deviate again in M. and P.L. in the points mentioned at p. 180, save that P.L. on this occasion, instead of three pine-trees, only mentions oneviz., "Car moult lui sembloit belle pour ce quelle estoit couuerte de branches & de fueilles de vng pin verdoyant." P.L. also adds the names of several knights whose shields hang on the tree, and some remarks are made upon Lionel's shield.

While Lancelot and the damsel are talking, Turquyne arrives, leading, according to P.L., a grievously wounded knight on a horse with him. "There," says the damsel to Lancelot, "you can see 'quel dyable il est,' and how he puts the knights into his prison."

In M., Lancelot first waters his horse, as Ector had done previously, then strikes the basin furiously, and rides for some time to and fro before the manor gates. At length Turquyne arrives, also with a fettered and wounded knight, who is at once described as Gaheryse, the brother of Gawayn. The words Lancelot and Turquyne interchange and the details of the battle between them agree closely in the two versions, and end in both with the defeat and death of Turquyne.

IX. p. 195, 20, to XII. p. 199, 35. In P.L. the damsel says to Lancelot: "Sire cheuallier suyuez moy si comme vous mauez promys;" in M., Lancelot says to the damsel: "damoysel I am redy to goo with yow where ye wylle haue me." In both versions Lancelot has no horse, and wishes first to deliver the prisoners, but the damsel bids him take Gaheryse's horse and tell him to set the knights free. The dialogue between Lancelot and Gaheryse in P.L. is omitted by M., nor are the names of the various knights quoted by M. mentioned in P.L. The remainder of the ninth chapter agrees in both versions, save that in P.L. "trois varletz amenoient trois sommiers chargez de venoison," whereas in M. there comes "a foster with foure horses lade with fatte veneson." The long discussion between Gaheryse and the other knights in P.L. is not in M. In the former version the delivered knights stay one week; in the latter, only one day. M. does not mention, as does P.L., that at length, when Gaheryse is healed, the knights exchange Terriquen's castle for horses, though not very good ones. In P.L., Gaheryse tells them, on parting, they shall find Lancelot at All Saints at the "chastel de trespas," whereas in M. he bids them await Lancelot at the court of King Arthur. In the tenth chapter M., in accordance with P.L., describes Lancelot's adventures when he follows the damsel who had led him to the castle of Turquyne. M. and P.L., whilst both telling how Lancelot kills a knight to whom he is shown, and who steals horses, vary considerably in details. In M. the knight, whose name is disclosed later on (p. 197, 27) as "Perys de foreyst saueage," is not only a thief, but also a "ravyssher of women." In P.L. his name is not mentioned at all, and, though he

is expressly called a horse thief, the other quality attributed to him is only indicated by the sentence: "Et puis si me voulut faire grant villonie pource que ien parloye." In both versions Lancelot bids the damsel ride some distance in front of him. She does so, the knight attacks her, throws her off her palfrey, and, on the damsel's cries for help, Lancelot appears and kills the knight.

From p. 197, 27, to p. 198, 14, M. has nothing in common with P.L. This passage, in which the damsel advises Lancelot to marry, and Lancelot endeavours to explain to her the reasons why he can and will not do so, are probably Malory's invention, an hypothesis strengthened by the moralising tendency exhibited in other similar intercalations. In M., Lancelot and the damsel part after this dialogue. In P.L., Lancelot, at the damsel's request, goes with her and stays at her castle for a whole week, leaving it only, when his wounds are healed, for the purpose of seeking Ector, for he "ne cuydoit point quil (Ector) fust en forteresse terriquant." After wandering for nearly a month, he comes one day to a house in a meadow. Hard by he meets a man clad in white. Lancelot asks this man about Ector, and is told that on the preceding day Ector killed a knight near the house, but afterwards disappeared, leaving no trace, and that he had "vnes armes blanches et vng cheual noir.”

"A heure de vespres " Lancelot reaches a hill, where he meets a damsel riding on a white palfrey and carrying " vng espreuier sur son poing; on hearing that Lancelot wishes to go to the castle, this damsel tries to dissuade him, but fails. Lancelot continues his way until he comes to a bridge.

At this point M. again takes up the narrative. Both in P.L. and M., Lancelot is stopped by a fellow watching on the bridge, whom he kills, but the details attached to this incident vary slightly in the two

accounts.

In P.L., Lancelot now enters the castle, hears the noise of a horn, and meets an old man, who tells him that he has done a great wrong in killing the castle porter, and that he will have to pay dearly for it. As he passes on, Lancelot is told by people standing at the roadside that he is approaching his death. Arriving at the principal tower, Lancelot dismounts, ties his horse to a tree, opens "le guichet," and enters. No sooner has he done this than " "vne porte coulice descends between him and the guichet, but Lancelot is not in the least frightened. A valet now steps forth and asks why he has killed the porter; Lancelot gives no answer. At this moment two terrible giants, the lords of the castle, appear, and wish to slay Lancelot, but he overcomes and slays them both after a short combat. An aged lady now brings him the keys of the castle. He opens it, and many

knights, ladies, and damsels advance and do him homage as their new liege, because he has overcome their former lords, the two giants, who had received the castle of Tintaguel three years before from "le duc Corains." When Lancelot tells them who he is, they are highly pleased, and applaud him greatly. He stays at the castle until the next morning.

M.'s account of this last adventure, though it has the same basis, varies in many points from P.L. The damsel who warns Lancelot before going into the castle, and the old man who reproaches him with the death of the porter when he has passed the bridge, are not mentioned by M., their rôle being attributed to "al the peple men and wymmen." In M., Lancelot ties his horse "to a rynge on the walle," whereas in P.L. he ties it to a tree. The "moche peple in dores and wyndowes are not mentioned in P.L. In M., Lancelot cleaves the second knight to his "nauel;" in P.L., only to the "teeth."

The old lady who brings Lancelot the keys of the castle in P.L. is not mentioned in M. The "thre score ladyes and damoysels" and their story, how they have been prisoners at the castle for seven years and had to do "al maner of sylke werkes for" their "mete,” are not in P.L. While adding such details, M., on the other hand, skips various others in P.L.

The "duc de corain" is evidently replaced in M. by "a duke oughte it somtyme that had wedded fair Igrayn / and after wedded Vtherpendragon/ & gate on her Arthur." While in P.L. Lancelot stays until the next morning at the castle of Tintaguel, in M. he leaves it immediately.

The adventures which follow after this in M. are not to be found anywhere in P.L., even in a modified form.

7. CHAPTERS XI.-XVIII.

Two-thirds of the eleventh chapter-i.e., from p. 199, 35, to p. 201, 35-and chapters xii.-xviii., or the whole of the remainder of the sixth book of M. relating Lancelot's adventures, such as the rescue of Kay, his riding off in Kay's armour and leaving his own behind, his fight against the three brothers, Gauntere, Gylmere, and Raynold, who mistake him for Kay; his overthrow of Sagramour le desyrus, Ector de marys, Gawayn, and Uwayne; his following the brachet and going to the perilous chapel, his dangerous position on the tree after assisting a lady in regaining a falcon and his being attacked by her husband; his meeting with Pedyuere, his return to Arthur's court, and at last the rehearsal of all his valiant deeds and feats of arms, must have been derived by Malory from another source

than the Prose-Lancelot, in common, as I shall attempt later on to show, with all that relates to Lancelot in "Le Morte Darthur."

On p. 199, l. 35, a paragraph mark and the general character of the contents of the then following lines-" And thenne he mounted vpon his hors & rode in to many straunge & wyld countreyes and thorou many waters and valeyes and euyl was he lodged / And at laste by fortune hym happend," &c.-clearly indicate that the events which follow do not immediately join on to those told before the paragraph mark, but that either Malory, or the writer of the source whence he drew his information, broke away here from the thread of the Prose-Lancelot, and either inserted adventures from another source or invented them himself in imitation of the many similar episodes in other romances. Here I will only mention that I incline to think that, beside the Vulgate-Lancelot, there existed another version of the Lancelot, modified and enlarged, in the same manner as beside the Vulgate-Merlin there exists a "Suite de Merlin," or an enlarged Tristan by the side of the original Tristan, and that Malory knew this version, which we no longer possess. I reserve my conjectures as to the structure of this "Suite de Lancelot," as I might call it, until the end of the section on the Lancelot or the later history of King Arthur.

b. THE ELEVENTH BOOK.

a. CHAPTERS I.-III.1

M. departs from the narrative of P.L. in book vi. chapter vii. (p. 192, 12), and takes it up again at the beginning of the eleventh book, connecting what is to come with the preceding adventures of Tristram by the lines: "Now leue we syr Trystram de lyones & speke we of syr Galahalt . . . . as as the Frensshe booke reherceth;" he then narrates Lancelot's adventure with fair Elayne, the daughter of King Pelles, and the subsequent birth of Galahad.

I. In P.L., as we have seen at p. 185, Lancelot rides off into the forest after the tournament, in which he fought for Baudemagus against the King of Northgales, whereas in M. he stays for some time with Baudemagus. In P.L., Lancelot meets, while riding through the forest, a most beautiful lady and a knight. The lady invites Lancelot to come and stay at her castle, and promises him, if he accepts her invitation, to show him on the morrow "la plus belle chose " which he ever saw in his life. Lancelot accepts, is led to the castle, and received with great honour. Whilst he is at table, the lord of the

1 Lancelot, ed. 1513, vol. ii. ff. 105–107.

castle returns from the tournament with his knights, and cannot praise highly enough the knight who fought so valiantly for King Baudemagus (i.e., Lancelot). The lady then tells him that the very knight is staying under his roof. When the lord of the castle has satisfied himself that this is so by examining Lancelot's shield, he is highly pleased, and pays great honour to his guest.'

On the morrow Lancelot reminds the lady of her promise. They have their horses saddled, and ride off. After a long while they meet a damsel, who asks the lady whither she leads the knight. When the lady tells her to the castle of Corbenic, the damsel declares she cannot possibly love that knight, for otherwise she would not take him to such a dangerous place.

The lady and Lancelot go on nevertheless, and enter the castle. As they are passing through the principal street, some people say to Lancelot : "sire cheuallier la charrette vous attend: & il leur respondit tout bas que se il luy conuenoit entrer en charrette ce ne seroit pas la premiere fois." When they arrive before the chief tower, Lancelot declares he has never seen a more beautiful one. Whilst he is still admiring the structure, he hears a woman's voice. He approaches, and finds that she is the "pucelle que messire gauuain voulut getter hors de la cuue," but failed to do so. The damsel implores him to throw her "hors de ceste cuue qui me brusle." Lancelot complies with her request, seizes her by the arms, and lifts her out of the "cuue." The damsel, seeing herself delivered from her pains, kneels to Lancelot and kisses his feet. "Cela fait," continues P.L., "toute la salle fut remplie de dames, damoyselles et cheualiers," though this "salle" is not previously mentioned. They clothe the damsel, though there is no previous mention of her being undressed, lead her to a chapel, and render thanks to God for her salvation. Then they take Lancelot to "vng cymetiere lequel estoit dessoubz la tour," and show him a tomb, on which the following inscription is visible:—" Ia ceste tumbe ne sera leuee deuant que celluy y mettra la main duquel le lyon royal doit yssir | & celluy leuera legierement et dicelluy sera engendre le grant lyon royal en la belle fille au roy de la terre foraine." Lancelot does not grasp the meaning of these words. The people tell him that, as he has delivered the damsel, he is evidently the man who will also bring to an end the adventure of the tomb; he should therefore open it and see what it contains. Lancelot does what he is bid. When the tomb is

opened, a terrible fire-spitting "serpent" comes out. The heat becomes intolerable; all the people flee, and look on from the windows. Lancelot alone stays, covers himself with his shield, and succeeds in

1 Here occurs a sort of paragraph mark in the printed edition of 1513.