MERLIN AND NIMIANE; AND ARTHUR AND THE GIANT OF ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT: FOOTNOTES
1 stinte, stopped.
2 yede, went; sore, greatly.
3 cowde, knew; of that, what.
5 connynge, skill; will, desire; ly, lie.
6 pelow, pillow.
9 oo, one.
13 clergie, knowledge; lightly, quickly.
15 comaunded, commended.
19 seth, since.
22 trussed, packed.
23 geaunte, giant.
25 disolate, frightened.
26 born, taken.
28 whereas, where; repeired, dwelled; closed with, surrounded by; see, sea.
29 yet cleped, still called; nother, neither.
30 ne, nor; durst, dared.
32 slough, slew; roches, rocks.
36 cleped, summoned.
40 o, one.
43 bote, boat; flos, tide.
44 see, sea.
45 doute, fear.
46 wende, thought; be, been; hardynesse, courage; drough, drew.
47 hoped for, expected.
50 saugh, saw; clier brennynge, brightly burning.
52 torente, torn.
53 what, who.
54 dolour1, grief; dolour2, sorrow.
55 yef, if; Fle hens hastely, Flee from here quickly; maist, may.
56 unhappy, misfortunate.
58 Whan, Then; regrated, sorrowed for.
59 but yef, unless.
60 what, who.
62 lith, lies.
63 dolerouse caitif, pitiful wretch; waymentacion, lamentation.
64 that, who; yaf souke, gave suck.
65 it was me comaunded, I was ordered; norish, nurture.
66 kepe, protect.
67 leyn, lain.
68 suffre, permit; moche, huge.
69 berafte, murdered; falsly, wickedly.
70 be, by; biried, buried.
71 wherfore, why; hens, away; seth, since.
73 for that, because; se, see.
75 entered, interred; wende wele have, nearly.
76 abide, stay.
77 that, so that; moste, must.
78 whedir I wolde or noon, whether I wished to or not.
79 ner, nearly.
82 maist, may; maner, way; ascape, escape; anoon right, right now; in, on.
84 lef, leave.
85 seth, then.
86 that, what.
87 ther, where.
91 yef it be myster, if there is need.
92 abide, waited.
94 kut of, cut off; [was] most inough, was well cooked.
95 a softe pas, i.e., moving silently.
96 wende, hoped.
98 stert to, reached for.
99 plante, branch; oke, oak; birthon, burdon.
100 leide, placed; nekke, shoulder.
103 he, i.e., Arthur; wight, agile; delyver, quick.
104 wende, hoped.
105 kept it on, blocked it with.
106 somdel, somewhat; touched, hit.
107 conquered of, had captured from.
108 yen, eyes.
109 scarmyshe, flail about.
110 wood, mad.
111 areche, reach.
112 tobrosed, battered.
113 that1, while.
114 tastinge, searching; that, until.
115 sesed, seized.
116 anoon, now; wende, expected; threst, stabbed; he hadde, he would have.
117 wight, agile; delyver, quick; wrast, twisted; peyne, effort.
119 fremysshed, shook.
120 atame, penetrate.
122 wiste, knew; durste, dared.
124 it sesed, he halted.
125 theras, where; wende, hoped; blenched, moved back.
126 areche, reach.
127 tasted, tried; chacche, catch.
128 frotinge, rubbing; iyen, eyes.
130 gripes, grip; brosten, broken; chyne, spine.
131 craspe, reach.
133 here, hear.
135 kne, knee; swowne, swooning.
136 hente, grabbed; ther, where.
137 rof, stabbed.
138 grete, huge.
140 yove, given.
141 of, off.
142 of, from.
144 flode, tide; disesed, bothered.
145 peyne, effort; passed the greves, crossed the sands.
146 sore abaisshed, greatly concerned; wiste, knew.
147 whider, where;
147-48 ne hadde ben, if not for.
148 hastely, soon.
149 afray, fear.
150 teinte, tent.
151 trussed at, tied to.
153 afray, fright; ther, where.
156 trussed, brought.
MERLIN AND NIMIANE; AND ARTHUR AND THE GIANT OF ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT: NOTES
Merlin and Nimiane; And Arthur and the Giant of St. Michael's Mount
[Fols. 224r (line 13)-230r (line 28)]
Surprisingly, Arthur's European campaign against the Romans takes up relatively little space in the PM. This portion of the Arthurian story originates with Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain, comprising more than half of the narrative material concerning Arthur in that work. It is also the central focus in the ME Alliterative Morte Arthure; but by the time of Malory's Morte D'Arthur, its centrality to Arthur's story was considerably diminished. Arthur's great personal combat against the Giant of St. Michael's Mount also has it origin in Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain, and it remains a basic component of the Arthurian narrative in many later medieval accounts. Perhaps the most stirring rendition of this episode is found in the MEAlliterative Morte Arthure (lines 900-1221), which is also the direct source for Malory's version of the episode in Morte D'Arthur (Vinaver, pp. 119-23).
Summary Based on EETS 36, pp. 631-34.
Summary Based on EETS 36, pp. 635-45.
In line 9, the arrival of a group of twelve messengers provokes Arthur's compaign against the Romans as they demand his allegedly unpaid tribute to the Roman Emperor Lucius. Arthur treats the messengers who bring this demand hospitably, but he sends them back to Rome bearing a strongly hostile reply. In line 13, Britain's claim on Rome is based on historical precedents, that is, the exploits of earlier British heroes whose European campaigns are described by Geoffrey of Monmouth -- first Belinus and Brennius, and later, Maximianus.
29 Mounte Seint Michel. This is the famous Mont Saint Michel, located on the seacoast of Normandy close to the border with Brittany.
58 Helayn. The name of the young woman for whom the old woman is grieving is Elaine or Helena; she is the niece of Hoell of Nantes, the Duke of Brittany.
119-120 the hide of the serpent. The giant is protected by the skin of a serpent (perhaps a dragon's hide); when Arthur finally kills the giant, he has to lift the skin and stab the giant beneath it.