MERLIN AND GRISANDOLUS: FOOTNOTES
5 disconfiture, warfare.
11 for the drede, for fear.
12 her, their; nones, occasion.
14 tressed, arranged.
21 moche, large; semly, attractive; demened, conducted.
22 saf only, without.
29 quyntayne, tilting board; mede, meadow.
30 bourdinge, games.
31 bapteme, baptism.
33 bar awey the pris, took first place.
41 a fadome large, a fathom freely.
42 avised, considered.
45 lyonsewes, youthful lions.
48 do, done.
49 conversaunt, spoken of.
53 yede, went.
57 stodye, study.
60 certefie, explain.
62 entré, entry.
63 herte, hart.
66 renne, run.
67 partyes, sides.
74 abandon, unchecked; began, caused.
83 rudely, suddenly.
85 sey, saw.
89 gentill, noble.
96 spede, aid.
100 flessh newe, fresh meat.
102 uncouthe, secret.
104 thens, thence; doute, doubt.
106 walope, gallop.
107 that, what.
111 myster, needed; theras, to where.
115 fele, smell.
116 be, by.
120 forrympled, rumpled.
121 pilche, outer garment of furs.
124 chacche and frote, scratch and poke.
125 rore, roar; wood, insane.
128 tho inough, i.e., cooked enough; raced it of, grabbed it off.
133 onslepe, asleep.
135 streytely, tightly.
138 right sore, very tightly.
139 shamefaste, ashamed; mate, confused.
140 horse, horses.
147 saf, save.
155 moche, many; abidinge almesse, waiting for alms.
157 on traverse, askance.
158 repaired, altered; disnatured fro Kynde, distorted from Nature.
163 fill, it befell; toward, beginning.
168 agein, to.
169 flap, blow.
170 shamefaste, ashamed.
171 ne rofte nothinge, cared not at all.
174 abaisshed, astonished.
178 behilde, watched.
182 be leyser, at their leisure.
183 that1, as.
186 be that, by then.
194 wite in tyme comynge, soon know.
196 fill in, came into; corage, heart.
198 hadde lever be deed, would rather be dead.
204 a traverse, askance.
205 diffouled, destroyed; rasour, razor; fountayne coraunt, flowing fountain.
206 But, Except.
208 fell, fierce.
211 ageins, toward.
212 facion, appearance.
214 graces, steps.
220 entermete, bother.
222 Cristyndome, Christian faith.
231 sool, alone; Durste, Dared.
232 repeired, returned.
240 seth, since.
253 partyes, sides.
263 yaf no force of nothinge, had no concerns about anything.
266-67 in traverse, askance.
270 dispite, scorn.
276 yeve, give; certefied, explicated.
279 conne, do, cause; magré, grief.
287 heer, hair.
288 fadome, fathom.
289 semed, believed.
291 sein, seen.
292 lyonsewes, young lions.
294 do that, done what; wolde, wanted.
297 demened, treated.
298 brent, burned.
301 swevene, dream; yef, if; se, see.
302 sey, say.
304 seth, since.
307 se, see.
308 apertly, clearly.
309 heer, hair.
314 behoveth, need.
315 quyte, free.
324 abaisshed, disturbed.
325-26 Dispoile mo tho, Unclothe more those.
330 do, done.
331 seth, since.
333 flayn all quyk, skinned alive.
338 of, on; renomede, renown.
342 avisee, informed.
349 tho, those.
353 engyn, subtlety.
358 aboode after, waited for; almesse, alms.
361 her, herself.
362 coverte, veiled.
363 habite, appearance.
366 hir, i.e., woman (not Avenable); disceyaunt, deceitful; sonken, destroyed.
369 be1, because of; wratthed, angered.
370 debate of, dispute over; rech, concern.
372 apeire, occur.
373 luxuré, lechery; closeth, enclosed.
375 weneth, thinks.
376 fragelité, frailty; corage, desire.
377 volunté, wishes.
379 of thyn, by yours.
380 wynne, win.
381 lese, lose.
384 maugré the diffence, despite the contrary advice.
387 bole, bull.
390 owe, ought; nought, not; falle, befall.
391 longeth, pertains.
393 betokenynges, meanings.
394 ther1, where.
395 avoure, possessions.
396 douteth, fears; nother, neither.
399 be myschaunce, by misfortune; sey maugré, blame (?).
402 ought, anything.
403 borough, borrow.
405 pletours, pleaders.
406 apeire, abuse.
407 daungier, power.
410 sawe, saying.
411 yoven, given.
413 corage, desire.
419 dispite, anger; for, because of.
424 draweth, follows.
425 yef, if.
429 neded to enquere, one could find.
433 reame, realm.
435 do2, follow.
443 seche, seek.
444 yelde, give.
447 that, what.
454-55 lyon volage, zealous lions.
461 parties, territories.
464 fawnes, i.e., young knights.
465 volunté, wishes.
469 betaught, consigned.
471 Grewe, Greek; tho, those.
473 hert brancus, antlered hart.
476 wite, know.
481 whider as, where.
482 aventure, good fortune.
483 wende, thought.
485 hem berafte, from them taken; agein seide, opposed.
487 pees, peace.
490 deduyt, delight.
491 massage, message.
493 unethe, scarcely.
495 yie, eyes.
496 Grewe, Greek; lightly, easily.
MERLIN AND GRISANDOLUS: NOTES
Merlin and Grisandolus
[Fols. 148v (line 12)-158v (line 4)]
This largely self-contained episode allows Merlin to showcase his multifarious talents as prankster, shape-shifter, prophet, philosopher, and moral counselor; and it also provides some important information concerning the conflict that will develop before much longer between Britain and Rome. But the most intriguing aspect of this episode, in all likelihood, is the daring young woman named Avenable. Having been separated from her family, she turns up in Rome disguised as a young man named Grisandolus. By virtue of her abilities Grisandolus becomes knighted, and shortly thereafter he/she is appointed by the emperor to be the steward of Rome. By the time the events in this episode reach a conclusion, her true identity and her true sex have been revealed; and in the end, Avenable/Grisandolus marries the emperor of Rome - all of which may seem reminiscent of Shakespearean comedies, such as Twelfth Night.
4 it was that Julius. Arthur's later victory over the Romans is here foreshadowed, although the Roman leader that Gawain will kill is Lucius, not Julius.
18 This mayden com in semblaunce of a squyer. There are a great many stories and episodes in medieval and Renaissance literature involving cross-dressing, particularly ones in which a young woman is disguised as a man; but this story, which probably derives from an independent source, is one of the few to find its way into Arthurian narrative.
64 five braunches. The hart that Merlin has transformed himself into has a very impressive rack of antlers.
108 that by . . . hir cleped. The hart has addressed the steward by her true name - Avenable - rather than as Grisandolus, the name by which she is known in Rome.
226-38 This is the trouthe . . . what I am. The savage man's account of his begetting, birth, and Christian baptism provides a rough analogue to - or perhaps a kind of allegorical version of - his actual birth as it was told in the initial section of the PM.
227 Foreste of Brocheland. This is the famous Forest of Broceliande, a place of wondrous and mysterious occurrences throughout Arthurian literature.
353 that a woman hadde. Merlin is saying that only a woman - not a man - could possess the crafty subtlety of mind needed to ensnare him. This remark anticipates his lecture on the nature of women that soon follows; and it may also provide an oblique comment on Merlin's relationship with Nimiane.
357 the grettest tresour hidde. This is the second time in the PM that Merlin serves as a kind of divining rod for buried treasure.
382 But the prophesie seith. This somewhat misplaced paragraph provides the first installment of Merlin's prophecies concerning the war that will occur between Britain and Rome.
401 the riche userer. Following his general comments on the sin of avarice, Merlin offers a more specific commentary on the sin of usury - lending money at exorbitant rates. Medieval texts frequently contain satire against usurers and usury, and also against lawyers, the next group that Merlin will comment on.
410 who hath a goode neighbour hath goode morowe. This is the first recorded example of this proverbial saying in English (see Whiting N77); and see its opposite: "Evil neighbor makes evil morn" (Whiting N75). The gist of the proverb is that if you have a good neighbor, you can wake up in the morning knowing that he has not stolen from you during the night.
443 Province . . . Monpellier. Montpellier is located in Provence, in southeastern France.
454-55 the lyon crowned . . . the lyon volage. Arthur is the crowned lion; and Gawain, presumably, is the lyon volage - the youthful (or perhaps over-eager) lion.
454-64 I tolde yow . . . sle the grete boor. Merlin now elaborates upon the prophecy he had mentioned earlier concerning the coming warfare between Britain and Rome. In his allegorical depiction of it, the dragon is the Emperor Julius, the turtle is Avenable, and the boar is Lucius; the lion is Arthur, and the fawn that will kill the boar is Gawain. In his earlier comment Merlin had called Gawain a bole (bull), not a fawn.
Summary From EETS 36, pp. 437-47.