2

H eb re w Te xt an d Translation

(L'D IST RU ZIO N)

The des truc tion
in the ver nac ular 1

g Artus' Round Table and

This is the book of the des tru ctio n of Kin
Hebrew in the year 39_2
I have translat_ed it fro ~ the vernacular into
es which were in the book
\iVhile tra nsl atin g, I orm tted some passag
I did this because these
from which thi s tra nsl atio n was made.
wers between one person
passages con tain ed onl y questions and ans
ma tter s which were not
and another, or elegies, or irre lev ant
itte d them, for the y were
pertinent to the sto ry itself. Therefore I om
thr ee small leaves.
insignificant and did not eve n add up to
versations for two im-
I att em pte d the tra nsl ati on of the se con
vat ion of my physical well-
portant reasons. Th e first was the pre ser
e grown and my lam ent s
being, for owing to my sins my tro ubl es hav
perplexed thoughts. Nig ht
increased, and I am imm ers ed in a sea of
eve nts which hav e passed
and day I am con tin ual ly ast oun ded by
choly, tha t is madness, to
over me and I fea r les t I fall int o melan

1 n o., p . :,,. _
See Itr ed (1)
z Ins tead of num ber s the tex
t act ual ly has two Heb rew lett ers - lam
and tet (t). In add itio n to the Ara bic
sys tem of numerals, the Hebrew uses
me tho d of num era tion wh ere by eac h lett er of the alp hab et has a
another
h is one, the nin th lett er tet is nine,
certain val ue . Thu s the firs t lett er alep
lett ers hav e decimal values . Ka / is
the ten th lett er yod is ten . The rea fter the
com bin atio n of lamed-t~t e~uals 39.
twenty, lam ed thir ty. In our tex t, the 15 rare ly
39 is me ani ngl ess unl ess we add 5000, a figure which
The yea r
acc ord ing to the Chr isti an cale nda r, one muS t
written . To rec kon the dat e of th e
su btra ct 3760 from the He bre w yea r: 503 9-3 760 = 1279, the dat e

Hebrew ma nus crip t.

 . b death is preferable. Therefore I have t rans1ated the
- .htC .
w,v tions for myself m order to calm my mind ·t· se con-
fersa h . , rru 1gate my g · f
and dispel ~omew at the bad hmes I have experienced. ne ,
~ro intelligent person can rebuke me for this , for we h ave seen that
i-.

sorn e of our sages of blessed memory ' such as Ra bb'1 J ohanan ben
. . .
ai a did not d1sda1n the knowledge of fo x- fa bles, washers'
Zakk •
parables or the speech of palm trees. 4 And this is done so that a man
who is steeped m Torah-study or in worldly pursuits may derive
from the knowledge of these tales a measure of relaxation and 1. f
s 'd "A re 1e .
Thus the prophet sat. : nd now bring on the minstrel , s an d
11

our sages i~terpreted t h ts,_ as you well know.' Moreover, it is possible

to learn wisdom ~nd ethics from these fables concerning a man's
condu~t to':ard himself and towards his fellow man. Therefore they
are neither idle nor profa~e talk. The proof for this is that had they
been profane talk Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai would not have
studied them. For it is said concerning Rabbi Johanan that during
his entire lifetime he never uttered profane talk. a

s Johanan ben Zakkai, a scholar of the first century C.E., was responsible for
the spiritual recovery of Israel after the destruction of the Temple in the
year 70. After founding a school at Jabneh to continue the chain ot tradition
and learning, he reconstituted the Sanhedrin, the supreme court, which super-
vised religious law as well as civil and criminal jurisprudence. See Max
Margolies and Alexander Marx, A History of the Jewish People, Philadelphia,
1956, p. 205, and Baron, II, p. 277.
• Babylonian Talmud (B. T.), Tractate Baba Batra 134a. "It was said of
R. Johanan ben Zakkai that his studies included the Scriptures, the Mishna
... washers' proverbs, fox fables, and the speech of palm trees." Fox fables
were widespread in Talmudic times. (Rabbi Johanan said : "Rabbi Meir had
three hundred fox fables; we have only three left." B.T., Sanhedrin 38b.)
5 Elisha.
6 II Kings 3: 15.
7 B.T. , Tractate Pesachim 66 b. Our thirteenth century scribe points out that

diversion may lead to higher sacred accomplishment and cites a rabbinic

commentary as proof. The gist of the commentary on this verse is that the
power of prophecy was restored to Elisha after the minstrel had begun to
play. The same exegesis is quoted in Yalkut Shimoni, Berlin, 1926, p. 762,
a thirteenth century aggadic collection which the scribe may have been
familiar with. See also B.T., Sabbath 30b.
8 B.T. Sukka 28a, "They said concerning R. Johanan ben Zakkai that duri~g

his entire lifetime he never uttered profane talk, nor walked four cubits
without studying the Torah."

11
\\'e can theretore _conclude from this t
lk and the stone s which I have t hat these fab1
t h0--e ~vashers' parab les; on the contra nslate d are no lees are not idle
. . rary th
an d disting uished.
. , ey are fa ss WorthY than .
Moreover, we find that on th r more
. . excellent
e eve of th D
tales of ancien t kings
.
would be r d
ea to an
e ay of At
throughout the rught so that he would no unscholarlyoneme nt th
Bi hp . e
there is no need to shun them · t fall asleep. 9 Con g nest
The second and most impo rtant sequentl
. · Y'
that sinners will learn the paths ofreason fo r my translation
.
their end an d will return to the N repen tance and bear in miwasd
. n ame, 10 as yo ill n
conclusion. u w see at the
This apology shoul d satisf y any int lli
. .
truth and is not willfu lly obstin ate. e gent man wh o admits .
the
12
This is the histor y of Sir Lance lot K th .
and King Borz of Gaun es were broth · now at King B
ers. th . ano of Benoic
scions of the Hous e of David .Ia King Ba eyb marne d two sisters,
called Lance lot del Lac. The reason whynoh egat a son wh O was
e was called del Lac

9 Mishna Yoma 1 :6-7. "If he was a Sage he used toe d h .

· d' · xpoun t e Scnptu res
and if not the isciple s of the Sage used to expoun d befo hi '
. . .
versed m readm ~ the Scriptu res, he read, and if not theyreread m. If he was
before him.
And from what did they read before him? Out of Job and Ezra and Chronicles.
If. he so~ght to slum~ er, young men. of the priesth ood would snap their
middle finger before him and say to him, 'My lord High Priest, get up and
drive away sleep this once by walkin g on the cold pavem ent.' And they
used to divert him until the time of slaugh tering drew near.''
10
I.e., the Lord. A pious Jew will not write out God's name, unless it is used
in a sacred text. Instea d, he utilize s the substit ute, ha-shem , literall y the
Name [of God] . See Megill at Taani t 7, and B.T. Rosh Hasha na 18b.
11 Since
for some undete rmined reason the MS breaks off in the middle oi a
paragr aph, the conclu sion is lackin g. See Introd uction .
12 In Hebre
w toldot: literal ly "the genera tions of" - a typical ly biblica l opening
to an epic story. Cf. Genes is 6: 9, 11 : 10, and so on. The biblical verses
footno ted in this transla tion are more fully discuss ed in Chapte r 4. .
13 · · by setting · h 1· f
Smee the story begins up t e me O K 'ng
1 David as the ob1ect
. · st
of geneal ogical distinc tion a sympa thetic note is ruek at the outset for theh
reader in Hebre w . Despit' e the absenc e O f a k mg . dom Jewish leaders, 8UC
' · h . d
as Hillel R . Gamal iel and the Exilar chs of Bab Y1oma, · traced t eir escent
' ' . d B ron II
from the House of David . See Margo lis and Marx, P· 235 ' an a , '
p . 196.

13
 tten14 in th e bo ok co
nc er ni ng him~ Th
ere yo •u
t .. n1
to him _
•
u WI also
• J10 \/V P
m ad e kn ow n 16
i~ it when his na m e w as of K in g B an o d
d br ot he r, th e so n
f111d h d a ba st ar n ba noble lady,
a[r] eis ;1& E st or th en w a:
Jie : called E st or de siMde . ' ' a ro th er to Sir
wb 0 wa his fa th er 's
a.n celot on
o so ns . O ne w as na m ed af te r hi s f ath er th e
Tl'. g Barz be
L p.t ga t . tw . . 'th at
n B or z an d L1 0n el th en wer e cousm s
as na m ed L10nel.. ' , '
thef W . 17 nc el ot an d Es to r.
to Sl f La
~ sini i'ermani, K ' rt
JS cu history o
flB m g A us: du ke
da y~ of U te r Pe nd ra go n th er e was a gr ea t
w th at in th e uk e of Til Tomeil,19 H e a
h d
ns ca lle d th e D
. the Kingdom of L og 'fuI W I'fe na m ed L ad y Iz em a. 20 One da y K
in g
in
an exceedingly be au ti s
a ve ry gr ea t to ur na ~e nt for all th e kn ig ht
Uter Pendragon or ~e re d . E ac h kn ig ht an d du ke ha d to
C am el ot
t Logris by th e ci ty of ir e th e he ar ts of th e kn ig ht
s an d
in sp
iring bis wife to th e
ar ts of
to
th
ur
e
ne
w
y
om
to
en . A ll th e kn ig ht s di
d so.
Jadden th e he at
l 21 br ou gh t hi s wife, th e Duchess, to th
to m ei
g The D uk e of Ti e. Cf.
bi bl ic al m an ne r of indicating crossreferenc
itten? is th e no t w rit te n
14 Is it not wr
e re st of th e ac ts of Solomon ... are th ey
1 Kings 11 :4
1, "A nd th
." O th er in sta nc es of th e use of this phrase
Solomon of th e
in the book of the ac ts of 16 :2 4 re fe r to "t he book of chronicles
15 :2 3, he book of
abound. I Kings 14 :2 9, , 15 :3 1, 16 :5 , 22 :4 6 refer to "t
ings 22 : 39 di tio n of
kings of Ju da h. " I K In th e Bi ble, then, there is a tra
of Is ra el ."
chronicles of the kings ric st at em en ts by making reference to
of th e hi sto
establis hing the ve ra ci ty
r refer-
other bo oks.
w hi ch th e H eb re w scribe makes one ot he
1s In the pr ose
Lancelot, to , II I, p. 196.
p. 29 . Th is ep iso de is found in Sommer rences to
ackened, in ot he r refe
ence. See in fra ,
tte r R is to ta lly bl
18 Although here th e Je
.
e na m e is cl ea rly sp elled. See in fr a p. 45 words in th e
Mareis th
e sc rib e ha s tra ns lit er at ed th e Ita lia n
17 i.e ., fir st cousins. Th
re la tio ns hi p fo r Ita lia n- Je w is h readers.
to cl ar ify th e
Hebrew text, pe rh ap s
ge ne ra tio ns of . .. "
18
Lit., "the order of th e ai ol . Se e Sommer, II , p. 58.
pe ar s as Ti nt
19
In . O.F. this na m e ap
er , th is is un do ub te dl y an Ita lia n va ria nt .
na . H ow ev
20
On e wo uld ex pe ct Ig er er lin o, U te r Pe nd ra go n love
s a women
ur y Vi ta di M
In the fourteenth ce nt Literature,
G ar dn er , Th e Ar th ur ia n Legend in Italian
named Izerla . See E . nc es to th is w or k will be ab br
ev ia te d to
Fu tu re re fe re
London, 1930, p. 196.
"Gardner." m e Til
be en ca re le ss he re , for he spelled th e na
ve
Tbe scrib e seems to ha he r place
21

Su ch in co ns is te nc y is fo un d on ly in on e ot
.
Tomei] a few lines ab o ve 35 ) an d th e ne xt tim e w rit es it
valvasour
va va so ur (p .
where he tra ns lit er at es
(p . 37) .
15
 ,,
d u k e h a d four d a u g n tc r!
th e
th a t b y th is d u c h e s s th e e n ti re kingdo
m.
J{no W rp a s s e d in
a u ty a n d g ra c e were u n s u n th e k in g m a d e a g re a t
ce~ b e Th e
e n t p ro c e e d e d mighti~y. 22 H e c a u g h t s ig h t
of th e
~e to u rn a m ces .
d a ll th e p n n indled in
!t for all th
o f th e
e
D
p
u
e
c
o
h
p
e
le
s
a n
s Izerna and
th e fl a m e o f lo v e was k

autY 1 h ' de his . love. So h e s e n t

d Id . onge_r 1
s heebaertc.ame q u .it e i
·n 2 a
a n cou n o e rs . H e o rd e re d h im
to
ff is o ff ic
e n c u p th r o u g h o n e of h o w th ese m a tt e r s
a re
his gold lo v e . N
s ir e a n d b u rn in g ra g
1
o n s words to
~~ her o f h is d e
o w e v e r, she re la te d U
te r P e n d
d for his wife
. F in a ll y , h is h e fe a re
en thy r d t?
th e_ D u k e . Wh_en h e h e a s e rv a n ts to h a rn e s s
his
! :/ h u s b a n d , e re d h is
e a rl y 1 n th e m o rn in g , o rd g , th e D u k e ro d e a w a y
d rising in
u t ta k in g le a v e o f th e K
:Or;es. And w it
h e s s
h
,
o
h is k n ig h ts , a n d a ll h is company.
p a rt e d , h e g re w v e
ry
with h is D u c e h a d d e
e K in g w a s to ld th a t h to r e tu r n a t once o r
When th h im
a f te r th e D u k e , o rd e ri n g th e D uke mocked
e s e n t . B u t
angry. H te b e tw e e n th
em d
c e w o u ld te r m in a
h e fo rt if ie d his e n ti re la n
else pe a h e re
tu rn e d to h is c o u n tr y . T r h e k n e w th a t th e k in g
him and re is c it ie s a n d towers,
fo
e d a ll h
and strengthen · ops
w a g e w a r a g a in s t h im.
in g s u m m o n e d all h is tr o
would K
re e m o n th s th e r e a f te r. th e g e d th e c a s tl e 24 w h e re in
About th h e ~ a n d besie
th e D u k e . H e m a rc
h e s s w a s in a n o th e r lo f ty
to a tt a c k c ti o n . T h e D
uc ts .
k e h a d s o u g h t p ro te
,· m a id s a n d v a li a n t k n ig h
the Du w e re h e r d a u g h te
rs
e re th e D u k e
w it h h e r c a s tl e w h
castle, a n d
25
d th e siege a g a in s t
th~
.
in te n s if ie y d a y s in v a in
But the King e d it fo r m a n
ge a n d a tt a c k
had taken refu in a n d s a id to h im
:
ll e d M e rl
He then ca
d
fe a st fo r a ll his princes a n
g re a t e r,
, " T h e n th e k in g ,m a d e a. n c h o ri g in al (Cf. S o m m
8 re
22
Cf. Esther 2: 1 ri st m a s fe a st of th e 'O
ld F
o f th e p o p u la r E s th
er
Th e C h l la n g u a g e
his servants," b y m e a n s o f th e. biblica
ang e d
II , p. 58) is ch fe a st .
·
fo r h is si ster, T a m a r. "
w is h t of lo v e
story into a Je " A m n o n b e c a m e il l o u s t m a d e o f a fortified
13 : 2 , o r th o u h a
Cf. II Samuel a ia h 2 5 : 2, " F
23

d c it y ." C f. Is
L it., " a fortifie th e m th a t
24
n g e th d o w n
city a ruin." b ri
C f. Is a ia h 26:5, " F o r h e sc ri b e h a s u ti li z e d tw o
Lit, " a lo ft y c
it y ." ." T h e
Ia y e th it low
26
h ic h
, th e lo ft y c it y h e
ri b e th e m e d ie v a l castle, w
dwell o n high o f Is a ia h to d
esc
0 rd s in succeeding c h a p te rs
;
a le n t in b ib li cal H e b re w .
ad no equiv 17
 h r Pray help me only this tim e 211 w1·t1n your t
ot e , I h .· ar , and
~ bf hoW I can meet the Duchess Izerna f
v1 5c 01 ~ ·t he be not mine."
' or s a)J certainly
0
. of desire i sl d " ·a Mer1·m, ,,.1s to endow yot 'th h
e t shal o, sa1 t. e Duk e's
,,wha 1
I Wt
t the Duc hess will th· k h ·
and appearance so dtha m t at you arc
•1,eriess d A I .
,. ke her husban . n shall come with you in th c gms c of a
e pu 1 • 'fh of us shal l ·d .
•
tb . knight, his companion. us both n e at nigh t
rtaJ.11 ,
ce all to the Duc hess gatekeeper. He will admit us a nd we shall
and c y .11 . ht
the castle. ou w1 .ente r her chamber and take y our de11g
enter . d
. h her as you desi,, re. Then you will rise and we shall 1eave an
wit
turn to our army.
d this through
re The King listened to him. And Merlin accomplishe
she conceived.
his art. And he [Uter Pendragon] came to her and
out of the castle.
Then he rose from the bed and the two of them rode
As they departed, a messen?er came to the Duc
hess informing her
ed it was true.
that her husband had been slam tha t very night. Inde
been killed in
The Duk e had heard tha t King Uter Pendragon had
the foe but, to
battle, so he left his castle tha t night to contend with
g returned to his
his ill luck, was killed in battle. When the Kin
the castle taken
camp, he rejoiced to find the Duke lying dead and
by his army.
t-hearted at the
The Duchess mourned her husband and grew fain
wondrous event.
in bed with me
"How is it possible?" she said. "W asn 't the Duke
battle? No sooner
at that very hour when they say he was killed in 27
from the castle
had he gone more than a bow-shot's distance away
ber. So how is it
than the messenger came stra igh t to my cham
he was killed, the
possible tha t he was killed there? And if indeed
one who came to me was not the Duke."

the Lord and said, 'pra y

28
Cf. Judges 16:28, "An d Sam son called unto
a para phra se of an extremely
strengthen me only this time .'" Her e again,
r to the stor y.
popu lar biblical verse lends Heb raic tona l colo
down a bowshot's distance
CL Genesis 21: 16, "She [Ha gar] wen t and sat
27

tran slati on of the Torah,

aw~y .. •" (My tran slati on, based on the new
Philadelphia, 1962.)
19
 . king thus, she would wond er and cry, bu I co uld 11 ,, 1 ,,,,f r, 1l j
f the matt er.
heart o .
fben the King dep~rt~d from t~e ca~tl.c and carnn t" l111 '. ,~:wf
I,•. of
e puchess. After _111s st~ge she finally had to Kl:lrl'l'.lld<:r if 1.o Jilrn
were , .rna 11.l '.f'M a fl ·'.
many d1scuss1on s between thorn , l>trt ti~i1 :h1;
er e
28
tengthY· . . .
finailY a sugg esh? n was offer ed that the l<tn(,{ . for lii Hown hmi() r
tlu:
and in order to pacify the Duch e~s, the D11ke'K nfficr:n, and all
people of the land -: marr y the Duchess and ma.rry her fo 11 r d:t,lll,{ lil,'.rM
to four kings or pnnces.
When the King hear d the suggestion offered by hi:-, officers and
and
councilors, he joyfully acquiesced. He marri ed t.hc J>uclit !i!<l ;
her
her eldest daug hter he marr ied to King Lot of On.: anin. From
he had four sons: Sir Gal wan, the eldest ; the 8ccond, Gadriat
;211
he
the third, Agra van; the fourth, Gwidon. 111c second daughter
he
married to King Uriens; he begat Sir Ivan. ·n1e thi.rcl daughter
wjHh
married to the Duke of Kairenza. The fourth daughter di.d not
ana.
to marry, but learned the art of witchcraft - her name was Morg
One night as the King was takin g his delight in bed with the
Duchess, he placed his hand on her belly and said :
"You are with child. Do you know who the father is? "
"I do not know," she replied. "I certainly did not conc eive this
not
time by the Duke, for when he retre ated to his castle he did
and
leave me with child. That night someone who bore his shape
was
likeness came to me. I do not know who he was; it certainly
the
not the Duke, for just when that knight was in bed with me
ened
Duke was killed in battl e. Therefore, I do not know what happ
to me and by whom I have conceived."
But the King restr ained hims elf and did not wish to tell her that
it was he who had come to her.
n
"Since you do not know who fathered the child," he said, "whe
art
you give birth the child will be given to Merlin, who knows the

ate a point of
28
The same phras e that the scribe has used previously to indic
abridgement. See Chap . 4 for furth er discussion.
29
I.e., Gaha rias.
21
 He will be called Artttsin, that is ' born th rough the
rcerY·
:v,1 so fart.so
,pO",;er ~(ncr said this becau se when Merlin broug ht h"
fbe , ic;amber he had made the .King swear that if imh to thlde
chess . . h s e wou
. from that c01t10
pt1 ceive n e woul d give Merlin the child t o d o w1•th
I{"
c; be pleased.
11
The mg swore and kept his oath, as you will see
a ar the end of the book. And so she gave birth to Artusin, who is
ne at king called Artus . .
tbe gre
e see en at all four kmgh ts, the broth ers mentioned above
children of the Duch ess Izern a's eldes t daug hter and of King Lot'
the I{" Ar . ,
were nephews of 1ng tus on his moth er's side. Similarly, Sir
Ivan was his nephe w; Morg ana was his sister on his moth er's side.
But the evil traito r Mord red passe d himself off as a nephew for
many years. Even the King conce ded this. However, finally it
became known that he was a basta rd son, as you will see in the book
of destruction.
a
When Barz retur ned to the court in the city of Camelot from
land as dista nt as Jerus alem , he was received at the King 's court
with great hono r and much tumu lt. And when he told of the
passing of Gala<; 31 and the death of Prenz ival, everyone in the
32

court was deepl y griev ed. Then King Artus order ed that all the
with
30 Naming a child after an event is tradit ional in the Bible. Beginning
philo-
Adam and contin uing throu gh all the heroes, there is either a sound
instan ce,
logical basis or folk-e tymol ogy opera ting with all the names. For
(yosef) to
Rachel called her first son Josep h (Yosef) becau se "The Lord add
his name
me anoth er son." Genesis 30: 24. Also, Moses' mothe r "called
us 2: 10.
Moses (moshe) becau se I drew him (masha) from the water ". Exod
In the Arthu rian legends, Trista n gets his name because of the
sadne ss of his
sis 35:
mother, who dies at childb irth. Cf. the Rache l-Ben jamin story (Gene
on of the
16-19). The namin g of Artus in, above , is most likely an additi
O.F.
Hebrew scribe. Such a patte rn of namin g does not appea r in the
... " See
31
Italian forms for Galeh ut are "Gale otto, Galas, Galeas, Galeasso
Gardner, p. 120.
des noms
32
No variat ion akin to this is cited in Ferna nd Flutre 's Table
age ecrits en
Propres avec toutes leurs varian ts figura nt dans roman s du moyen
rs, 1962.
francais ou en provencal et actuellement publie s ou analyses, Poitie
Howe ver, a
Futur e references to this work will be abbre viated to Flutre .
"si come
thirte enth centu ry Italia n sonne t by Guito ne conta ins the line:
Prenzevallo a non chere re ... " See Gardn er, pp. 29-30.
23
 wh1c
. h befell the knights who
d . . 1
n·
went on the Quest of the 1sh sa
.,ents corde m a memona vo1ume.. And so i·t was d one.
y d be re
oul at is the story of the Book of the Dish which is called Libro
d th t del Sangraal.
,,,, }{es a "d t h" ff"
~ this the King sai o ls o icers: "Mark how many kn·1ght s
_Mter . . f h"
Table are missing rom t 1s Quest."
th
f e found that forty-two were missing, 34 having died in the war
TheY 1 f .
f the guest through va or_ o arms and knighthood. King Artus
0
nded his nephew Sir Galwan upon his oath to tell him
coI11I11a f h h k' · ·
thfully how many o t em e illed with his sword.
tr~ir Galwan said upon oath that he personally had killed eighteen
good knights. . .
The King asked him if Bano of Mago<; 35 was included among
these eighteen.
"Yes," he replied, "and my heart grieves 36 for him and will grieve
forever, for I did not recognize him in battle."
The King replied, "I too am very grieved and saddened over him,
for he was my loving and loyal friend."
\1/hen the King learned how nia~y of the knights of the Table
were lost in the war of, the Dish, he ordered a like number to be
chosen in their stead to complete the ,number at the Table. They

33 Obviously the grail. But the word that the scribe chose - tamchuy - would
give the Hebrew reader an entirely different meaning. Tamchuy is a charity
bowl, from which food was distribute d to the hungry and the needy. See
Mishna Peah 8: 7 and Chapter 4 . . According to Chretien, the grail was a
platter, large and deep enough to hold a pike, a lamprey, or a salmon. (See
R. S. Loomis, The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol, N. Y. 1963,
p. 29.) Coinciden tally, the tamchuy too ·seemed to be a platter. As far as
can be discerned from another citation (Mishna Kelim 16: 1), the tamchuy
was a "dish made with several partitions for food." I am quite sure that the
Hebrew scribe chose the word tamchuy not because of its resemblan ce to
Chretien's graal, but on the contrary, because of its deep Jewish significanc e.
For tamcliuy see also Y. Brand, Kley ha-Kheres B' Sifrut ha-Talmud, Jerusa-
lem, 1953, Chap. 125, p. 539.
34
Cf. II Samuel 2: 30, " ... and when he had gathered all the people together
nineteen of David's servants were missing and Ashael."
I. e., Bagdemag us. Another form of this name in Italian is Bando di Mago
35

(Gardner, p . 338) .
36
Cf. Lamentati ons 5: 17, "Our heart grieves for this."

25
 ty-two good and valorous knights· however th
ose fOr d ' , ey were
ch who had not a equate1y proved themselves and h d
f . a not
youths. tly learned the art o war m the field .
uffic1en
s J:{e ordered a tournament to be held on a certain day in the field
of Wincestre so as to teach the new knights the art of warfare and
kOlg
. htlY valor.
The day of battle approached.
Now let us begin to speak of that exalted knight, Sir Lancelot del
Lac, son of King Bano de Benoic. It is necessary to know that when
the knights of the Table departed for the battle in Quest of the Dish
Lan~ led them. Before leaving for battle he went to his confesso/
a rnonk who had shut himself into a retreat, and he confessed all hi~
sins to him, including that of adultery with Queen Zinevra_a, He
then went on the Quest and, upon his return from the Quest, went
once more to the confessor to confess the murders he had com-
mitted during the battle of the Quest. The confessor ordered him
to repent by fasting and supplication for a certain length of time.
He remained there with him for many days to enact his repentance.
During those days no one knew where he was, for he had con-
cealed his whereabouts from all hi$ friends. The knights of the
court, his cousins Borz and Lionel, his brother Estor, and the King
were all very astounded by his disappearance. Once the days of his
repentance were completed, he. left the retreat, mounted, and rode
his horse to the King's court. When he reached the court it was a
day of glad tidings for the King, and all the knights and members
of the court. Everyone in the city of Camelot merrily rejoiced and
made it a festive day of celebration.
But at his arrival3 8 the joy of Queen Zinevra, the King's wife,
was a thousand-fold greater than all the others. For all the days
of his seclusion at the retreat were days of mourning, secret weeping
and indisposition. No wonder, for strong as death is the love39

37 An Italian sonnet by Florentine Maestro in the second half of the thirteenth

century makes mention of "Ginevra", referring to King Arthur's wife. See
Gardner, p. 34.
38 There is a double entendre in Hebrew. Bi' ah can also mean the sexual act.

See B. T . Yoma 86b, and Mishna Kedushin 1:1.

39
Cf. Song of Songs 8: 6, "For strong as death is love."

27
 r lii111 . frw11 . .IIi«· d11
y 1l/11,. Wl l' i
. 1111 11 t ' ( 1 will, I11.
ll'L rl fo m,
. ·h !- Iic , 1s s«·< ~II 111 a11uf h, :r
ta li!.""
wh'.c ,d by Si r (; ~dot , as
. , .·
in ~i r L1111c,·
1
pa ss ion ro (1rr11<:d , nnd h1 r11 )'; Ire d h< ·r 't
cntK<.: , ,n., . .
t n•a~ ht·· wou 11< .rm. w. ,o . '
0 11 cc ,Lg an lw fo r <:. /\ 11d wh u sl
l -fold
more tit . . d I . y
us an c ve r p/11,H
• 1111 !'l , ht 11<,w1 :xcc•l'<lc•- t, cmar k
co 11
th 0. I1er discre. etly ~.111d • ti '
·• .
.1
.
dcs1rc , yin,,, his c1us irc 111 11s 1 w 1 nirll lc r an d sli<
·
· I'/
•
1{<.:wi.se 1111t1l
· . . '
.
J)c,· ,· vcc'J th,s.
· d1sp 1•1 0 .
1d . Agr a van 111 pnrti c1r/ar cu
111 t,·re co. ur t 111 ge ne ra. / a1 . ; ,· , t
th e en ttiflcd a nd ado111 ecl 11 c1sd f w1t/1 rt/ / her r1J 1,,., 11l 0 u o1 th e
"L .
n,f"I,cn·d n.1/ w/i.o 1)C11cId
"he bC, • r ht m , so tl1 at sh e en da
-1rea t Jove ·she had . fo .
• '
l
ss iv e di sp la y of he r bea. uty. T/, cn th,·- J)cop e 1)ega n
g11er w1•ti, the exce .
sa y, n, _,.that bo t/ 1 W"i·c C",.ug11t ,n
.
e tw o of tl1 cn 1, ,.,
ur about th
L
. . sire
to rnu rn1
lo ve an d _foo hs lt pa s~1on . /\ncl this evil de
th e bond s of strong . of th ~ f a bl e, th e dcatli of Ki
ng
de s tr uc tio n
was th e cause of tl_, e e J< m gd om," ·' as you wilJ se
c
th e en tir
Artus, and the rum of
further on.
e br ot he r of Si r G alwan, notic ed this , he
When Agravan, th Si r: La n~ . He sa id in hi s
he w as _a fo e to
rejoiced greatly because n w he rewith 1 can take reveng
e
fo un d oc ca sw
heart, "Now I have sides and gathered
upon Lan~." Many knig
hts then cam e from all But
de r to go to th e to ur nam ent at Wince stre .
in the court in or be ca us e he di d not want fear to
rt ic ip at io n,
Lan~ concealed his pa d co m e to th e tournament from
s w ho ha
prevent the new knight se gl or y by their dreading the
le st he too lo
entering the contest, he w an te d to be able to support
M or eo ve r,
display of his strength.
whichever side he chose. fro m ev er yo ne, feigned illness,
his go in g
Therefore he concealed ng th to go to the tournament.
at he ha d no st re
and told his friends th or z an d Li on el and his brother
s co us in s B
However, he ordered hi t w ith his company. But they
e to ur na m en
Estor to proceed to th ur ged them to leave, orde
ring
t hi m . Fi na lly he
refused to go withou di d. W he n Agravan saw that
g, w hi ch th ey
them to go with th e Kin La n~ ' company preparing to
, an d all of
Borz, Lionel an d E st or thought of denoun cing
Lane;
m ai ne d be hi nd , he
depart while he re

. .
os ee Sommer, II I, 253 ff. . ,~ · a hm ill ar l>1l,l1 cnl
c1 tio n
For th e H eb rew read er sin as ca us e of de str uc hcr pr op he ts.
L

th , an d 0t
e. Sec De ut . 28 : 15 -6 8, th e Bo ok of Amos
ern
 cernin th Q
. the Kin g and reve alin g the enti re affa ir con
to him . g e ueen.
befoi e me to the Kin g. his unc le and said .
He ca .
··With you r perm 1ss10n to :pea k, I hav e an imp orta nt secret that
and welfare and th
vant to tell you con cern mg you r hon or ' e
I, 1 e.
"
oval of you r s iam
rernThe King sa1'd ' "I s th ere a man so grea t in the cou rt who can
. ;i,,
think abo ut sha mm g _m~. .
"for the Queen and
"Certainly ther e ts, repl ied Agr ava n,
ish passion. And since
Lancelot desire each oth er with a mos t fool
to his hea rt's con tent
Lancelot can not take his deli ght with her
to be ill and unable to go
while you are still in the pala ce, he claims
pan y there. After you r
to the tour nam ent and send s his enti re com
will enjoy her according
departure he will unit e with the Queen and
to his pleasure and will."
an exaggeration and
When the Kin g hea rd this, he thou ght it
phew, nephew, speak no
could not believe it. He said to him : "Ne
eve you. I know him to
more to me of this mat ter, for I do not beli
he thou ght of doing
be loyal and loving. And it is impossible that
tances. Eve n if he in-
such an act of trea che ry und er any circums
ch compelled him to do
tended to, it was the force of his desire whi
d thoughts of desire.
this, for neit her law nor reason can with stan
Zinevra, whose bea uty
This is cert ainl y true concerning desire for
42 zed at it and yea rn to
is so marvelous tha t eve n the sain ts are ama
carr y out his thou ghts ."
see it. But I can not believe tha t he would
"the n I see 43 that you
"Uncle, if such is the case," said Agravan,
ter, nor thin k any more
don 't inte nd to do any thin g abo ut this mat
about Lane;."
g.
"W hat do you wan t me to do? " said the Kin
despicable union,
"I would like us to try to discover them both in
eve me at some othe r
and then you will know the trut h and beli
time."
I agree to it. But I
"Th en do as you like ," said the King, "for
"
know tha t he will nev er be thus discovered.

appr oxim ates it via the word

42 The Heb rew has no equi vale nt for sain t, but
Jewi sh associations.
k' dos him (the holy ones), a term filled with
43 Lit. "wa nt" (rozeh), whe reas the cont ext calls for "see" (ro'eh). A curv e
to a ligat ure chan ged one word to anot her.
31
 suffices for me " li
·•\,Vhat you hav e jus t said h ' rep ed Agra v
h . h g tho ugh t and won d an .
Throughout t e mg t t e Kin
d d . ered whether
van 's words were tru e or not ' yet he te n e to d1sbe1i th
,Agra in Lan e;' lov e and eve em
of his gen uine confidence . 1oya lty
ou t . .h ·
The nex t mo rmn g the Km g pre par ed all his k mg ts for the t ·
. h" np
the tou rna me nthat W mc estr e. The Que en im
p 1ored im to take
.
to
er with him to t e tou rna me nt, for she yea rn ed t O see the great
h · h h d mble th ere. But m . order
athering of km, g t oo tha t would asse
g g did not heed her.
to put Agra van_ swo rds t? the_ test , the Kin
y spoke only of Lan~.
Whil~ the ~m g and his km ght s r?d e the
which prevented him
expressmg the ir con cer n abo ut the illness
trom coming to the tou rna me nt.
arose from his bed and
As soon as the kni ght s left the city Lane;
rna me nt, so tha t he would
prepared himself to go alone to the tou
Queen and said to her :
not be recognized the re. He cam e to the
t your permission to go
"My dea r lad y, if it pleases you, I reques
to the tou rna me nt."
you tarr y? Why did you
"My beloved," said the Queen, "wh y did
not go with the Kin g?"
wish to be recognized
"I tarr ied ," said Lane;, "because I did not
nor during my stay there,
by anyone, nei the r dur ing my jou rne y
the side from which I can
for once at the tou rna me nt I shall help
achieve gre ate r hon or and val or."
peace and joy with my
"My dea r love," said the Queen, "go in
rous as is your wont."
loving desire, and be vic tori ous and valo
ed Lane;, "would become
"Ev en a rab bit- hea rted kni ght ," answer
crowned with the love of
lion-hearted, bra ve and valorous, were he
tha nks to God 44 and to
his lady as I, hap pie st of me n, am tod ay,
you ."
her and the y engaged in
Whereupon he kissed her and em bra ced
love-play for an hou r.
ible, he and his armor-
Then at daw n, wh en rec ogn itio n is imposs
g the y stra yed from the
bearer rode off uno bse rve d. All day lon
who might recognize them.
beaten trac k in ord er not to me et any one
n where the King had en-
Before day bre ak Lane; rea che d the tow
dh h "the Nam.e" ·
Th e Heb rew has only the firs t lett er (h) of the wor a-s em ,
44
izin g the pious Jew 's mode of refe rnng
(See note 10, p . 13). Lan y, then , is util
to God .
33
 od He intende d to enter in the mor •
--1111 p, · . nmg so th t
L: ._knibcrhts would recogmz e him. The name of ath· none of the
l 1n (f :,
town was
" 1_..
'"'
a1 ot and it belonge d to a lord called L anval,45 is vav
.\s~ ,
~-\s1'alot. . asour of
,\t dawn the Kmg rose to prepare himself for the .
. · d at the window of the castle where he had 1 d ged.Journey and
stoo , o He 10
k
t and saw Lane; horse; he recogniz ed it because h h . ~ ed
oll B h . e ad given it t0
iD1 as a present. ut e did not recognize Lanr f h"is face Wa!
li . h. )' or
·ell-covered with 1s helmet and his armor . But m • . s
,, passing from
one path to another , Lane;, unawar e of the King rais d h" h
· 1y 1·t · h' h 1 ' e is ead . '
.t herebv 1 slight
1 tmg 1s e met from his face The K'
. . . · mg saw hun
and _recogruzed him. He pomted Lane; out to Goflet and softly said
to hun :
"Do you see Lane; who yesterda y, to all appearance, claimed to
be ill, and yet is here in town now?"
"I think he did this," Goflet replied, "in order to be able to
conceal himself and prevent recognit ion, for such is his custom."
"That's the truth," said the King, "and cursed be all who bear
tales and slander loyal knights ."
Lane; did not know that he was recognized by the King. He went
on and lodged in the castle of the lord, where he was received with
great honor , not because he knew him, but because it was the lord's
custom to honor every knight.
The King ordered Goflet not to reveal to any one that Larn; had
come to the tournam ent, lest he be angry, since it was his wish to
remain incognit o.
Now th e book leaves the King and speaks once more only of
Larn; and the lord of Askalot , his sons and his daughter.
Know th at the lord of Askalot had two valiant sons who had
recently been knighte d 46 by the King. The older one was called

~s The Mart A rtu gives no name to the lord of Askalot ; neither does it
6
identify his two sons, who are later named in the Hebrew ms . See Chapter ·
46
The scribe had to coin this term, for Hebrew had no working vocabulary
for the knightly world . Staying within the pliable root-stru cture of Hebr~w,
· •
he t 00 lc t h e biblical t ·t · to the reflexive
. .
noun for horsema n (P-R-Sh), cas 1 m
as. peet and comed. k · ht This 1s the
the verb to be knighted, or to become a mg_ ·
hrSt time t o my knowledg e that this verb appears in Hebrew literature.
35
 rt41 and the younger one l{aravoc; ,s Tl
cdelpC d f h . 1cy ha.cl
color, re ' or sue was the custom of . armor wholl
j.:,

of one only of one color during their ft'rst new knights

01or year Th
- to w"?'-" r
.lf the knight would be called a new knight · roughollt th e
vcar h ·
; r looked up at t eir shields and arm .
LaOy
entirely re .
d fl ·a or and sa.w th
e sa1 to the valvasour 40 .. ' at th ey
'lvcre .
''MY lord, I implore you to lend me one of th . t
r and one sh 1e
. ld t o carry at the gatherin d - two ·s u1· s of
ese
arrno " g, an also a covering
f0 r 111 y horse.
"vaven't
.r1 you a shield?" answered the vavaso ur.
''l don't have a shield that I would want to ca . .
. h rry m this tourna
ent because I d o not w1s to be recognized there B u t.l f you agree-
rn ' . d 1 .
shall take this armor, an eave my armor and sh· ld here until.
I ,, te
I return.
"Take Karavoc;'s armor," said the lord. "He is ill and cannot go
.
to the tournament . His older . brother Edelpert will acco mpany you
to the tournamen t and you will be companion s."
Lane; rejoiced at the lord's words and was very pleased with h'1m.
He said:
"How pleasant, how delightful Edelpert's company will be!"
So they both agreed to go together.
"What is your name, sir?" Edel pert asked Lane;.
"I am a knight-erra nt from the Kingdom of Logris on my way
to the tournamen t at Wincestre. "
But he did not tell him his name. 60
Lane; remained there that day to provide himself thoroughly with
everything necessary for a knight. The maiden daughter of the lord

47
Since the Hebrew ms. has no vowels, only the letters A (or: E), D, L, P
(or: F), R, and T appear in the text. No parallel to this name appears in
Flutre, and so the correct reading of the name is therefore a matter of con-
jecture.
48
This name, too, has no parallel in Flutre. It could be based on Carn<lo~,
but he is not related to the lord of Askalot.
The scribe spells this Italian word, transliterate d in his Hebrew text,
49

two different ways

60 J d · h ntcr with the
u ges 13 : 7. Samson's mother speaking about er encou . t
m ' d he did not e11
an of God, says : "But I did not ask him whence he was an
me his name."
37
 · t .
mo st bea uti ful in the kin gd om ' anc.l in e11 1gcn t I ·
s the rt she lus ted aft er La n9' bea uty 'H a d 11 h da an<t wise: .
wa hea n a t at
I0 her rev eal the kni g:tht' ·c1 . · Y s ronK1y
d52 his arm or- bea rer to . s J ent ity and nam t
presse " . d "h peerle ss kni gL t . t ·
"MY lad y, he Sal , 11e 1s the mo st n
· .,, 1n tne world
forb 1'dden t o te yo u an y mo re abo ut t11m ~
am
and 1 " h 'd " at you hav e sa1·ct sa . t· f. d mt .
"Blessed are yo u, s e Sal . Wh 1s ie ,
m yo u.' '
don 't hav e t_o kn ow an y mo re fro
1 .
fro m the lad 's words· th at hc was SJr
She im me dia tel y gue sse d s
all t~e kni ght s as th e most pee rles
Lancel~t del La c, kn ow n am ~n g rt d h
knight m the wo rld. . He r des ire for him bu rned in her hea an s e
S
no t con c~a l it._ he ~am e an d kneeled before Lane; and said :
could
one gif t of you, would you gra nt
"H ono red Sir Km gh t, if I ask
it tom e.? "
<; sto od im me dia tel y, str etc hed ou t 63 his han d and rai5 ed
Lan
her up.
you hav e kneeled before me ," he
"My lad y, I dee ply reg ret tha t "
. "W ha t is yo ur req ues t an d it sha ll be gra nte d, 64 if I am able to.
said
one you love mo st," she said.
"Pr om ise me , by yo ur fai th in the
"Yes, I pro mi se, " he sai d.
you we ar thi s sleeve on the
"I req ues t tha t at the tou rna me nt
sak e of my lov e.''
pen non of yo ur hel me t, for the
am e ext rem ely dejected. Bu t
Wh en Lane; he ard thi s he bec s
she had elicited from him, he wa
because of the oa th an d ple dge
wa s con cer ned abo ut it, for he had
not per mi tte d to ref use . Ye t he
desire to the Queen. He feared
alr ead y giv en his wh ole he art and
ow n to her and she be ang ry and
lest thi s ma tte r eve r be ma de kn
hat e him .

.
r her bea uty .. ."
51 Cf. Pro ver bs 6:2 5, "Lu st not afte son s
Jud ges 16: 16. De lila h, try ing to di ~cover the secret of Sam
52 Cf. 1
.
her words.
stre ngt h "pr ess ed him dai ly wit h to th e Km g, he
53 Cf. E~ the r 5: 2 and 8 :4,
when Est her came unbidden
. t d 1" These
"st ret che d out " his sce ptr e to her ne ·
54 Cf. Est her 7 : 2, "W hat is
you r req ues t and it shall be gra
King Ahasuerus.
words are add res sed to Est her by
39
 ·den took her sleeve, fastened it ont o a penn
ma.1 then
f he . n his helmet. She order ed him to be va1·Ian t and on, · t .
d 1t o of her love so th VIc 0 nous
l'llace urnament for the sake , at all b hOld
r be to that e ers
ill t d ay how happ y and how blesse d is 1eeve and the
,voul s . s
ner of it. .
ow 11 , y it be . know n to you, sir, that you are the ft' rs t k night.
· to
'' in.a.
have given my desire . And I would not ha . .
hOril I ve given It to
w h d I not known of you and your valor ."
YouLan~a replied that he woul~ do so much for the sake of her love
o one could repro ach him .
tha.t n
At sunset Lan~ took leave of the vavasour and his wife, the lady ,
and recommended_them to God. He bowed to the maiden, left his
shield and armor 1n a room a~d donned the red armor mentioned
above. He, Edelpert, and their armor-bearer rode throughout the
night until morning so _that they would not be recognized by any
one. Just before sunns e, when they were about one mile from
Wincestre, Lam; said to his friend Edelp ert:
"ls there a place near the city where we can lodge? For I will not
willingly enter the city if I can lodge outside it."
"Well said," answered Edelp ert, "we shall go any place which
pleases you most. You will go there and be honored."
They proceeded to a village near the city where a certain lady,
an aunt of Edelpert, had a house. The lady rejoiced and welcomed
them most graciously. They staye d there all that day, taking their
delight in a feast fit for a king.
The lady asked her nephe w who his friend was.
"I know nothing abou t him," he told her, "but it seems to me
that he is a very highl y hono red knigh t, which is why I am ac-
companying him to the gathe ring at Wincestre."
Larn; sent his squire 55 to the city and commanded him: "Go about
the city and surve y the knigh ts encamping inside the city and
outside it. Carefully estim ate the numb er of knights both inside and
outside the city, and wher e my cousins Borz and Lionel and my
brother Estor are encam ping. "

65 f tl ctual term
. "lad" • See p . 47 for the scribe 's word-choice or ie a
., Lit.,
squire ".

41
 ire left imm ediat ely for the city .' he su rveye d and in-
1-!is .squtc<l as best he cou t e numb er of knigh ts a t th e gathe nng
ld h .
vcsug a . .
.rnained there untl 1 cven mg, wher eupo n he retur ne d .
and rC . L " h • .d e and
,,s·r
1,
" he said. to an~, t ere are many knigh ts , both ms1
·
Your cousi ns and your broth er are insid e · That th en 1s seem1y
0 ut.
cy arc mem.bers .of the Tabl e and it woul d be 1mposs1'bl e for'
·
for tl1
em not to be with Kmg Artu s."
I
ti ''And who1. souts 1'de.)" as k e d Lane;.
ding
"Many peop le," _the squir e r.eplied, "and many knigh ts, inclu
King of
four kings : the ~mg of Skoc;1a.' the King of Erlan di, the
ts of the
Galis, and the Kmg of Norgohs. But I think the knigh
and
Kingdom of Logr is who are with King Artu s are more noble
"
mighty, even thoug h the ones outsi de are more nume rous.
arme d
The next morn ing Lane; and his comp anion prepa red and
ined in
themselves and went to the tourn amen t. Larn;: 's squire rema
se of his
the village, for Lane; feare d he would be recognized becau
entire ly
squire. They were in the plain of Winc estre which was
covered with joust ers and conte nders .
iat to
King Artu s did not want the broth ers Sir Galwan and Gadr
and, so
bear arms that day, becau se he knew that Lane; was there
them to
that there be no enmi ty betw een them , he did not want
encounter each other .
ts,
The King, along with Galw an, Gadr iat and the rest of the knigh
began
went up to the towe r in order to see the tourn amen t, which
forthwith.
to his
"Whi ch group do you think we shoul d help? " Lane; said
companion Edel pert, "thos e inside or those outsi de?"
"Whi chev er you prefe r," Edel pert replied.
"It seems to me," said Lane;, "that those inside are stron ger and
hono r
mightier than those outsi de; therefore it will not be to our
increase
if we help or join the stron ger side. However, our honor will
by our
if we help the outsi de group , which is less strong, and there
stren gth and valor will be known ."
rd
Then Lane; brace d himself on his horse and went directly56towa
felled
one knigh t. He held his spear and struc k him mightily,
e, rode
horse and rider to the grou nd and, his spear remaining whol

~e CL Exodu s 13: 3-4. Lit ., "with streng th of hand ."

13
- - --- --- ~ ~ u. u u ln er
k n ig h t an d .
~ra n d en co u n te re d
a th ir d d ~ d th e
y w o u n d ed so d ee p in same to h'
r· th e ~bn did th e same, bu t
\..1ng A rt u s , k m. g h ts n ~mh_. l-I e
sa w th e st th at h e au ,_
~ as to u n d ed an d p ra is ed h1 uost died lS one
. ·s s rlength of this kn
Nell h as th is ight th
n ew k n ig h t b egvua or, say' . , ey
,, ing ·
th o u g h t th a t th is p n.
. ai r w er e th e b th
m e k n ig h ts th a t y ea r since
on ed ab o v e. b o thro ers from Ask
' were wearin alot who
d
g re armor,
o u t of fe ar of th e
• bl ow s which th e d k .
lt k n ig h ts st ay ed to ge th er
d . E de lp erret L nigh , t dealt ' ?ne
d "'C'
:ere i::.stor e ar M . .
eis, Sir L an r' s brot ' an~ companion
; spear. E sto r tu rn ed . . )' her d t k . ·
. o n h u n w it , an
h upraised handG7s rude him
.
th hi s sp ea r w it h su
ch force th at he felle an ruck
ground. d him and hisstho rse
K.ing's k n ig h ts sh ou
te d, "P ra is ed be the
th e kn ig ht s of Askal living GodGB that
ot is now overthrown.
en Lane; saw th at hi "
s friend was fallen to
,k ed in to fierce rage the ground, he was
. H e se t himself dire
~ed hi s sp ea r an d st ru ctly against Estor;
ck several blows, felli
e Galaodin de Gau ng him to the ground
lis, so th at all his
h ed. H e di d n o t reco limbs were well-nigh
gnize E st or because hi
a he lm et an d a capp s face was covered
erone. 69
. ha ve now reveng .
ed your fall," he sa •
id to his compamon
lp er t.
le br ac ed himself an
d raised Edelpert up h'
loved h im from th e onto is horse and
melee of knights.
~he n said S ir .Galw an th
to
'l ca nn ot believe th th e ~ ~ g : blow which felled Estor ca
at e mig Y . h me
m th e ar m of an y on f A sk al ot l think
e of th e new kmg kts
1t th e kn ig ht 'd . rho~ at al l." .
who di th 15 ' 15
. not a new mg
The n Borz came into t "" ll
th e fray a nd began 11O Su u;te knights and fed
em right an d le ft as th gh they were a lambs cleaving hea s
ou •

Ch ild re n of Is ra el ·th upraised ha nd ."

Cf. E xo du s 14 : 8 ,
"T ~~ w ent ou t w1 t occu . 0 F
3 Th is ph ra
se is a tra d1 t1 on al H eb re w bl es sin g. It do es :~ "a pe r in th e . .
9 T he C am
. d fines capperone as an t's hood
.
br id ge lt a1ia n D ic tio na ry e
"o m ov er th e ca p
."
45
 s He struck with a spear, and when the b
he1111e t · • spear roke
aod ·e1ded a sword, domg wo_ndrous ~eeds of valor all around him'.
ne}le
W1 Lan~ and marked him, • h'
but smce he did not rec ogmze
saw . . . . 1m,
t to slay him. .He raised his thick, heavy spear at L d
set ou . . an<; an
he k hirn mightily, with great zeal. He pierced Lan<;'s shield and
strttC
.
60 t d 1 · t h' 'b
t of ma1·1 ' th rus eep y. hm o is n s and severely wound ed
htS coa . h d
hiIIl• He pressed him so ar wit his spear that he felled both horse
d riders1 at once. Much blood spurted from him and it reddened
:~ his arrnor. And thus_ Borz's_spear broke.
Lan<;, strong and valiant kmght that he was, did not lie on the
und nor pay heed to his injuries, but hurriedly mounted his horse '
~O
full of zeal and wrath at his wounds and fall.
"By my head," he said loudly, "he who threw my horse and
myself to the ground is no mere boy, for I have never found one
among a thousan d who has shamed and disgraced me as this one
did, but he has never done anything which will be repaid so quickly
as his deed now will be, if I am able."
He immediately drew a strong spear from the hand of a scudiers2
and went straight to Borz. When the knights of the tournament
saw that these two knights were about to clash they all retreated
and cleared a large space to enable them to fight better.
"Let us see what will happen," they said, "for now two of the
world's heroes are about to fight, for both of them have done
wondrous deeds of valor. But he who wins now will certainly be the
mightiest of the tournam ent and to him will go all the glory."
Lan9 braced himself on his horse and zealously struck Borz a
mighty blow full of great anger and wrath, so that Borz's saddle-
straps were broken and he fell to the ground, and his horse walked
in the field.
Galwan said to the King: "Sir, what do you say to this?"

6
°Cf. I Samuel 17 : 5, referring to Goliath's coat of mail.
Cf. Exodus 15 : 1, "The horse and his rider hath he thrown to the se~."
61
62
The scribe, lacking a Hebrew equivalen t for "squire," utilized the Italian
word in his text.

47
 say?" said the King.
••vVha t do you
nswered: "I do no t JU
. dge Borz to be a felled o
_1 an a r over-
G'iJ.Jw . ht since he fel1 on account of the broken saddl t
kn1g , . es raps
throw 0 ft 1,..;,.,, nothing to hold on to. But the other knight is t 1
. h le !JP•• 11 . ru y
,vh1c cee d.1ngly strong and exce ent knight. Had we not left L
anc;
an el< Carnelot I would believe that this was Lane;."
sick at I{ing smiled at Galwan and said : "That knight began well
!ht think that he will finish even better. Who knows but if the
an _ traps had not broken he would have already thrown him
sadd1his e s horse to the groun d an d pierce
. d h'1m through and through
an~ then the coat of mail would not have helped him."
anWhen Lane;' s spear was broken he d~ew his sword and began to
•ke left and right, and fell many krughts, one after another like
st0
lambs, and cut throat~ of h orses l'k 1 e pump k'ms, and to do wondrous
deeds of valor in the field, so that all were amazed ... 63

83 For state of ms. at this point, see Introduction.

49