Notes de lecture

57


Le texte de base est celui de ldition de Janet Cowen, Penguin Classics (2 vol.).




BOOK III



CHAPTER 11. How Sir Tor overcame the knight, and how he lost his head
at the request of a lady

1 With that came a damosel riding on a palfrey as fast as she might drive, and cried with a loud
voice unto Sir Tor.
What will ye with me? said Sir Tor.
I beseech thee, said the damosel, for King Arthurs love, give me a gift; I require thee, gentle knight,
as thou art a gentleman.
Now, said Tor, ask a gift and I will give it you.
Gramercy, said the damosel; now I ask the head of the false knight Abelleus, for he is the most out-
rageous knight that liveth, and the greatest murderer.
I am loth, said Sir Tor, of that gift I have given you; let him make amends in that he hath trespassed
unto you.
Now, said the damosel, he may not, for he slew mine own brother afore mine own eyen, that was a
better knight than he, and he had had grace; and I kneeled half an hour afore him in the mire for to save my
brothers life, that had done him no damage, but fought with him by adventure of arms, and so for all that I
could do he struck o his head; wherefore I require thee, as thou art a true knight, to give me my gift, or else
I shall shame thee in all the court of King Arthur; for he is the falsest knight living, and a great destroyer of
good knights.
Then when Abelleus heard this, he was more afeard, and yielded him and asked mercy.
I may not now, said Sir Tor, but if I should be found false of my promise; for while I would have taken
you to mercy ye would none ask, but if ye had the brachet again that was my quest.
And therewith he took o his helm, and he arose and ed, and Sir Tor after him, and smote
o his head quite.

2 Now sir, said the damosel, it is near night; I pray you come and lodge with me here at my place, it is
here fast by.
I will well, said Sir Tor, for his horse and he had fared evil since they departed from Camelot.
V
e
r
s
i
o
n

1

And so he rode with her, and had passing good cheer with her; and she had a passing fair old
knight to her husband that made him passing good cheer, and well eased both his horse and him.
And on the morn he heard his mass, and brake his fast, and took his leave of the knight and of the
lady, that besought him to tell his name.
Truly, he said, my name is Sir Tor that was late made knight, and this was the rst quest of arms
that ever I did, to bring again that this knight Abelleus took away from King Arthurs court.
O fair knight, said the lady and her husband, and ye come here in our marches, come and see our
poor lodging, and it shall be always at your commandment.
So Sir Tor departed and came to Camelot on the third day by noon, and the king and the
queen and all the court was passing fain of his coming, and made great joy that he was come
again; for he went from the court with little succour, but as King Pellinor his father gave him an
old courser, and King Arthur gave him armour and a sword, and else had he none other succour,
but rode so forth himself alone. And then the king and the queen by Merlins advice made him to
swear to tell of his adventures, and so he told and made proofs of his deeds as it is afore re-
hearsed, wherefore the king and the queen made great joy.
Nay, nay, said Merlin, these be but japes to that he shall do; for he shall prove a noble knight of
prowess, as good as any is living, and gentle and courteous, and of good tatches, and passing true of his pro-
mise, and never shall outrage.
Wherethrough Merlins words King Arthur gave him an earldom of lands that fell unto him.
And here endeth the quest of Sir Tor, King Pellinors son.




Sire Tor est vainqueur du chevalier, dont il tranche la tte
la requte dune dame

1 Survint alors une dame montant un palefroi quelle menait aussi vite quil en tait capable et
criant ladresse de sire Tor.
Que me voulez-vous ? lui demanda sire Tor.
Je timplore, dclara la dame, pour lamour du roi Arthur, de maccorder une faveur. Je ten prie, noble
chevalier, en ta qualit de gentilhomme.
Eh bien, rpondit Tor, faites votre demande et je consens vous laccorder.
Dieu te le rende ! poursuivit la dame ; voici : je te demande la tte du chevalier fourbe Abelin, car cest le
chevalier le plus infme qui vive et le plus grand assassin.
Je regrette davoir accd votre requte, arma sire Tor ; acceptez quil vous ddommage pour les
torts quil a eus votre gard.
Mais voyons, expliqua la dame, cela lui est impossible car il a, sous mes yeux, tu mon propre frre, qui
aurait t meilleur chevalier que lui, sil avait t reu merci ; je suis reste agenouille une demi-heure dans la
fange ses pieds pour quil pargne la vie de mon frre, qui ne lui avait nui en rien, mais lavait aront la for-
tune des armes : tous mes eorts sont rests vains, il la dcapit. Par consquent, je te requiers, en tant que cheva-
lier digne de ce nom, de faire droit ma demande, faute de quoi je jetterai lopprobre sur toi auprs de tout le
monde la cour du roi Arthur, car ce chevalier est le pire sclrat vivant et lexterminateur de preux chevaliers.
Alors, en entendant ces propos, Abelin sentit sa frayeur redoubler, savoua vaincu et demanda
grce.
Cela ne mest plus possible, objecta sire Tor, au risque de me voir reprocher de ne pas tre de parole, car
quand jtais dispos vous faire grce, vous refusiez de me la demander, moins que je ne vous rende le braque
qui tait lobjet de ma qute.
ces mots, Tor retira son casque Abelin, qui se remit sur ses pieds et senfuit, poursuivi par sire
Tor, qui lui spara la tte du corps.

2 Eh bien, messire, observa la dame, comme la nuit ne va pas tarder tomber, je vous prie daccepter mon
hospitalit, chez moi, non loin dici.
Volontiers, rpondit sire Tor, car son cheval et lui navaient pas eu la vie facile depuis leur d-
part de Camelot.
Ils rent donc route de compagnie et la dame se montra trs aimable, tout comme le vieux cheva-
lier son poux, qui rserva le meilleur accueil au chevalier et sa monture. Le lendemain matin, il en-
tendit la messe, t collation, puis prit cong du chevalier et de la dame, qui le prirent de leur dire son
nom.
En vrit, leur dit-il, mon nom est sire Tor, jai t fait chevalier il y a peu et celle-ci tait la premire qute
que jai mene en armes : ramener la cour du roi Arthur ce que ce chevalier Abelin y avait pris.
Preux chevalier, lui dirent ses htes, si vous revenez dans notre rgion, ne manquez pas de repasser par
notre modeste demeure, qui sera toujours votre disposition.
Sire Tor reprit alors la route et arriva Camelot le surlendemain vers midi et le roi, la reine et
toute la cour furent heureux de sa venue et se rjouirent de son retour, car il avait quitt la cour sans
grands moyens : le roi Pellinor, son pre, lui avait fait don dun vieux coursier, le roi Arthur dune ar-
mure et dune pe, mais il navait pu compter que sur lui-mme et stait lanc seul dans lexpdi-
tion. linstigation de Merlin, le roi et la reine lui rent jurer de raconter les dtails de son aventure,
ce quil t, preuves lappui, comme rapport ci-dessus, pour la plus grande joie du roi et de la reine.
Non, non, scria Merlin, ce ne sont l que des amusettes en comparaison de ce quil accomplira, car il se
rvlera un noble chevalier capable de prouesses, gal au meilleur de ses contemporains, noble et courtois, plein
de qualits, un homme de parole, incapable doutrance.
Suite au commentaire de Merlin, le roi Arthur investit le chevalier dun ef comtal qui lui tait
dvolu. Ainsi sachve [le rcit de] la qute de sire Tor, ls du roi Pellinor.



Tutoie-/vouvoiement : la dame commence par tutoier Tor (I beseech thee, etc.),
mais passe au vouvoiement aprs la dcollation dAbelin (I pray you come and lodge).
1 How Sir Tor overcame the knight, and how he lost his head Malory et Caxton emploient
parfois des pronoms personnels en laissant ( lauditeur et) au lecteur le soin de dter-
miner quel est lantcdent daprs la situation, le contexte ; ainsi, la n du paragraphe :
he [Tor] took o his [Abelleuss] helm, and he [Abelleus] arose and ed.
2 With that came a damosel riding on a palfrey she had a passing fair old knight to her
husband volet 25 3 : En rgle gnrale damosel ne sapplique pas une femme
marie Nous avons donc ici un contre-exemple.
Dans la Suite du roman de Merlin, la demoiselle est clibataire. Lajout du personnage
du mari est-il d un souci de dcence ?
3 well eased both his horse and him Ldition de J. Cowen porte and he (leon de Cax-
ton); Winchester folio 41v well eayd hys hore & hym
4 brake his fast (cf. breakfast) littralement rompit son jene djeuna
5 to tell his name Ldition de J. Cowen porte to tell him his name, Caxton to telle
hym his name (peut-tre une coquille pour hem, cf. volet 33, 8), Winchester folio 41v
to telle hys name.
6 the king and the queen and all the court was passing fain accord avec le plus rapproch
7 with little succour Middle English Dictionary :
socur (n.) Also socoure, soccour, sokour(e, socur(e, soccur, sokur, socor(e, sokor(e, soker &
sucour, succour(e, sukour, sucur, succur(e, succor, suker & soucour, soukour, soucore & (errors)
scour, sour.
[From socurs n. (taken as pl.) & AF soccour, socur, succour, suc(c)ur, souccour (vars. of OF secor).]
1.
(a) Aid, assistance, help; support, encouragement; also, spiritual aid, spiritual comfort; don ~ (to,
to give assistance to (sb.), help; (b) relief, alleviation of a condition; remedy, alternative, recourse;
respite; withouten ~, without possibility of remedy, without relief or alleviation; without re-
course; without respite; don ~ upon, to relieve (a persons need); taken ~ of, take recourse to
(ight); (c) provision, sustenance; place of ~, a guesthouse; (d) ben holden to hire ~, to be bound
to aid her (by way of making amends).
2.
Military assistance provided by an individual or an armed host; coll. & pl. military reinforce-
ments; comen to ~, to come to (someones) rescue; don ~, provide (sb.) with reinforcements;
senden to ~ of, send (sb.) to the aid of (sb.).
3.
(a) Protection, refuge; defence; also g.; place of ~; don ~, to protect (oneself); (b) a place of refuge
or protection; a place of defence, stronghold; (c) protection from punishment, refuge from prose-
cution, deliverance from execution; pardon; ~ of lif, the sparing of (a persons) life; bidden
(bisechen of) ~, to beg for pardon; crien (after) ~, ask for mercy, beg quarter; don ~ to, pardon
(sins); taken ~, claim sanctuary.
4.
(a) A helper, protector, champion; also, coll. assistants, a retinue; (b) a thing which aids or pro-
tects.


La Suite du roman de Merlin ne manque pas rappeler que Tor fait ses premires armes (
certains gards, il est comparable Griet : ce sont des fragments de Bildungsroman) :
Cest li commencemens de chevalerie que jai commenciet chou est la premiere requeste que on
me fesist puissedi que je fui chevaliers Sachis que vous estes la premiere damoisiele qui onques
mais me requesist. Aspect gomm par Malory.

And therewith he took o his helm, and he arose and ed, and Sir Tor after him, and smote o his
head quite. Le passage correspondant de la Suite ( 291) contient une prcision que Malo-
ry na pas jug utile de conserver :
[Abelin] sen cuide fuir, mais cil [Tor] ne le laisse, si le ert de lespee trencant par mi le col si du-
rement quil li fait la teste voler plus dune toise loing del bu
1
, et li cors chiet a terre. Et la damoi-
siele keurt cele part u ele voit la teste, si la prent et en fait moult grant joie
Cela ne peut manquer de rappeler Then Balin took up the head of the lady, and bare it with
him to his hostelry (II, 3, volet 30) et, ici aussi, il sagit pour la dame dexhiber ce trophe,
comme preuve quelle a su tirer vengeance de son ennemi.

Don contraignant et respect de la parole donne : Tor dnoue une situation quil ne ma-
trise nullement, tant confront aux armations invriables de laccusatrice et aux
dngations prvisibles de laccus, mais ce dernier adopte deux systmes de dfense
successifs au gr des circonstances et cest bien lui qui a enlev le petit braque blanc

1
= buc tronc , du francique, cf. allemand Bauch ventre , nerlandais buik, vieux-norrois bkr, vieil-anglais bk (bouke
chez Chaucer). Li emperere, sil ne cumbat od mei, Desur le buc la teste perdre en deit (Roland)
nous ne saurons jamais pour quelle raison, dailleurs (il sagit dexploiter des situa-
tions, ce qui me parat le propre des rcits tiroirs, non dexplorer des motivations).