(iii) Guy of Burgundy and Richard of Normandy play a most important active part before Rome, according to Ph. Mousket, whereas in the «Destruction» this is not the case. Now, as to the last two items, they must have been in the original such as they are related by Ph. Mousket. For only thus some obscure passages of «Fierabras», of which even the «Destruction» affords no explanation, are cleared up. Thus, «Fierabras», l. 1049, “Près fu du far de Rome, ses a dedens jetés”— which is in contradiction to the «Destruction», is explained by ll. 4705–6 of Mousket’s account (see above). Only Mousket relates that Floripas has seen Guy before Rome («Fierabras», l. 2240; Ashmole «Ferumbras», l. 1413), and that Richard took part at the combat there. Therefore the account as given by Ph. Mousket, agreeing with what must have been the contents of the old original, is based on a version older than the «Destruction», which exhibits significant differences. These differences between Mousket and the «Destruction», as well as the fact that several references to preceding events contained in «Fierabras» remain unexplained by the «Destruction», were some of the reasons which led me in my «Dissertation», pp. 41–49, to consider the «Destruction» as a poem written by another author than that of the «Fierabras». In order to clear up the allusions to preceding events contained in the «Fierabras», the very beginning of which necessarily requires some explanatory account—a circumstance which also gave rise to the ‘episode’ of the Provençal version—the «Destruction» was composed as a kind of Introduction to the «Fierabras», whereby it happened that some allusions remained unexplained. [32] For a description of this magnificent MS., see «Sir Ferumbras», p. vi, footnote. [33] Cf. Warton, «Hist. of Eng. Poetry», ii. 197–8. [34] Edited for the E. E. T. S. in 1879, by S. J. Herrtage, B.A. [35] Cf. Gautier, «Epopées Françaises», i. 221.—“Rien n’est plus fréquent, dans la Chanson de Roland et dans nos poèmes les plus anciens, que la répétition double, triple et même quelquefois quadruple, de certains couplets. Cette répétition n’a pas lieu dans les mêmes termes, ni surtout avec les mêmes rimes. Tout au contraire, la même idée est reproduite en vers différents, munis d’assonances ou de rimes différentes.” [36] The variations of this MS. are printed in the «Jahrbuch der roman. and engl. Sprachen», vol. ix. pp. 43 ss. [37] This edition, although printed from the MS. «a», may be said to represent a group («w») of four MSS., called «a» «b» «c» «d» (see above xv). Another group («z») is formed by the MSS. «E» and «D». Both groups belong to the same type «y». Cf. Grœber, «Die handschriftlichen Gestaltungen der chanson de geste Fierabras», Leipzig, 1869, p. 27, where we find the following stemma: