Horn has twelve companions. Harl. MS. 2253. Nis non his yliche | in none kinges ryche. tueye feren he hadde | þat he wiþ him ladde, [leaf 88, back] alle richemenne sones, | ant alle suyþe feyre gomes, 24 Athulf the best, and wyp him forte pleye. | mest he louede tueye; 32 worst. Fikenhild the Hyt was vpon a someres day, ❘ also ich ou telle may, Allof pe gode kyng | rod vpon ys pleyzyng King Murry bi pe see side, | þer he was woned to ryde. while riding, finds fifteen ships arrived wiþ him ne ryde bote tuo ; | al to fewe hue were po. on the strand. he fond by þe stronde, | aryued on is londe, shipes fyftene, of sarazynes kene. 40 Saracens kill Horn's father. Cambr. Univ. MS. Gg. 4. 27. 2. A Payn hit of herde 66 Laud Misc. MS. 108. "pi lond folc we wilen slon And þe we solen sone anon; 3 44 48 Sald þou neuere henne gon." be king licte adoun of his stede, 52 For po he hauede nede, 52 And hym wel sone answarede, And hise gode knictes ij, 56 And to gydere smyte. He fouten an onder selde He weren al to fewe 60 Ayen so fele srewe. 56 60 Sone micten attep [after b a letter erased] be paynimes comen to londe 64 Harl. MS. 2253. he askede whet hue sohten | oper on is lond brohten. þe payns come to londe | ant nomen hit an honde. Godhild grieves much, for Allof hy wepeþ sore | ant for horn zet more. 80 but retires alone to a eave, where she continues to observe the Christian religion. per hue seruede gode, | azeyn þe payenes forbode. per hue seruede crist, | pat pe payenes hit nust. ant euer hue bad for horn child, | þat crist him wrpe myld. ¶Horn wes in payenes hond, | mid is feren of pe lond. muche wes pe feyrhade | pat ihesu crist him made. 88 Saracens deliberate over Horn. Cambr. Univ. MS. Gg. 4. 27. 2. 3ef his fairnesse nere, be children alle aslaze were. To schupe schulle se funde 5 92 95 U of wordes he was swipe baud, Of Horn, pou art swipe scene, bou scald more wexe 104 An pine feren also, bat micte so bifalle 100 104 bou suldes slen us alle. pe for pou scald to stron go 108 And pine feren also. 108 To schip ye schulen stounde A sinken to be grunde. be se pe sal adrinke; 112 Ne sal hit us of pinkc. For yf pou come to liue, 112 Harl. MS. 2253. payenes him wolde slo | ant summe him wolde flo. zef þou to lyue mote go, ant þyne feren also, þat ymay byfalle | þat ze shule slen vs alle. The pagans save Horn and his companions on 96 account of Horn's fairness, 104 at the same time with forebodings that if Horn lives, he will take revenge. pare fore pou shalt to streme go, | þou ant þy feren also. [leaf 84] to shipe ze shule founde | ant sinke to be grounde. þe see pe shal adrenche; | ne shal hit vs of penche. for zef þou were alyue, | wip suerd oper wip knyue 112 texts of this version are about as follows (F. Gierth, Engl. Stud. vii, pp. 1 ff.). A and B form a special group as opposed to C, D, E, on the one hand, and to Ch. alone, on the other. No one of these versions is the direct source of any other. The different texts may be characterized somewhat as follows: A offers the best text as far as it goes. B introduces many important changes, and seems to be somewhat confused in the order of events, but in the passages preserved intact, preserves the text and the rime better than do C, D, or E. C gives best the true course of the story, but often alters the rime, in particular, individual rime words. D has many gaps, and is particularly defective after the entrance on the scene of Thomas. E stands in closer relation to D than to C, and often takes an intermediate position between C and D. Ch. (cf. M. Schwarz, Engl. Stud. viii, p. 460) we must regard as a compilation off different MSS., and owes its origin perhaps to oral tradition. In the case of Ch., as in the case of the other texts of this version, it will be safer not to set up any diagram representing the interrelations of MSS., since these MSS. are no doubt all of them influenced by written as well as by oral tradition, and, as has been pointed out above, there is at least a possibility, as in the case of Ch., of mixed versions. In dealing with legend, even less than in dealing with romance, does one have to do with a purely epic growth. § 7. TIME AND PLACE OF COMPOSITION. We have already seen that the author of Cursor Mundi attributes the authorship of this version of the Assumption to Edmund of Pontenay (pp. liii, liv, above). But we have also seen the probable source of his error. In one thing the Northern writer is no doubt right, when he says (v. 20061), “In sotherin englis was it draun." The poem is undoubtedly Southern in origin. To gain more definite knowledge is not easy. The rimes, our usual guide in such cases, in this poem are very uncertain. The writer's ear seems to have been not a delicate one. He does not distinguish carefully open ê and close ê, e. g. here: lere 4 Add., wel: del 212 C, 206 D, 218 Add., 256 C, 262 Add., were: here 716 Add., etc. In a similar way he does not distinguish carefully open ĝ and close ộ, e. g. gone done 86 Add., 594 H, done one 416 Add., 562 H, 588 H, 750 Add., anon: done 530 Add., sloo : doo 508 H, þo: do 262 D, etc. In consequence we are not able to apply the wĝ-, -wộ- test with any degree of certainty. O.E. -wa rimes, now with ĝ, now with ộ, e. g. fro: |