Version 1.

Notes de lecture
96

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

BOOK V

CHAPTER 7. How Lucius sent certain spies in a bushment for to have

taken his knights being prisoners, and how they were letted
1
Now turn we to the Emperor of Rome, which espied that these prisoners should be sent to Paris,
and anon he sent to lie in a bushment certain knights and princes with sixty thousand men, for to rescue his knights and lords that were prisoners.
And so on the morn as Launcelot and Sir Cador, chieftains and governors of all them that conveyed the prisoners, as they should pass through a wood, Sir Launcelot sent certain knights to espy if
any were in the woods to let them. And when the said knights came into the wood, anon they espied
and saw the great embushment, and returned and told Sir Launcelot that there lay in await for them
three score thousand Romans.
And then Sir Launcelot with such knights as he had, and men of war to the number of ten thousand, put them in array, and met with them and fought with them manly, and slew and dretched many
of the Romans, and slew many knights and admirals of the party of the Romans and Saracens; there was
slain the king of Lyly and three great lords, Aliduke, Herawd, and Heringdale. But Sir Launcelot fought
so nobly that no man might endure a stroke of his hand, but where he came he showed his prowess and
might, for he slew down right on every side; and the Romans and Saracens ed from him as the sheep
from the wolf or from the lion, and put them, all that abode alive, to ight.
2
And so long they fought that tidings came to King Arthur, and anon he graithed him and came
to the battle, and saw his knights how they had vanquished the battle, he embraced them knight by
knight in his arms, and said, Ye be worthy to wield all your honour and worship; there was never king save myself that had so noble knights.
Sir, said Cador, there was none of us failed other, but of the prowess and manhood of Sir Launcelot were
more than wonder to tell, and also of his cousins which did that day many noble feats of war. And also Sir Cador
told who of his knights were slain, as Sir Berel, and other Sir Moris and Sir Maurel, two good knights.
Then the king wept, and dried his eyes with a kerchief, and said, Your courage had near-hand de-

stroyed you, for though ye had returned again, ye had lost no worship; for I call it folly, knights to abide when they
be overmatched.
Nay, said Launcelot and the other, for once shamed may never be recovered.

Lucius fait envoyer des espions et tendre une embuscade pour dlivrer
ses chevaliers retenus prisonniers ; la tentative choue
1
Voyons maintenant ce quil en est de lempereur de Rome qui, apprenant par ses espions que ces
prisonniers devaient tre dplacs Paris, envoya aussitt des princes et des chevaliers la tte de soixante mille hommes se poster en embuscade [sur le trajet].
Ainsi donc, le lendemain, Lancelot et sire Cador assurant le commandement et la direction de
tous ceux chargs de la garde des prisonniers, comme le convoi allait devoir traverser un bois, Lancelot
dpcha des chevaliers en claireurs vrier quil ny avait personne pour faire obstacle leur passage.
En pntrant dans le bois et en observant, les chevaliers du dtachement saperurent demble de
limportant pige quon leur prparait, rebroussrent chemin et vinrent rendre compte sire Lancelot :
soixante mille Romains leur tendaient un guet-apens.
Vu le nombre de chevaliers dont il disposait et ses eectifs de dix mille combattants, sire Lancelot les mit en ordre de bataille, se mla eux, combattit leurs cts courageusement, tua et harcela de
nombreux Romains, et tua en grand nombre des chevaliers et des mirs de lalliance romano-sarrasine ;
l trouvrent la mort le roi de Libye et trois grands seigneurs, Aliduke, Herawd et Heringdale. Sire Lancelot tait un guerrier tellement accompli que ses coups taient imparables ; ses interventions montraient sa force et ses qualits de preux, car il abattait ses ennemis de tous cts : Romains et Sarrasins dtalaient devant lui comme les moutons en prsence du loup ou du lion, et les survivants cherchaient
leur salut dans la fuite.
2
Si long fut leur combat que la nouvelle en parvint au roi Arthur, qui prit aussitt ses dispositions
et vint sur le champ de bataille, o il fut tmoin de la victoire de ses chevaliers ; il leur donna laccolade,
lun aprs lautre et sadressa eux : Vous mritez pleinement honneur et respect ; jamais roi avant moi na
pu se prvaloir daussi nobles chevaliers.
Messire, dclara sire Cador, sil est vrai quaucun dentre nous na manqu la solidarit envers les autres, les exploits accomplis par sire Lancelot et la bravoure dont il a fait preuve dpassent tout ce quon peut en
dire, sans oublier les nombreux hauts faits mettre aujourdhui au crdit de ses cousins. Sire Cador apprit ensuite au roi qui parmi ses chevaliers avait pri : sire Brel, mais aussi sire Moris et sire Maurel, chevaliers valeureux.
Le roi eut alors les larmes aux yeux et les scha avec un mouchoir, puis dclara : Votre courage a
bien failli causer votre perte ; quand bien mme, en eet, vous seriez revenus sur vos pas, votre honneur naurait
pas eu en ptir, car jestime que cest folie de la part de chevaliers de tenir bon face un ennemi en surnombre.
Il nen est rien, rpondirent Lancelot et les autres, car une tache lhonneur est ineaable.

1 how they were letted comment ils en furent empchs if any were in the woods
to let them pour empcher leur passage Cf. la locution without let or hindrance
( sans entrave ni empchement ) et lemploi de let et de let au tennis, au tennis de
table et au volley-ball, o le mot a le sens de gne .
Lexistence en anglais de deux let peut tre source de confusion, comme le mon-

tre ltymologie propose par les dictionnaires Larousse sur leur site Internet :

http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/let/46783

TLFi et cnrtl :
LET, adj. inv.
SPORTS (tennis, tennis de table, volley-ball). [En parlant dune balle de service] Qui touche le let avant de tomber dans
le camp adverse et, par suite, ne compte pas. Remettre une balle let. Il eut, au bon moment, quelques balles let (LAuto, 3 juin
1934 ds QUEM. DDL t. 6). Si cette balle, touchant le let, retombe en camp adverse, elle est dite let (Comment parlent les sportifs
ds Vie Lang., 1952, p. 84).
Rem. Au tennis et au ping-pong. [En parlant d'une balle de service] Qui est remettre, lorsque larbitre juge que le
receveur ntait pas prt. Le service est remettre (let); (...) Si le service (quil soit bon ou quil y ait faute) a t eectu avant
que le relanceur ne ft prt (H. COCHET in Le Tennis, 1950, p. 84 ds REY-GAGNON Anglic. 1981).
Prononc. : [lt]. tymol. et Hist. 1891 (G. MOUREY, Lawn-tennis, 12 ds HFLER Anglic.). Se dit lorsque la balle de service
touche le let et retombe bonne. Empr. langl. let obstruction, arrt employ comme terme de jeux de raquettes
(1871 ds NED) pour dsigner lentre en contact de la balle avec un obstacle (le let, au jeu de tennis, do le terme net
let ) dans certaines conditions rglementaires prvoyant de refaire le service. Let est subst. du verbe to let obstruer, arrter, encombrer homonyme, dorig. dirente, de to let laisser . Frq. abs. littr. : 17. Bbg. BECKER (K.).
Sportanglizismen im modernen Frz. Meisenheim, 1970, p. 40, 177, 337.

Let1, le plus courant ( ne pas sopposer la ralisation de et, par suite, emploi dans des
impratifs priphrastiques : lette vs et on hem) remonte au verbe (fort) vieil-anglais
ltan ; celui qui nous intresse, let2 ( entraver, gner, empcher [mais le sens initial est
retarder ]) est issu du verbe (faible) vieil-anglais (e)lettan (apparent late) : les alas
de lvolution diachronique leur ont donn la mme forme de surface en AC. 1
2 lay in await cf. IV, 7, volet 68, 9. Devenu to lie in wait.
3 put them in array MED :
arrai (n.) Also arai.

[AF ar(r)ai, CF ar(r)oi.]

1. (a) The action of preparing or arranging; the building (of a temple); the mustering (of an army);
commissioun of ~, ocials in charge of mustering troops; (b) festivities, ceremonies, celebration;
(c) conduct, behaviour; that which is done, aair, matter; what ~ is this, what goes on here?
2. (a) The order or position of things, arrangement, order, sequence; the manner in which something is done or placed, fashion, manner; in ~, in an orderly arrangement; in (on) right ~, on god
1

Brian Lowrey et Fabienne Toupin, Linvariant lpreuve de la diachronie , Corela [En ligne], 8-2 | 2010, mis en ligne le 27
octobre 2010. AC : anglais contemporain.

~, in proper order or sequence, in an orderly manner; out of ~, in disorder, in a disorderly

manner; putten in ~, to put (sth.) in order; (b) an orderly arrangement of armed men, a military
formation; out of ~, not in formation, out of ranks.
3. (a) Condition, state, plight; treatment, ill-treatment, misery; in (on) god ~, in good condition,
healthy, safe and sound; man of ~, at mans estate, of age [?man-at-arms]; (b) posture, position; (c)
appearance, aspect.
4. A rank or line of soldiers; troops drawn up in battle formation, an army, a host; also, a crowd of
people, a multitude; maken ~, to make a show of armed force.
5. (a) Equipment, furnishings, gear; the arms of a knight; of god ~, well armed, well equipped; (b)
clothing, wearing apparel; garb, costume; g. the setting for a jewel; ordinaunce of ~, any one of
the sumptuary laws regulating dress.
6. Splendid furnishings, adornment, grandeur, magnicence; gret ~, rich ~.

4 and dretched many of the Romans MED : dreccen [OE drean, dre(a)hte & edrean]
1. (a) To injure (sb.), wrong, kill; damage (sth.), destroy; oppress (people, a country); aict, torment, torture; ~ abrod, to scatter (an army) in defeat; (b) to disturb (sb.), trouble, annoy; grieve
(sb.), frighten; of care, disease, love, sin, etc.: distress (sb.); (c) to lower (oneself), debase; (d) to
delude (sb.), fool; (e) to speculate, ?worry about something. []

5 the king of Lyly cf. dans lalliterative Morte Arthur The King of Lyby, alli de Lucius,
tu par Cador ; voir Sextore of lybye, folio 81v et suiv.
6 he graithed him MED : greithen, emprunt au vieux-norrois, cf. vieil-islandais greia,
apparent au vieil-anglais erdan (ready, all. bereit, nerl. gereed)
7 more than wonder to tell : = mirabile dictu Virgile, nide, I, 439 : nfrt s spts nbl
mrbl dct [ne] pntre [dans Carthage], envelopp dun nuage, prodige inexprimable (cf. chez Homre et dans la Potique dAristote1)
8 there was none of us [0] failed other
9 with a kerchief

MED :

cver-chf (n.) Also cover-chief, -chif, -chof, -chaf; cour-, cur-, cor-; kever-, ker-, kir-, car-, kar-. Pl.
coverchv es, -chives, -chiefs, -chees.
[OF cuevre-chief head covering, etc. ME cver-chf is inu. by cveren v.]
1a. A piece of cloth used to cover part of the head; specif., a womans headcloth or veil, made of
ne material and sometimes enriched with jewels, worn to cover the hair, the sides of the face,
and the back of the neck and shoulders; a kerchief.
1b. Pl. A number of such cloths worn as a headdress.
1c. A womans headcloth or veil put to various adventitious uses.
1d. Pl. ?Material for kerchiefs.
2. A piece of cloth used about the person for various purposes: (a) a neckcloth, neckerchief; nek ~;
(b) a cloth to protect the shoulders when the hair is combed; (c) a cloth to cover the visor of a
basinet; (d) a cloth carried in the hand, handkerchief.
3. A cloth for misc. uses: (a) for wrapping or binding an object; (b) for covering the head of a bed;
1

Pour Aristote, le thaumaston est un eet de surprise, quelque chose dtonnant et dadmirable, une sorte de coup de
thtre ou un pisode aux limites de la vraisemblance. (Acadmie de Civilisation et de Cultures Europennes, don-juan.net)

(c) for covering vessels, the sacrament, etc.

4. ~ lavender, a kerchief laundress.

Winchester de folio 81v, ligne 17 folio 84r, ligne 19 :

Ow turne we to e Emour of Rome at wyte by apye
whethir this preoners holde wende he callyd vnto
hym ir Edolf And ir Edwarde ij myghty kynges And Sir
Sextore of lybye1 And Senatours many And e kyng of Sur
re And e Senatoure of Rome Sawtre all thes turned
towarde Troyes with many ved knyghtes to be trappe e kynges
sondis men at were charged with e oners Thus ar oure
knyghtes paed towarde parye a buhemente lay be fore the
of Sixty Ml men of Armys Now lordis eyde ir Launcelot
I pray you herkyns me a whyle I drede at In this woodys
be leyde a fore vs many of oure enemyes There fore
be myne advye ende we iij good knyghtes I aente me
eyde Sir Cador And all they eyde e ame & were aggre
ed at Sir Claryon and ir Clement e noble at they holde
dycouer e woodys bothe e dalys & e downys So forth rode

thes iij knyghtes & apyed In the woodis men of armys ry

dyng on terne horys Than Sir Clegys cryed on low
de is er ony knyght kyng oer cayer2 at dare for his lordis love
at he ervyth recountir with a knyght of e rounde table be he
kyng oer knyght here is his recounter redy An Erle hy
anweryd angirly agayne and eyde thy lorde wenys with
his knyghtes to wynne all e worlde I trow your currage hal
be awaged In horte tyme Fye on e cowarde eyde Sir
Clegis as a cowarde ou pekyte for by Jhu myne armys
ar knowyn thorow oute all Inglonde and Bretayne And
I am com of olde Barounes of Auncetry noble and Sir
Clegis is my name a knyght of e table rounde And frome
Troy Brute3 brought myne elders Thou be emete
well eyde e kyng to be one of e good be thy bryght browys
but for all at ou cant conieoure oer ey er hall none at is here
medyll with e this tyme Than ir Clegis Returned fro e
Ryche kyng and rode treyghte to Sir Launcelot And vnto
ir Cadore And tolde hem what he had eyde eyne In the
woodis of e fayryte fyght of men of armys to e nubir of
Sixty Ml And erfore lordynges fyght you be hovys oer ellys
hunte for hame choe wheer ye lykys Nay be my faith
ayde ir Launcelot to turne is no tyme for here is all olde
knyghtes of olde grete worhyp at were neuer hamed And as
1

folio 81v
20

25

30

folio 82r

10

15

20

Cf. Et lors apela li empereres [de Rome] Getoire qui etoit ire de Libe [] lors [Artus] encontra en mi a voie Setor le roy de Libe
dans Letoire de Merlin, d. H. Oskar Sommer (1908), p. 435 et 440 = Les Premiers Faits du roi Arthur, in Le Livre du Graal t. I (2001,
Pliade).
2
Cf. allemand Kaiser, nerlandais keizer, russe (slavon ) tsar , de Csar. [MED : caiser.]
3
Voir MarieFranoise Alamichel, Brutus et les Troyens : une histoire europenne . In : Revue belge de philologie et dhistoire. Tome 84, fasc. 1, 2006. Antiquit - Oudheid. pp. 77-106.

for me & my couyns of my bloode we ar but late made

knyghtes yett wolde we be loth to lee e worhyp at oure
eldyrs haue deerued ye ey well eyde ir Cador And all
thes knyghtes of youre knyghtly wordis comfortis vs all
and I uppoe here is none woll be glad to returne And as
for me eyde ir Cador I had leuer dye this day than onys to
turne my bak ye ey well eyde ir Borce lette vs et on
hem freyhly and e worhyp hall be oures And caue oure

25

30
ardemment

kyng to honoure vs for euer and to gy vs lordhyppis

folio 82v
& landys for oure noble dedys And he at faynes hym to
se mnage
fyght e devyl haue his bonys & who ave ony knyghtes
for lycoure of goodys tylle all be done & know who hal
appt du gain
haue e bettir he doth nat knyghtly o Jhu me helpe an
5
anone Sir Launcelot and Sir Cador tho ij myghty Dukis
dubbed knyghtys worhyp to wynne Joneke was e fyrte
a Juter full noble Sir Hectuner and Sir Alyduke bothe
of Inglonde borne And ir Hanerel and ir Hardolf full har
dy men of Armys Alo Sir Harry and Sir Harygall at
10
good men where bothe Now felowys eyde Sir Launcelot
and ir Cador the kene Com hydir ir Bedwere and ir Berel
approchez
take with you ir Raynolde and ir Edwarde that ar ir Ronlon
dis chyldir & loke at ye take kepe to thes noble oners what
chaunce o vs be tyde ave them & your elf this commaundement
15
we ge you as ye woll anwere to oure ouerayne lorde
And for ony towre at euer ye e vs be tadde tondys In your
tale & terte ye no ferer And yf hit be falle at ye e oure charge
is to muche than recouer your elf vnto om kydde catell & than
ryde you fate vnto oure kynge and pray hym of occour as he
20
is oure kynde lorde And than they fruyhed forth all at
onys of e bourelyet knyghtes at euer brake brede with mo than
qui aient jamais
v C at e formyt frunte & cate er peares In feawter all at
communi ]
onys and ave trumpettes er was no noye ellys Than the
Romaynes ofte Remeved a lytyll and e lorde at was kynge
25
of Lybye that lad all e formyte route he kete his pere In fe
autyr & bare his coure evyn to ir Berel and trake hym
thorow e gorge that he and his hore felle to e grounde &
o he was brought oute of his ly Alas ayde ir Cadore
now carefull is myne herte at now lyeth ded my Coyn at
30
I bete loved he alyght o his hore and toke hym in hys

armys And er commaunded knyghtes to kepe well e core Than

e kynge craked grete wordys on lowde & eyde one of you prow
de knyghtes is leyde full lowe yondir kyng eyde ir Cador
carpis grete wordis But & I may lyve or this dayes ende I
hall countir with yondir kynge o Cryte me helpe Sir eyde ir 5
Launcelot meve you nat to fore but take your peare In your honde
& we hall you nat fayle Than ir Cador Sir Launcelot and
ir Bors the good men of armys thes iij feawtyrd er perys
and threte In to e myddys & ran thorow oute e grete ote twy
e oer iij tymes And whan er perys were brokyn they wange
oute er werdis & lowe of noble men of armys mo than an C

folio 83r

10

And than they rode a yen to theire ferys Than a lowde the
kynge of lybye cryed vnto ir Cador well haue ye revenged
e deth of your knyght For I haue lote for one knyght an C by
vij core And there with e batayle be gan to Joyne & grete
laughter er was on e aryens ty but thorow e noble vee
of kyng Arthures knyghtes x were takyn & lad forth as o
ners at greved ore ir Launcelot Sir Cador and Sir Bors
e brym The kynge of Lybye be helde er dedis and terte on
a terne hore and vmbely cloed1 oure knyghtes & drove
downe to e grounde many a good man For er was Sir Aladu
ke layne And alo ir Acamour ore wounded And Sir herawde
and ir heryngale hewyn to pecis And Sir Lovell was takyn
And Sir Lyonell als And nere had ir Clegis Sir Cleremon
de had nat bene with e knyghthode of Sir Launcelot tho newe
made knyghtes had be layne euerychone Than ir Cador ro
de vnto e kyng of Lybye with a werde well telyd & mote hy
an hye vppon e hede at e brayne folowed Now hate thow
eyde ir Cador corne boote a gaynewarde2 and e devyll haue
thy bonys at euer ou were borne Than e Sowdan of Surre
was wood wrothe for e deth of at kynge grevid hym at his

herte and recomforted his peple and ette ore on oure

knyghtes Than ir Launcelot and Sir Bors encountyrs
with hym one And with In a whyle as tellyth e Romaynes
they had layne of e Sarazens mo than vMl And ir Kay
e kene had takyn a Captayne And Edwarde had takyn ij
Erlys and e Sawdon of Surre yeldid hym vp vnto Sir
Launcelot And e Senatur of Sautre yeldid hym vnto ir
Cador Whan e Romaynes & e Sarezens apyed how e
game yode they edde with all hir myght to hyde there hedis
Than oure knyghtes folowed with a freyhe fare And lew
downe of e Sarezens by hundrethis by the holt evye And
Sir Launcelot ded o grete dedys of armys at day at ir Cador
And all e Romaynes had mervayle of his myght for er was
noer kynge Cayer noer knyght at day myght tonde hym
ony buette er fore was he honoured dayes of his ly For
neuer ere or at day was he proved o well For he and Sir
Bors and ir Lyonel was but late a fore at an hye fete
made all iij knyghtes And thus were e Romaynes &
e Sarezens layne a downe clene ave a fewe were reco
vwde er by In to a lytyll catell And than e noble Renckys
of e Rounde table there as e felde was toke vp hir good
bodyes of e noble knyghtes & garte ende them vnto kyng
Arthure In to the erthe to be cate So they all rode vnto
Parye and be lete e oners er with the Pure provete &
than they were delyuerde In to ure au garde Than
euery knyght toke a pere & dranke of e colde wyne and
than ferely In a brayde returned vnto e kynge Whan
1

camarades, compagnons

15

20

25
bien trempe

30

folio 83v

10
repris de P.J.C. Field, 2013

15

20

25

t encercler
MED (qui ne mentionne pas ce passage dans ses citations) : crn-bte (n.) Also corne- A manorial rent paid in sheaves of
grain, in the service of carting grain, or in money commutation; also, a payment in grain for trespass of pasture. Puisquil
sagit dune redevance seigneuriale, ici paye en retour (agaynewarde), on peut songer lquivalent rendre la monnaie de
sa pice , ou un prt pour un rendu , lide tant celle du talion (De tel pain soupe).
2

e kynge his knyghtes awe he was than meruelouly reioy

ced & cleyght knyght be knyght In his armys & ayde all
e worhyp In e worlde ye welde be my fayth There
was neuer kyng au my el at welded evir uch knytes

Sir eyde Sir Cador there was none of vs at fayled othir

But of e knyghthode of Sir Launcelot hit were meruayle
to telle & of his bolde Coyns ar proved full noble knytes
But of wye wytte & of grete trengthe of his ayge ir
Launcelot hath no felowe Whan e kyng herde ir Cador
ey uch wordys he eyde hym be emys for to do uch dedis
e
And ir Cadore tolde Arthure whyche of good knyghtis
were layne The kynge of Lybye And he lew the fyrte
knyght on oure yde at was Sir Berell And ir Aladuke
was an oer a noble man of armys And ir Maurel And ir
Mores that were ij brethyrn with ir Manaduke and Sir
Mandy ij good knyghtes Than e kynge with a kevercho
wyped his Iyen & ayde your corrage & your hardynee nere
hande had you detroyed for & ye had turned agayne ye
had lote no worhyp For I calle hit but foly to a byde wha
knyghtes bene ouer macched Not o ayde ir Launcelot
the hame holde euer haue bene oures That is trouthe
eyde ir Clegis and Sir Bors for knyghtes ons hamed
Recouerys hit neuer

serra
30

folio 84r

10

15