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Notes de lecture
5
Le texte de base est celui de ldition de Janet Cowen, Penguin Classics (2 vol.).
BOOK I
CHAPTER 5. How Arthur was chosen king, and of wonders and marvels
of a sword taken out of a stone by the said Arthur
1 Then stood the realm in great jeopardy long while, for every lord that was mighty of men
made him strong, and many weened to have been king. Then Merlin went to the Archbishop of
Canterbury, and counselled him for to send for all the lords of the realm, and all the gentlemen of
arms, that they should to London come by Christmas, upon pain of cursing; and for this cause:
that Jesus, that was born on that night, that He would of his great mercy show some miracle, as
He was come to be king of mankind, for to show some miracle who should be rightwise king of
this realm. So the Archbishop, by the advice of Merlin, sent for all the lords and gentlemen of
arms that they should come by Christmas even unto London. And many of them made them clean
of their life, that their prayer might be the more acceptable unto God.
2 So in the greatest church of London (whether it were Pauls or not the French book maketh
no mention) all the estates were long or day in the church for to pray. And when matins and the
first mass was done, there was seen in the churchyard, against the high altar, a great stone four
square, like unto a marble stone; and in midst thereof was like an anvil of steel a foot on high, and
therein stuck a fair sword naked by the point, and letters there were written in gold about the
sword that saiden thus:WHOSO PULLETH OUT THIS SWORD OF THIS STONE AND ANVIL, IS RIGHTWISE KING BORN
OF ALL ENGLAND. Then the people marvelled, and told it to the Archbishop.
3 I command, said the Archbishop, that ye keep you within your church and pray unto God still; that
no man touch the sword till the high mass be all done.
So when all masses were done all the lords went to behold the stone and the sword. And
when they saw the scripture some assayed, such as would have been king. But none might stir the
sword nor move it.
He is not here, said the Archbishop, that shall achieve the sword, but doubt not God will make him
known. But this is my counsel, said the Archbishop, that we let purvey ten knights, men of good fame, and
they to keep this sword.
So it was ordained, and then there was made a cry, that every man should assay that would,
for to win the sword. And upon New Years Day the barons let make a jousts and a tournament,
that all knights that would joust or tourney there might play, and all this was ordained for to keep
the lords together and the commons, for the Archbishop trusted that God would make him known
that should win the sword.
4 So upon New Years Day, when the service was done, the barons rode unto the field, some to
joust and some to tourney, and so it happed that Sir Ector, that had great livelihood about London, rode unto the jousts, and with him rode Sir Kay his son, and young Arthur that was his
nourished brother; and Sir Kay was made knight at All Hallowmass afore. So as they rode to the
jousts-ward, Sir Kay lost his sword, for he had left it at his fathers lodging, and so he prayed
young Arthur for to ride for his sword.
I will well, said Arthur, and rode fast after the sword. And when he came home, the lady and
all were out to see the jousting.
5 Then was Arthur wroth, and said to himself, I will ride to the churchyard, and take the sword with
me that sticketh in the stone, for my brother Sir Kay shall not be without a sword this day. So when he
came to the churchyard, Sir Arthur alit and tied his horse to the stile, and so he went to the tent,
and found no knights there, for they were at the jousting; and so he handled the sword by the
handles, and lightly and fiercely pulled it out of the stone, and took his horse and rode his way
until he came to his brother Sir Kay, and delivered him the sword.
6 And as soon as Sir Kay saw the sword, he wist well it was the sword of the stone, and so he
rode to his father Sir Ector, and said: Sir, lo here is the sword of the stone, wherefore I must be king of
this land.
When Sir Ector beheld the sword, he returned again and came to the church, and there they
alit all three, and went into the church. And anon he made Sir Kay swear upon a book how he
came to that sword.
Sir, said Sir Kay, by my brother Arthur, for he brought it to me.
How gat ye this sword? said Sir Ector to Arthur.
Sir, I will tell you. When I came home for my brothers sword, I found nobody at home to deliver me his
sword; and so I thought my brother Sir Kay should not be swordless, and so I came hither eagerly and pulled
it out of the stone without any pain.
Found ye any knights about this sword? said Sir Ector.
Nay, said Arthur.
Now, said Sir Ector to Arthur, I understand ye must be king of this land.
Wherefore I, said Arthur, and for what cause?
Sir, said Ector, for God will have it so; for there should never man have drawn out this sword, but he
that shall be rightwise king of this land. Now let me see whether ye can put the sword there as it was, and
pull it out again.
That is no mastery, said Arthur, and so he put it in the stone; wherewithal Sir Ector assayed to
pull out the sword and failed.
sous peine dtre frapps danathme, au motif que Jsus, n cette nuit-l, ferait dans sa grande mansutude un miracle car, tant venu pour tre roi des humains, il indiquerait par quelque miracle qui rgnerait bon droit sur ce royaume. Ainsi donc, sur les conseils de Merlin, larchevque convoqua pour Nol
Londres tous les seigneurs et gentilshommes portant armes. Et nombreux parmi eux furent ceux qui
se mirent en paix avec leur conscience an que leur prire ft plus agrable Dieu.
2 Pour cette raison, dans la plus grande glise de Londres (quil se soit agi de la cathdrale SaintPaul ou non, le livre en franais nen soue mot), les nobles de tous rangs se retrouvrent dans la
nef avant le point du jour pour prier. Et aprs les matines et la premire messe, on aperut dans le
cimetire, face au matre-autel, une grande pierre carre, semblable du marbre, et au milieu se
dressait comme une enclume dacier dun pied de haut, dans laquelle se trouvait che par la
pointe une belle pe sans fourreau, et tout autour taient inscrites des lettres dor disant : Quiconque dgagera cette pe de cette pierre et de cette enclume est bon droit par sa naissance roi de toute
lAngleterre. Les assistants furent bahis et informrent larchevque.
3 Jordonne, annona larchevque, que vous ne quittiez pas votre glise et que vous continuiez y
prier Dieu ; quen outre nul ne touche cette pe avant que la grand-messe dans sa totalit nait t dite.
Une fois toutes les messes dites, tous les seigneurs allrent contempler la pierre et lpe. Et
en voyant linscription, certains qui auraient voulu monter sur le trne tentrent leur chance.
Mais aucun ne fut capable de bouger lpe ni de la dplacer.
Il nest pas prsent, en conclut larchevque, celui qui matrisera lpe, mais ne doutez pas que
Dieu le fasse connatre. Je suis donc davis, ajouta-t-il, que nous fassions dsigner dix chevaliers qui soient
hommes ayant bonne rputation, charge pour eux de monter la garde autour de cette pe.
Cest ce qui fut ordonn. Puis on t annoncer par des crieurs quil tait loisible au premier
venu de tenter de matriser lpe sil le souhaitait. Le Jour de lAn, les barons rent organiser joutes et tournoi an que tous les chevaliers pussent se divertir, et lordre en fut donn pour viter la
dispersion des seigneurs et du commun, car larchevque attendait avec conance que Dieu fasse
connatre celui qui allait matriser lpe.
4 Ainsi, le Jour de lAn, quand loce divin fut termin, les barons entrrent cheval dans la
lice, pour participer les uns aux joutes, les autres au tournoi, et il se trouva que sire Ector, qui
avait de grandes proprits dans les environs de Londres, chevaucha pour se rendre aux joutes,
en compagnie de sire Keu, son ls, et du jeune Arthur, frre de lait de ce dernier ; et sire Keu avait
t fait chevalier la Toussaint prcdente. Et, chemin faisant, alors quils se rendaient aux joutes, sire Keu saperut quil avait gar son pe, layant laisse chez son pre ; il pria donc le
jeune Arthur de faire un dtour cheval pour lui rapporter son pe.
Volontiers rpondit Arthur, qui galopa la recherche de lpe. Mais quand il arriva la
demeure de sire Ector, la matresse de maison et ses dames taient sorties pour aller assister aux
joutes.
5 Arthur, courrouc, se dit alors : Je vais passer par le cimetire et prendre avec moi lpe qui est
che dans la pierre, car il ne sera pas dit que mon frre sire Keu soit priv dpe un jour comme aujourdhui. Arriv au cimetire, Arthur descendit de sa monture et lattacha un montant de lchalier, puis entra dans la tente mais ny trouva aucun chevalier, car ils se trouvaient aux joutes ; il
saisit donc lpe par les quillons et, sans eort mais dun geste nergique, dgagea lpe de la
pierre et, tant remont en selle, alla retrouver son frre sire Keu et lui remit lpe.
6 Sire Keu neut pas plus tt vu lpe quil comprit quil sagissait de celle che dans la pierre
et, enfourchant son cheval, alla trouver son pre et lui dit : Messire, voyez donc lpe qui est celle de
la pierre, par consquent je dois rgner sur ce pays.
Ayant contempl lpe, sire Ector quitta les joutes pour se rendre lglise ; tous trois descendirent de cheval, entrrent dans lglise, et aussitt le pre t prter serment son ls sur une
Bible de lui dire comment il tait entr en possession de cette pe.
Messire, expliqua sire Keu, par lintermdiaire de mon frre Arthur, car cest lui qui me la apporte.
Le Merlin de H. O. Sommer (The Vulgate Version of the Arthurian Romances, II, 1908, p. 81) :
Et quant il ot chante tant comme dut orir si y ot tel gent qui sen issirent hors del monstier ou il y ot vne
place wide. & il fu adiourne. si virent .j. perron deuant le monstier
Clich tir de The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England (1801) de Joseph Strutt et lgend ainsi :
On plate eighteen is a representation of the joust, taken from a manuscript in the Royal Library [No. 14, E. iii], of the
thirteenth, or early in the fourteenth century, where two knights appear in the action of tilting at each other with
the blunted spears. [lances mousses] En ralit, ce quon distingue lextrmit des lances cest le rochet (source du
clich ci-dessous : le site ferdelance.be ), en anglais coronal :
On appelloit autrefois, Lance courtoie, ou lance moue, ou lance frete, ou lance morne, Une lance
dont le fer netoit pas pointu, mais qui etoit garnie au bout dune orte danneau quon appelloit
une Frete, ou une Morne.
Arthur nentre pas par le portail (lichgate, du vieil-anglais l cadavre , cf. allemand
Leiche, Leichnam, nerlandais lk).
Alors que Palsgrave fournit la bonne explication (Style to go over eschallier),
Cotgrave se fourvoie en parlant dun escalier vis ou colimaon, et on peut compren-
Lexemple quil cite est tir de Bonaventure des Priers : Il [Saint Chelaut, un des aumniers de
Ren Du Bellay] e chaue [ met ses chausses ], il shabille, & fut aui tot pret quvn chien auroit
aut vn echalier. Il monte cheual us on ane, & deuant [ en avant ].
Cotgrave en donne deux interprtations contradictoires : en prenant le temps de la rexion,
posment (with deliberation), en un clin dil, en un tournemain (in a trice, in the turning of a
hand). La lecture de la nouvelle montre que cest la seconde qui convient.
On remarquera les incohrences de limprimeur : Aui tot ~ Ausi tot, aut ~ ault.
27 he wist well prtrit de witan (i wt je sais , do wot : I wot well where my shoe
pincheth or straineth me, daprs Plutarque 1 nul ne sait o
[ma sandale] me mache [sans circonexe]), cf. to wit savoir , witness.
28 lo! forme ambigu, pouvant reprsenter soit lexclamation du vieil-anglais l! exprimant surprise, douleur ou joie, soit une dformation de limpratif lok(e)! regarde(z)
29 Nay emprunt au vieux-norrois nei, ngation + un reprsentant de la famille de grec
, latin uum, tas, ternus, etc.
En face de yea (cf. II, 5) et yes (I, 20), la langue disposait de mme de nay, particule de
ngation ordinaire, et de no, rponse une question ngative (III, 13 will ye not ght for
her ? No, sir).
30 wherewithal sur quoi, l-dessus, sur ces entrefaites
Dans la Vie de Paul-mile et dans les Prceptes de mariage ; Montaigne (III, 9) : Ioinct le oulier neuf, & bien form, de cet homme
du temps pa, qui vous blee le pied.
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