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The Texts
  
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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

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    Page 127
  • 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

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

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    Page 128
  • 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

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.