here intended to mean. From the French «Fierabras» we know that the water of the river was very deep and broad, and that the banks were exceedingly steep and almost inaccessible. Cf. «Fierabras», ll. 4349: “Et voit l’augue bruiant, le flot parfont et lé.” l. 4358: “La rive en est moult haute, bien fait à redouter.” Cf. also the Provençal poem, ll. 3733, «et seq.»: “Richart regarda l’aygua, que fe mot a duptar, E fo grans e preonda, que no y auza intrar, E la riba fou «auta de C pes» ses gaber.” Now it was by means of a twofold myracle that the Christian knight was enabled to cross the river: (1) The waters suddenly increased and rose so as to reach the very top of the banks; cf. «Fierabras», ll. 4365–69: “Or oiés quel vertu Diex i vaut demonstrer Por le roi Karlemaine, qui tant fait à douter. Ançois que on ëust une liuée alé, Veïssiés si Flagot engroissier et enfler, Que par «desous la rive commence à seronder».” Provençal, ll. 3741–45: [p130] “Ara podetz auzir, si m voletz escoutar: Tan bela meravilha li volc dieus demostrar Per lo bon rey de Fransa que el volc tant amar; Ans un trag de balesta pogues lunhs hom anar, Pogratz vezer Flagot «sus la riba montar».” (2) A deer appears and shows Richard the way across the river to the top of the opposite bank. “Atant es vous .i. cerf, que Diex i fist aler, Et fu blans comme nois, biaus fu à resgarder. Devant le ber Richart se prent à demostrer, Devant lui est tantost ens en Flagot entrés. Li dus voit Sarrazins après lui aroutés, S’il ot paour de mort ne fait à demander. Après le blance bisse commencha à errer Tout ainsi com ele vait, lait le ceval aler; Et li ciers vait devant, qui bien s’i sot garder, D’autre part à la rive se prent à ariver.” Cf. also the Provençal version, ll. 3751–54: “Apres la blanca bestia laycha ’l destrier anar. E lo cer vay denan, que l saup mot ben guizar, De l’autra part de l’aygua l’a fayt ben aribar, «E dieus a fayt Flagot en son estat tornar».” This bank which formerly was steep and inaccessible, but is now covered with water, is called «cliff» by our poet. In the Ashmolean poem the first miracle is not mentioned; cf. «Syr Ferumbras», ll. 3943, «et seq.» p. 81, l. 2811. «he blessed him in Godis name.» The phrase occurs also in «Syr Ferumbras», l. 3961, but is not to be found in the French text. Mr. John Shelley (in his paper printed in the «Annual Report and Transactions» of the Plymouth Institution, IV. i. 71) took this phrase as a proof that the original of the «Sowdan» could not have been the French poem. But it must be stated that as in the «Sowdan», l. 2807, so in the French version Richard is said to have addressed a prayer to God: