ARTHUR AT TAMELIDE: FOOTNOTES
3 her, their.
4 whereas, where; sojourned upon, abided until; Pasche Even, Easter Eve.
6 leven, depart from.
7 paleise, palace; fonde, found.
9 discounfited, defeated.
11 abaisshed, upset.
12 puyssaunce, force.
13 kowde, knew; agein, against.
14 areyse hem, free themselves.
16 belefte, remaining.
22 at pryme barbe, in early manhood; yede, went; somdell, somewhat more.
25 yede hem ageins, approached them.
26 hym semed, he thought.
27 salued, greeted.
29 noon evell ne, no evil purpose.
31 into, until; wyte, know; volunté, own volition; but, if.
32 disese, suffering.
33 inowe, enough; in soche forme, on such terms.
34 withholde, support; sowdioures, soldiers.
35 sey, tell; pleysier, desires.
37 besekynge, urged.
37-38 be at his leiser, do his bidding.
38 cleped, called.
39 how hem semed, what they thought; demaunded, asked.
40 her counseile, their advice; withholde hem, retain them.
41 worthynesse, worthiness.
46 will, wish; noon, anyone; what ye be, who you are; ne, nor.
48 semblaunce, appearance; withsey, deny; that, what.
49 withholde, retain.
51 thus moche, this much.
52 godely mayen, are able; wite, know.
54 paraventure, perhaps.
56 take in gré, accept; graunted for, agreed.
57 suerté, pledge.
60 loiggynge, lodging; vavasour, lesser nobleman.
61 herberowe, lodging.
62 esy, pleasant.
65 lepe, rushed; hem agenis, to them.
66 lighten, alighted; yede, went.
67 yomen dight, yeomen put.
70 wurshiped, honored.
71 holde, think.
71-72 travayle nothinge loste, efforts were wasted.
72 somowned, summoned.
73 tho, those.
75 wite, know; streyte, strict.
76 longed to thevis, deserved thieves.
77 sowdiours, soldiers.
80 what on, counting those; withoute hem, excluding those.
84 entreynge, beginning.
87 vitaile, food.
89 abode, awaited.
90 pray, livestock.
92 at sojourne, at their ease.
97 sonne, the sun.
98 medled amonge noon, mixed with any.
99 arayed hem, prepared themselves.
102 was wonte to bere, used to carry.
103 he, i.e., Cleodalis.
104 ganfanon, standard; losenges of goules, diamond-shapes in red; feelde, field (background).
105 ynde, blue.
106 renged hem, stationed themselves; portes, gates.
107 abode, awaited.
108 bounté, excellence.
109 hoved stille, waited quietly.
113 dere, dearly; sue, follow.
114 what, whatever; yede, went.
117 soche oon, such a one.
118 right grete, very large; fadome, fathom (6 feet).
119 tortue, entwined; braulinge, fluttering.
120 heire of, air from.
121 With that, Then.
123 prayes of bestes, group of animals.
124 eschuwed, avoided.
127 makeste thow daunger of, i.e., do you doubt.
128 flayle, bar.
130 magré, despite; grucchid, complained.
131-32 as close as, as closed as if.
132 blissid, crossed themselves.
133 priked, rode.
135 frusht, rushed.
138 pray, group of animals.
140 so grete cariage, a large baggage train; piled, pillaged.
142 Suweth, Follow; fill so, happened; anoon as, as soon as.
143 charme, spell.
144 visages, faces.
148 issed, issued.
153 into, inside.
156 medelinge, fighting.
157 departed, divided.
158 agein, against.
159 ton, one; tother, other.
159-60 neighed nygh, drew near.
161 dismailed, pierced mail.
167 at gret myschief, in great trouble; behoved, were forced; disparble, retreat.
168 wolde or noon, wished to or not; voyde, leave.
169 streite, tight.
170 litill, few.
172 dispyte, anger; ensigne, battle-cry.
173 shoure, rush; shofte, push.
174 diffoule, injure.
175 maymen, maim; felowes, i.e., opponents; arrestynge, i.e., fighting back.
177 lothly, badly.
180 wende, thought; alle here werre, all their fighting.
183 sowowned, swooned.
194 nygh, nearly.
195 slowe, slew; doell, grief.
198 stour, fighting; theras, where.
201 grennynge, grinning.
202 walop, gallop.
203 sue, follow.
205 pas, pace; theras, where.
210 drive, drove; slough, slew.
211 raught, struck.
213 martirdom, death.
214 rought, cared.
217 martire, slaughter; occision, killing.
218 beheilde, looked.
219 sowdiours, soldiers.
220 withholden, retained; socoure, aid.
221 rested, stopped.
223 right, readied; sethen, then.
225 what, why; Suweth, Follow.
226 raundon, pace.
227 at gret myschief, in great danger.
231 that, so that; clernesse, brightnesse.
232 longe, away.
235 spronge, jumped.
235-36 merveiled what, wondered who.
241 yaf, gave.
242 whom, whomever; arafte, struck; waranted, protected.
244 sithes, times.
248 what, who; araught, struck.
249 theras, where.
254 moste, largest.
255 moche, large.
257 eere, ear; lifte, left.
258 girdell, belt.
259 ganfanouer, standard-bearer; of, off; with all, along with.
261 conne, can.
265 theras, where.
268 renged, arranged.
269 in poynte, about.
271 ferde, moved.
273 leten, leave.
274 marteleise, hammering.
276 stour, fighting; fell, cruel.
278 renne maisterles, run riderless.
280 bruyt, sounds.
281 doel, grief; here, hear.
283 traces, remains; sued, followed.
284 nought ne, neither; ne, nor.
285 tho, those.
305 leve, leave.
308 for noon unkyndenesse, i.e., for despite whatever unkindness.
309 ne leve, nor leave; myscheif, troubles.
312 troweth, truth.
320 cowde, could.
321 faile, doubt; Till it fill, It happened.
322 agein, against.
325 Hit fill, It befell.
326 cleped, called.
327 bewté, beauty.
329 an usage, a habit.
330 servyse to messe, the services until mass.
331 yede, went.
333 sawter, psalter.
335 dide, put; brennynge, burning.
336 what, who.
338 deffended, resisted.
341 geten, begotten.
342 reynes, loins.
344 traveyle, be in labor.
345 oon cowde, one could.
346 reynes, loins; hight, was named; bapteme, baptism.
348 keled, cooled.
349 shet, shut.
350 heilde, held.
351 he1, i.e., the steward.
353 never feyned, i.e., was always glad.
354 ther, where.
355 all betyme, in time; twey, two.
355-56 mater fallith, story turns.
358 discounfiture, defeat; small, few.
360 discounfited, undone.
361 of2, by.
362 sowdioures, soldiers.
363 fonde, found.
365 hem ageins, to meet them.
367 hool, whole.
368 wynnynge, booty.
370 withholden, retained.
373 worschip, honor.
374 wolde, wished.
375 yeftes, gifts; seth, since.
376 departe, distribute; yeve, give.
379 hadden, received; tho, those.
380 nothynge, not at all.
381 largesse be, generosity by; nought, nothing.
383 ooste, host (i.e., Blaires).
385 departed, distributed.
387 alight, stay.
390 bare, carry.
404 the sowdiours, i.e., Arthur's forty knights.
406 affiered, belonged.
409 hym, i.e., Arthur.
410 what1, who.
411 And, If.
412 spoused, wedded.
413 but yef, unless; other elles, or else.
415 nought, not.
418 fill in his mynde, came to mind.
420 prowesses, deeds.
421 war, aware.
422 yede, went; wroth, angry.
423 heede, head.
424 saugh, saw; abaisshed, reserved.
425 thenke, appear; that, though.
430-31 cesseth till eftesones, cease until later on.
434 yede, went; tho, then.
437 debonerly, courteously.
438 nygh, near.
440 visage, face.
441 entermedled, mingled; nother, neither.
444 fetures, features; yef, if.
445 bounté, goodness.
448 pappes, breasts; appelis, apples.
450 pensif, melancholy.
451 chere, face; wolde not, did not want.
451-52 ne noon, nor any.
452 aperceyved, observed.
453 clepe, call.
454 abaisshed at, frightened by.
455 were beholden, sustained.
458 guerdon yelde, debt repay.
459 quyte, repaid.
463 sembelant, the appearance; greved, saddened.
465 aventure, danger.
466 fayn, glad.
469-70 ne wolde not, did not wish [her to].
471 clothes, table cloth.
474 werres, wars; wele woxen, well grown.
475 heyres, heirs.
476 here before, before now.
478 letted, prevented; werre, war.
480 seth, since.
481 yeve, give; yef, if.
484 desesse, death.
488 corage, heart.
494 cure, desire.
495 fayn he wolde, gladly he wished; aresoned, discussed.
496 pees, peace; herkened yef, watched if; aperceyve, learn.
497 what1, who.
498 hym, i.e., Arthur; mysese, discomfort.
501 abasshed, surprised; hym coveyted, he desired; hertely, truly.
502 fayn, gladly.
503 make, husband; tho, those.
509 seke, sick; ton, one; cleped, called.
510 vengeresse, vengeful.
511 cleped, called.
513 nece, niece.
Arthur at Tamelide
[Fols. 69r (line 31)-90r (line 11)]
The mission of "the Forty-two Soldiers" (Arthur, Merlin, and the Forty Companions) to assist King Leodegan in his war against King Rion is yet another section of the narrative that is largely unique to the PM. One of its central purposes is to introduce Arthur to his future wife Gonnore, the daughter of King Leodegan. Geoffrey of Monmouth, one of the first writers to mention Arthur's wife, offered little information about her except to saythat she was descended from a noble Roman family and was the most beautiful woman in Britain (Thorpe, p. 221); but the author of the PM tells us a great deal about Gonnore's parents and about the night when she and her notorious half-sister, known as the "False Gonnore," were begotten by Leodegan. Malory, on the other hand, reduces all of the material in this section to a mere ten lines, and one has the impression that he prefers to avoid the attractive and appealing descriptions provided by this author of Arthur and Gonnore falling in love. Malory simply says, "And there had Arthure the firste syght of queene Gwenyvere, the kyngis doughter of the londe of Camylarde, and ever afftir he loved hir" (Vinaver, p. 26).
21-22 alle yonge bacheleres at pryme barbe. Arthur and his companions (other than Ban, Bors, and Merlin) are all in the first stage of young adulthood; they are youthful knights proudly sporting their first beards (their pryme barbe).
30 not to knowe oure names. Knights choosing to conceal their identities until after they have proved themselves is a narrative device that occurs often in medieval romances. One of the most famous examples is in Malory's "Tale of Gareth."
73 at the Ascencion. Ascension Day, commemorating Christ's Ascension into heaven, is the fortieth day after Easter (see Acts 1:9).
81-82 in tho dayes fyve hundred was cleped a thousande. The writer may be uneasy about the extremely large numbers of warriors involved in these battles; this appears to be an attempt to preserve credibility.
104-06 a smal ganfanon . . . crownes of golde. Both the smaller standard that Cleodalis bears and the larger one that Hervy bears display typical medieval heraldic devices. The smaller banner has two red diamond-shapes ("losenges") displayed on a field of gold, along with two blue crowns; the description of the great banner is less specific, but it seems to have four diamond-shapes (also on a field of gold?) with gold crowns inside the losenges.
285 to reherse the names of tho worthi men. Long catalogs listing the names of knights are common in Arthurian literature. Chrétien, for example, provided catalogs in Erec of the best of Arthur's knights and of the people attending Erec's wedding. Perhaps the most famous catalog of knights is Malory's listing of the knights who attempt to heal Sir Urry (Vinaver pp. 665-67). There is no group of knights in Malory corresponding to the Forty-two Soldiers of the PM, but during the Battle of Bredigan Forest Malory does list twenty-one knights who performed well there, and most of them are included in this list of the Forty-two.
321-22 a Feste of Seint John. This would probably be the Feast of John the Baptist, celebrated on June 24, rather than December 27, the saint's day commemorating St. John the Divine (Christ's disciple).
326 that was cleped Gonnore. The name of Leodegan's daughter, the woman who will become Arthur's wife, occurs in a variety of forms in medieval literature. In the early Welsh legends she is called Gwenhwyvar; in Geoffrey of Monmouth she is Guanhumora; in Malory her name is Gwenyvere. But the form used in the PM, Gonnore, is one of the more common forms of her name in medieval Arthurian works.
329-30 to sey Matyns and to heere all servyse to messe. Leodegan's wife is a very devout woman whose custom is to attend all the religious services of the day, beginning with matins (the earliest service, often sung at 2 a.m.) and on until Mass when the Eucharist is celebrated.
337 and than he . . . bad hir be stille. Although medieval rulers often took great liberties with their subjects, Leodegan's behavior here is deplorable. And, as often happens in medieval and Renaissance stories, the child conceived in such a circumstance -- in this case "the False Gonnore" -- will turn out to be morally corrupt, as in the famous instances of Mordred and the bastard Edmund in Shakespeare's King Lear.upon the childes reynes a litill crosse like a crowne for a kynge. The true Gonnore possesses a tiny birthmark, the only physical difference between these virtually identical half-sisters; later on, of course, Gonnore's birthmark will provide the means by which the sisters are distinguished.
Summary Based on EETS 21, pp. 214-24.
453-54 be ye not abaisshed at youre sopere. Gonnore's remark is said in the spirit of light-hearted banter -- "you should not be frightened by your supper, a man like you who today showed no fear of the Saxons."
506-07 saf only Helayn that was withouten pere. Gonnore, the writer claims, surpasses all the women of Britain in beauty and virtue except for one -- Elaine, the daughter of King Pelles, the niece of the Fisher King and the Maimed King, and the mother of Sir Galahad.
508-09 the Kynge Pesceor and of the seke kynges wounded. King Pesceor is the Fisher King, and the "sick wounded king" is his brother Alain, also known as the Maimed King.
510 the spere vengeresse. This is the weapon by which Alain is wounded through both thighs; Malory calls the event in which this wounding takes place the striking of the "dolorouse stroke" (Vinaver, pp. 53-54).
Summary Based on EETS 21, pp. 229-57.