THE GRAND TOURNAMENT AT LOGRES: FOOTNOTES

1 Than, When.

2 bachelers, young knight-aspirants.

3 thourgh, completely.

4 wedir, weather; nothir reyned ne, neither rained nor.

5 strowed, strewn.

7 swote, sweet.

7-8 fer men, men far off.

8 fele the odour, smell the fragrance.

9 maister mynster, main cathedral; whereas, there.

10 abode, waited.

11 songe, sung; yede, went.

12 mete, food; coriouse ordenaunce, elaborate arrangement.

13 and, along with.

14 norischid, raised; reson, fitting.

15 and¹, along with; and were, who were; casteleins, castle constables.

17 whiche hadde be, who had been.

18 cowde hem, could them.

20 quyntayne reysed, tilting-board raised; bourded, sported.

21 departed hem, divided themselves.

22 well, at least.

24 her, their.

27 leve, leave behind.

28 signes, banners; neye, neigh.

30 oute of, out onto; renge, range, field.

36 covetouse, desirous.

38 semede, looked [as if]; yen fill, eyes fell.

41 With that, Then; renged hem, formed themselves.

46 drough, drew.

49 cosin germain, first cousin.

51 arached helmes, knocked off helmets.

54 Temse, Thames.

55 noon ne wiste, no one knew.

56 er, before.

57 smeten, charged.

58 tho gan, then began.

59 thei gate place, they gained the advantage; playn, open.

62 stour, fighting.

64 chaple, engagement.

65 chevalries, noble deeds.

68 somdell, somewhat.

69 enbusshement, hiding place.

75 hadde the prys, received the most honor.

82 for, because.

83 tohewen and rente, hacked and torn.

84 disconfiture, defeat; hasted, hurried; henten, grabbed.

86 presse, crowd.

87 grete-growen, thick.

93 tecche, fault; in, from; norice, nurse; sowke, suck.

94 of norture, from the nursing.

95 rought, cared.

96 japes, jokes.

97-98 on the othir syde, in addition.

101 nygh at disconfiture, close to defeat.

104 stynte, stopped.

105 upright, on his back.

108 wende, thought.

110 saugh, saw.

112 wight and delyver, swift and agile.

114 fly on, flew into.

117 enforse for, achieve.

118 fewtre, its spear-rest.

119 leyde on, attacked.

122 that, so that.

123 sye, saw; forthought it sore, regretted it greatly.

126 arson, bow.

127 astooned, stunned; upright, on his back.

127-28 hym dressed, observed him.

129 quyte, repay.

131 for that, as a result; felishiped, became friends; woned will, were bound well.

134 moche, many; greved, injured; stour, battle.

136 kytte, cut; but, if; hadde swarved, had [not] swerved.

137 lifte, left.

139 syen, saw.

141 medlé, melee.

144 blushit, fell.

150 heilde hem even like, performed very evenly; noon ne wiste wele, no one knew clearly.

152 departed, separated.

154 ostell, hostel; myster, necessity.

157 semed, thought.

158 alther beste, best of all.

160 alowe, praise.

161 here tales, their discussion; loos, honor; pris, praise.

163 nede, situation.

164 tables were up, dinner was over.

166 Temse, Thames.

171 of, by.

172 cleped, called; be, by.

173 oughten, owed.

178 speche loste, wasted words.

186 agein, toward.

187 returne, come with me.

189 no forse, have no concern.

191 party, portion.

198 clergie, learning; ne not, not even; ne cowde not, nor could.

200 toon, one.

205 agein, against.

208 was befalle, occurred.

212 lesynge, falsehood.

214 reame, realm.

219 maistries, marvels; pleyes, skills.

220 wrought, worked.

221 Bloy Breteyne, Little Britain (Brittany).

222 reherse, be told.

223 her ese, their ease.

224 messe, mass.

232 seyntes, saints.

234 debonerly, courteously.

235 sympilliche, humbly.

245 besy hem, busy themselves.

254 discesse, death; werre agein, war against.

255 geauntes, giants; puyssaunt, powerful.

256 marcheth to, borders on.

258 partees, sides.

259 ne were, if it were not for.

263 but, until.

266 quyte, saved.

267 journey, a day's travel.

THE GRAND TOURNAMENT AT LOGRES: NOTES

The Grand Tournament at Logres

[Fols. 40r (line 18)-47v (line 20)]

In this section Arthur's two most crucial allies, King Ban and King Bors, come from their kingdoms of Benoyk and Gannes in Brittany to help him to quell the barons' rebellion. Later on in the larger Arthurian narrative the sons of these two men become central figures in Arthur's knightly fellowship, with Lancelot, the son of King Ban, emerging as Arthur's pre-eminent knight. Other important relationships are established in this section also, in particular the close bond formed by Kay and Lucas the boteler and Lucas's cousin Gifflet.

Summary Based on EETS 10, p. 120 to EETS 21, p. 132.
In lines 5 ff. of the summary reference is made to Ygerne's daughters and their husbands. Although the PM is not consistent on the matter of Ygerne's daughters, here it is stated that she and the Duke of Tintagel had five daughters, in addition to two other daughters from an earlier marriage. In addition, the writer claims that Ygerne's youngest daughter, Morgan, was illegitimate. Each of Igerne's daughters, including Morgan, becomes the wife of one of Britain's lesser kings.
In lines 6 ff. we learn that Arthur himself fathered the last one. The story of Arthur's involvement with Blasine, the wife of King Lot, which is mentioned in passing here by Merlin, will soon be related in full by the narrator in the form of a flashback. Merlin mentions it here to make Arthur aware of the fact that Mordred is his illegitimate son.

5 as aboute August. Although the weather resembles that of August, the time is actually late October and hence a kind of Indian summer.

12 coriouse ordenaunce. For descriptions of the devices that made up components of the coriouse ordenaunce of splendid feasts see "The Manner of Serving a Knight, Squire, or Gentleman" in Hugh Rhodes's Boke of Nurture, or the receipts for serving wine, meats, fish, and grand feasts with several courses in John Russell's The Book of Nurture (from Harlin MS 4011) in The Babees Book, The Bokes of Nurture of Hugh Rhodes and John Russell, etc., ed. Frederick J. Furnivall EETS o.s. 32 (London: N. Trübner & Co., 1868; rpt. New York: Greenwood Press, 1969), especially pp. 66-68 and 139-75.

16 Lucas the Boteler. This significant character -- who is usually named Lucan, not Lucas -- holds the important position of King's Butler, making him one of the highest-ranking officials in the royal court. Normally a "butler" was responsible for overseeing the provisioning of a nobleman's hall.

20 the yonge bachelers. "Bachelors" are young noblemen training for knighthood. Chaucer's Squire in the Canterbury Tales, the son of the pilgrim Knight, is similarly described as a "lusty bacheler" (CT I.80).

82-83 felisship of the table of Logres. This refers to the best of Arthur's knights, who are taking a brief respite from the tournament. The use of the word "table" may simply be a mistake -- since these are clearly not the Knights of the Round Table, who at this time are with King Leodegan in Tamelide -- or it may just imply that these knights are bound together in knightly fellowship.

93 This tecche . . . . he dide of sowke. Kay's habit of "evil speech" stems from the fact that he was taken away from his mother and nursed by a woman of low birth, so that Arthur could be nursed by Kay's mother. This is part of the debt that Arthur owes to Kay and his family.

106-07 cride "Clarence," the signe of Kynge Arthur. "Clarence" is Arthur's battle cry, used to spur on his troops in the heat of battle. In some medieval accounts ofthe Arthur Story, however, "Clarence" is said to be the name of another of Arthur's swords; see The Alliterative Morte Arthure, lines 4193-4205.

170 the wordes that Merlin hadde hym tolde. Merlin, apparently, has already informed Arthur about the difficulties that Ulfin and Bretell experienced in delivering Arthur's message to King Ban and King Bors.