University of Virginia Library

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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• 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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• 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.