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The Texts
The texts below embody only emendations mentioned or argued for in this essay. Others are possible, particularly in editing the passage from C as Malory's work, but any attempt to take that process much further would only show that, at least for his Roman War story, an edition of Malory must be based on W.
- Thane Sir Lucius lordlyche lettres he sendys 570
- Onone into the Oryente with austeryn knyghtez:
- Till Ambaygne and Arcage and Alysaundyre eke,
- To Inde and to Ermonye as Ewfrates rynnys,
- To Asye and to Affrike and Ewrope the large,
- To Irtanye and Elamet and all thase owte ilez, 575
- To Arrabye and Egipt, till erles and other
- That any erthe ocupyes in thase este marches;
- Of Damaske and Damyat the dukes and erles,
- For drede of his daungere they dresside them sone;
- Of Crete and of Capados the honourable kyngys 580
- Come at his commaundmente clenly at ones;
- To Tartary and Turkye when tythynges es comen,
- They turne in by Thebay, terauntez full hugge;
- The flour of the faire folke of Amazones landes,
- All thate faillez on the felde be forfette fore evere; 585
- Of Babyloyn and Baldake the burlyche knyghtes;
- Barons with theire baronage bydes no langere
- Of Pounce and Pamphile and Preter Johne landes,
- Iche prynce with his powere appertlyche graythede.
- The Sowdane of Surrye assemblez his knyghtes, 590
- Fra Nylus to Nazarethe nommers full huge:
- To Garyere and to Galelé they gedyre all at ones,
- The sowdanes that were sekyre sowdeours to Rome.
- They gadyrede overe the Grekkes See with grevous wapyns
- In theire grete galays with gleterande scheldez. 595
- The Kynge of Cyprys on the see the Sowdane habydes
- With all the realls of Roodes arayede with hym one;
- They sailede with a syde wynde oure the salte strandez.
- Sodanly the Sarezenes, as them selfe lykede,
- Craftyly at Cornett the kynges are aryfede, 600
- Fra the ceté of Rome sexti myle large.
- Be that the Grekes were graythede, a full grete nombyre,
- The myghtyeste of Macedonye with men of tha marches,
- Pulle and Pruyslande presses with other,
- The legemen of Lettow with legyons ynewe, 605
- Of Calabre and of Catelonde bothe kynges and deukes, W1
- And the Kynge of Portyngale with many thousande Spaynardis. W2
- 572 Ambaygne] T Ambyganye Arcage] T Orcage 575 Irtanye] T Irrttayne 576 Arrabye] T Arraby 578 the] T and 582 Turkye] T Turky tythynges] T tythynnges 584 Amazones] T Amazonnes 587 Barons] T Bayous 588 Pounce] T Perce 603 Macedonye] T Macedone W1 — 2] om. T
127
Malory's Le Morte Darthur, from the Winchester Manuscript.
- Than the Emperoure sente furth his messyngers of wyse olde
- knyghtes unto a contrey callyd Ambaygne, and Arcage, and unto
- Alysaundir, to Ynde, to Ermonye that the rever of Eufrates
- rennys by, and to Asye, Aufryke, and Europe the large, and to
- Ertayne, and Elamye, to the oute yles, to Arrabye, to Egypte, 5
- to Damaske, and to Damyat, to noble deukis and erlys; also
- the Kynge of Cayer, and of Capados, and the Kyng of Tars, and
- of Turkye, and of Pounce, and of Pampoyle. And oute of Preter
- Johanes londe, also the Sowdon of Surrye, and frome Nero
- unto Nazareth, and frome Garese to Galely, there come Sarysyns 10
- and becom sudgettis unto Rome. So they come glydyng in
- galyes. Also there come the Kynge of Cypres, and the Grekis
- were gadirde and goodly arayed with the Kynge of Macidonye,
- and of Calabre and of Catelonde bothe kynges and deukes, and
- the Kynge of Portyngale with many thousande Spaynardis. 15
- 2 Ambaygne] W Ambage Arcage] W Arrage 3 Alysaundir] W Alysundir Ermonye] W Ermony Eufrates] W Eufrate 4 Asye] W Assy 5 Arrabye] W Arrabe 6 Damyat] W Damyake to noble] and to noble W 7 Cayer, and of Capados] W Capydos 8 Turkye] W Turke 9 Surrye] W Surre 13 Macidonye] W Macidony 14 Calabre W Calabe
Le Morte Darthur as Malory's work, from Caxton's edition.
- I shall sende for them all that ben subgettys and alyed to
- thempyre of Rome to come to myn ayde, and forthwith sente old
- wyse knyghtes unto these countrayes folowynge: fyrste to
- Ambaygne and Arcage, to Alysaundir, to Ynde, to Ermonye,
- whereas the ryver of Eufrates renneth, into Asye, to Auffryke, 5
- and Europe the large, to Ertayne and Elamye, to the oute yles,
- to Arabye, Egypte, and to Damaske, to Damyat and Cayer, to
- Capadoce, to Tarce, Turkye, Pounce, and Pampoylle, to Preter
- Johanes londe, to Surrye, to Nero, Nazareth, Garese, and
- Galely. And alle these were subgette to Rome, and many moo, 10
- as Cypres, Grece, Macydonye, Calabre, Cateland, Portyngale,
- with many thousandes of Spaynardys.
- 4 Ambaygne] C ambage Arcage] C arrage Alysaundir] C Alysaundrye Ermonye] C hermonye 6 to the oute yles om. C 7 Damyat] C Damyete 8 — 9 to Preter Johanes londe om. C 9 — 10 to Nero, Nazareth, Garese, and Galely] C and gallacye 11 Cypres, Grece, Macydonye] C Grece / Cypres / Macydone
128
Le Morte Darthur as Caxton's work, from his edition.
- I shall sende for them all that ben subgettys and alyed to
- thempyre of Rome to come to myn ayde, and forthwith sente old
- wyse knyghtes unto these countrayes folowynge: fyrste to Ambage
- and Arrage, to Alysaundrye, to Ynde, to Hermonye, whereas the
- ryver of Eufrates renneth, into Asye, to Auffryke, and Europe 5
- the large, to Ertayne and Elamye, to Arabye, Egypte, and to
- Damaske, to Damyete and Cayer, to Capadoce, to Tarce, Turkye,
- Pounce, and Pampoylle, to Surrye and Gallacye. And alle these
- were subgette to Rome, and many moo, as Grece, Cypres,
- Macydone, Calabre, Cateland, Portyngale, with many thousandes 10
- of Spaynardys.
For this purpose, C needs no emendation.
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