ARTHUR AND GAWAIN: FOOTNOTES
2 enquere for, enlist.
5 charged, filled; charietts, wagons; tonnes, barrels.
6 charged, loaded.
7 condited, taken; whereas, where.
8 oke, oak; fonde, found.
10 ledde, took; till that, so that when.
11 be emploide, be put to good use.
12 children, squires.
13-14 noon ne lefte, no one stayed behind.
20 chyvachie, horsemanship.
21 routes, companies of men.
22 dressed, proceeded.
23 before, ahead.
24 right, good reason.
25 lefte, absent.
26 chivalrie, knighthood.
27 Whan, Then; ther, where.
29 saugh, saw; theras, where.
31 hem aventeed, opened their helmet vents; keeled, cooled.
32 doute, fear.
37 issue, parentage; entreprised, well organized.
38 debonerté, virtue.
39 ageins, before; salued, greeted.
43 debonerly, politely.
46 gramercy, great thanks; com, went; ther, where.
50 salued, greeted.
53 here speken, hear spoken; and2, if.
54 owe, ought.
55 yef, if.
55-56 yow served, you [already] served.
57 as it, as if it; agein, against.
58 be in helpinge to, assisted; seth, since.
59 travaile, hardship; will well, much desire; wite, know.
61 shrewe, wicked man; oweth oon consele, ought to keep silent; it to guerdone, [a worthy] person to reward; ner, nor; iyen, eyes.
62 halvendell, extent; bounté, virtue.
65 anoon, then; hem, them.
66 aresond hem, spoke with them; what, who.
67 wolde we wite, we would know; volunté, wishes.
68 demaunde, ask; that1, whatever; that2, what.
71 withholde, support.
73 will, wish.
76 what ye be, who you are.
77 verité, truth; for . . . wite, for I have long desired to know.
78 clepe, call.
82 cosins germain, first cousins.
83 lesse, smaller one.
84 longe, tall.
86 cleped, called; holde, stand.
89 ben nygh sibbe, are close kin.
92 aperteyne, belong.
95 moche, large; semly, handsome.
97 be, by.
98 debonerté, courtesy; and2, if.
99 will3, desires.
100 hym liketh, he chooses; abide, stay.
108 enffeffe, request that; constabilrie, management.
110 will, desire.
111 feffed, i.e., struck lightly.
114 agein, to.
116 clergesse, scholar.
118 strowed, bestrewn.
122 wake, keep vigil; mynster, cathedral.
123 quynsyme, the fifteenth day.
129 acolee, accolade.
130 adubbed, knighted.
131 yaf eche, gave each; of tho, from those.
132 taught, had told them about.
133 everiche, everyone.
136 behoveth, pertains.
139 yoven, given.
140 acolee, accolade.
142 yaf, gave.
145 somdell of hys kyn, related to him.
149 mete, dine.
151 mete, dinner.
152 quyntayn, tilting board.
152-53 hem diffended, dissuaded them.
155 lefte, ended; envysenx, sporting.
157 withheilde, upheld.
159 withoute hem, excluding those.
162 so privé, very privately.
164 egramauncye, necromancy; helde, learned.
165 appareile, prepare.
176 dissevered asonder, separated; logged, stationed.
179 bad, bade; what, who.
183 what, who.
184 yef, if.
187 demaunde, question.
189 yef, if; kenned, knew; oon dide, one caused.
194 faynest, most happily.
197 that, what; be, by.
198 mo, more.
201 her, their.
202 owe, ought.
204 quyte, repay.
206 corage, love; ye, yes.
208 privees, confidants.
209 pryvé, trustworthy.
217 appareille, ready; ryvage, seacoast.
219 lettinge, delay.
224 comaunded, commended.
228 ne departed gladly asonder, were happy not to be parted.
231 made trusse sommers, readied the packhorses.
232 made goode wacche, posted guards; ascaped noon aspie, escaped any spy.
233 kepten, guarded; softe paas, easy pace.
237 serche, searched; ryvages, coastal areas; take, took.
239 be, by; er, before.
240-41 bith arived, have arrived.
242 ly, wait.
246 seth, since.
248 whan, then; that, what; behoved, was compelled.
248-49 paramours, romantically.
249 hevy, sad; douted, feared; disseyve, deceive.
250 lese, cause him to lose; he2, i.e., Merlin.
251 falle, occur.
ARTHUR AND GAWAIN: NOTES
Arthur and Gawain
[Fols. 128v (line 12)-134r (line 18)]
In this section of the PM Arthur and Gawain finally meet. Arthur is so impressed by his nephew that he formally invests him as the king's constable, a position of great honor as well as of great authority. In addition, what the Young Squires have so fervently desired -- to be knighted by Arthur -- finally occurs. In formal knighting ceremonies each of them receives a new sword and his spurs (the symbol of knighthood), which are ceremoniously attached to his feet by the attending kings. Gawain has the supreme honor of being given Arthur's sword Calibourne.
Once again there is little here that has a direct counterpart in Malory's Morte D'Arthur. In Malory, Gawain requests that Arthur make him a knight on the same day that Arthur weds the queen (Vinaver, p. 60); but when the king knights Sir Pellinor's son Torre ahead of Gawain, Gawain feels slighted and insulted. No others are knighted at this time in Malory; indeed, Gawain's younger brothers are yet to figure in the story at all.
Summary Based on EETS 21, pp. 363-70.
3 the tresour. This refers to the buried treasure that Merlin had revealed to Arthur and Ban and Bors earlier.
59-63 for to a goode man . . . in hym is. Gawain seems to be saying that it is right to report honorable and virtuous deeds to a good man (one such as Arthur); but it is better not to do so to a wicked leader, for he will be unappreciative and will fail to reward such deeds appropriately.
83 the name of the lesse that is short and fatte. In the description of the Young Squires, the author (in Gawain's words) makes some attempt to individualize the young men on the basis of their physical appearance. Thus one is said to be short, another tall, another darker complexioned, and so on. Sagremor is singled out particularly for his "great beauty" and well-shaped body.
105 right wellcome [ . . . ]. About three words at the end of Arthur's speech are indecipherable in the MS.
107-08 "Gawein, feire nevewe . . . I yow enffeffe." Here, in formal feudalistic terms ("I yow enffeffe"), Arthur bestows upon Gawain the constableship of his household and the lordship of his lands. Gawain is thus established as one of Arthur's most important liegemen.
121 The same nyght. An important part of the spiritual preparation for knighthood is the vigil that young knights-to-be must observe on the night prior to their knighting. The knighting ceremony itself occurs the next morning and is followed by a high Mass.
126 Arthur toke Calibourne. During the knighting ceremony a young knight is given his sword and his spurs. Here Arthur bestows a very special honor on Gawain by giving him his own sword Calibourne. Arthur then attaches Gawain's right spur, and King Ban attaches the left one. Finally, Arthur gives Gawain the "acolee," an embrace signifying his entry into the chivalric brotherhood of knights. The other knights are given swords from the treasure that Merlin had directed them to, with the exception of Sagremor, who has brought a special family heirloom from Constantinople for this purpose.