Version 1

Notes de lecture
117

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

BOOK VI

CHAPTER 16. How Sir Launcelot at the request of a lady recovered a falcon,
by which he was deceived
1
And so Sir Launcelot rode through many strange countries, over marsh and valleys, till by fortune he came to a fair castle, and as he passed beyond the castle him thought he heard two bells ring.
And then was he ware of a falcon came ying over his head toward an high elm, and long lunes
about her feet, and she ew unto the elm to take her perch. The lunes overcast about a bough, and
when she would have taken her ight she hung by the legs fast; and Sir Launcelot saw how she hung,
and beheld the fair falcon perigot, and he was sorry for her.
The meanwhile came a lady out of the castle and cried on high: O Launcelot, Launcelot, as thou art
ower of all knights, help me to get my hawk, for and my hawk be lost my lord will destroy me; for I kept the hawk
and she slipped from me, and if my lord my husband wit it he is so hasty that he will slay me.
What is your lords name? said Sir Launcelot.
Sir, she said, his name is Sir Phelot, a knight that longeth unto the King of Northgales.
Well, fair lady, since that ye know my name, and require me of knighthood to help you, I will do what I
may to get your hawk, and yet God knoweth I am an ill climber, and the tree is passing high, and few boughs to
help me withal.
And therewith Sir Launcelot alit, and tied his horse to the same tree, and prayed the lady to
unarm him. And so when he was unarmed, he put o all his clothes unto his shirt and breech, and with
might and force he clomb up to the falcon, and tied the lunes to a great rotten bush, and threw the
hawk down and it withal.

2
Anon the lady gat the hawk in her hand; and therewithal came out Sir Phelot out of the groves
suddenly, that was her husband, all armed and with his naked sword in his hand, and said: O knight
Launcelot, now have I found thee as I would, and stood at the bole of the tree to slay him.
Ah, lady, said Sir Launcelot, why have ye betrayed me?
She hath done, said Sir Phelot, but as I commanded her, and therefore there nis none other boot but
thine hour is come that thou must die.
That were shame unto thee, said Sir Launcelot, thou an armed knight to slay a naked man by treason.
Thou gettest none other grace, said Sir Phelot, and therefore help thyself and thou canst.
Truly, said Sir Launcelot, that shall be thy shame, but since thou wilt do none other, take mine harness
with thee, and hang my sword upon a bough that I may get it, and then do thy best to slay me and thou canst.
Nay, nay, said Sir Phelot, for I know thee better than thou weenest, therefore thou gettest no weapon,
and I may keep you therefrom.
Alas, said Sir Launcelot, that ever a knight should die weaponless.
3
And therewith he waited above him and under him, and over his head he saw a rownsepyk, a big
bough leafless, and therewith he brake it off by the body. And then he came lower and awaited how his
own horse stood, and suddenly he leapt on the further side of the horse, froward the knight.
And then Sir Phelot lashed at him eagerly, weening to have slain him. But Sir Launcelot put
away the stroke with the rownsepyk, and therewith he smote him on the one side of the head, that he
fell down in a swoon to the ground. So then Sir Launcelot took his sword out of his hand, and struck his
neck from the body.
Then cried the lady, Alas! Why hast thou slain my husband?
I am not causer, said Sir Launcelot, for with falsehood ye would have had slain me with treason, and
now it is fallen on you both.
And then she swooned as though she would die. And therewithal Sir Launcelot gat all his armour as well as he might, and put it upon him for dread of more resseite1, for he dread that the knights
castle was so nigh. And so, as soon as he might, he took his horse and departed, and thanked God that
he had escaped that adventure.

la requte dune dame, sire Lancelot dlivre un lanier

et tombe ainsi dans un pige
1
Sire Lancelot parcourut ainsi cheval de nombreuses contres inconnues, franchissant marais
et valles, jusqu ce que le hasard le conduise un beau chteau et, alors quil venait de le dpasser, il
lui sembla entendre deux grelots tintinnabuler.
Il aperut alors, volant au-dessus de sa tte, un lanier qui gagnait un grand orme, de longs jets
pendant de ses jambes, et le rapace atteignit lorme et sy percha. Mais les jets sentortillrent autour
dune branche et, quand il voulut reprendre son vol, il resta suspendu par les jambes ; sire Lancelot vit
bien comment loiseau tait suspendu, contempla le beau faucon du Prigord et en eut piti.
Cependant, une dame sortit du chteau et lui cria dune voix forte : Lancelot, Lancelot ! puisque
tu es la eur de la chevalerie, aide-moi recouvrer mon lanier, car si mon lanier meurt, mon seigneur voudra ma
perte ; en eet, javais la garde de loiseau et il ma chapp : si mon seigneur mon mari lapprend, il est tellement
impulsif quil me tuera.
Quel est le nom de votre seigneur ? demanda sire Lancelot.
Il sappelle sire Phlot, chevalier qui est au roi de Norgales.
Ma foi, belle dame, puisque vous connaissez mon nom et que vous faites appel moi en tant que chevalier pour vous venir en aide, je vais faire mon possible pour vous rcuprer votre lanier, alors que Dieu sait combien je suis mauvais en escalade, que cet arbre slve trs haut et quil y a peu de branches sur lesquelles prendre
appui.
1

Caxton et J. Cowen : reort ; Winchester folio 111v : reeite (variante graphique de receipt).

Aussitt, sire Lancelot mit pied terre, attacha son cheval lorme et pria la dame de laider
retirer son armure. Cette opration une fois termine, il rangea tous ses vtements jusqu sa chemise
et ses braies, grimpa en force jusqu la hauteur du lanier, attacha les jets une grosse branche pourrie,
puis jeta en bas branche et oiseau.
2
La dame remit aussitt le faucon sur son poing ; linstant mme jaillit brusquement des fourrs
le mari, sire Phlot, arm de pied en cap et lpe nue au poing, qui sadresse au chevalier perch :
chevalier Lancelot, je te trouve maintenant tel que je le voulais , post prs du tronc de larbre pour le tuer.
Hlas ! dame, scria sire Lancelot, pourquoi avez-vous abus de ma conance ?
Elle na fait, rpondit sir Phlot, quobir mes ordres ; cest par consquent sans remde : ta dernire
heure est arrive, il te faut mourir.
La honte retomberait sur toi, observa sire Lancelot : toi, chevalier en armes, tuer un homme sans dfense en ayant recours une duperie !
Il ne faut tattendre aucune grce, prcisa sire Phlot, et donc aide-toi, si tu peux.
nen pas douter, reprit sire Lancelot, tu vas te couvrir de honte mais, puisque tu ne veux rien savoir,
empare-toi de mon armure et accroche mon pe une branche ma porte, puis fais de ton mieux pour me tuer,
si tu peux.
Non, non, rpliqua sire Phlot, car je te connais mieux que tu ne crois, donc tu ne disposes daucune
arme, si je peux ten empcher.
Hlas ! scria sire Lancelot, quel malheur pour un chevalier de devoir mourir priv darme !
3
Jetant alors un coup dil au-dessus et en dessous de lui, il remarqua au-dessus de sa tte une
grosse branche sans feuilles et la dtacha aussitt du tronc. Il se laissa glisser en contrebas, observa la
position de son propre cheval et sauta soudain sur sa monture, du ct oppos au chevalier.
Sire Phlot porta alors un violent coup dpe dans sa direction, escomptant le tuer, mais sire
Lancelot para le coup avec la branche et le frappa la tempe, le faisant tomber sur le sol, vanoui. Sire
Lancelot lui prit alors lpe de la main et le dcapita.
La dame scria alors : Hlas ! Pourquoi as-tu donc tu mon mari ?
Je nen suis pas la cause premire, lui rpondit sire Lancelot, car, en usant de tromperie, vouv vouliez
me tuer en foulant aux pieds ma bonne foi, et la faute est maintenant retombe sur vous deux.
Elle se pma alors comme si elle tait mourante. Sur quoi, sire Lancelot rassembla son armure de
son mieux et sen revtit par crainte dune nouvelle attaque, car la proximit du chteau du chevalier
ntait pas rassurante. Et donc, ds que cela lui fut possible, il enfourcha son cheval et repartit, rendant
grces Dieu davoir surmont cette preuve.

1 long lunes about her feet il sagit donc dun faucon femelle, do lanier ; MED :
loine (n.(2)) Also loigne & (?distorted for rime) luine, lune.
[OF longe, loigne.]
(a) A length of cord, or thong of leather, used as a leash or fetter; (b) hawk. the leash of a hawk; pl.?
jesses.
s (n.) Also iese, jese. Pl. s , esse(s, iesse(s, jaces, jesses, ieshes, ches(ses.
[OF ges, pl. of jet, get.]
(a) A short strap fastened to the leg of a hawk (one for each leg, both attached to a leash); paire
gesses; also g.; (b) a pair of jesses; g. spiritual fetters or restraint; (c)?some kind of ornamental
ribbon or fringe; (d) ~ maker, one who makes jesses.

Le fauconnier attache aux jambes (aux tarses) du rapace [on dit quil larme] des
entraves de cuir, des jets (latin iecta, parce quil les garde quand on le lance), relis via un
touret (jadis une vervelle) une longe ou lire, la partie intermdiaire (dont la courroie) tant destine viter aux jets de semmler, de senrouler, de sentortiller comme
cest le cas dans le texte. Baudouin van den Abeele, La Fauconnerie dans les lettres franaises du XIIe au XIVe sicle (1990), p. 58, voque un passage du Maugis dAigremont :

Hberg chez lmir de Tolde, Maugis a prot dun moment o tout le monde est parti la
chasse au faucon pour sduire la lle de son hte. Ils seront remarqus par un Sarrasin qui est
entr dans le verger pour rcuprer son pervier, attach par les jets aux branchages.
Il sagit de la femme de lmir, comme lauteur lindique lui-mme p. 274.

2 the fair falcon perigot je ne peux que renvoyer P.J.C. Field, Hunting, Hawking,
and Textual Criticism in Malorys Morte Darthur in Arthurian and Other Studies Presented to
Shunichi Noguchi (1993), p. 95-106.
3 Sir Phelot il y a deux homonymes : volet 55 sir Felot of Langduk, Winchester folio
40r Sir Phelot of langeduke, et volet 86 = Winchester folio 68v ir Felotte of Lytynoie.
4 there nis none other boot pour nis, voir volet 4, 4 ; on notera au passage la symtrie avec la formule There nis none other remedy boot (bte), vieil-anglais bt, est apparent allemand Bue, nerlandais boete, vieux-norrois bt, et au groupe de better,
best. MED :
1. (a) Advantage, help, prot, good, benet; don ~, don of (on) ~, do (sb.) good, aid, be protable
to; for ~ ne bale, for good or bad; londes ~, improvement of soil; to ~, for (someones) good or
benet; (b) avail, use; no ~, no use, of no avail; it is no ~, it is no use (to do sth.), there is nothing to
be gained (by doing sth.); what ~ is (it), what is the use (of doing sth.); (c) something added; to ~,
in addition; (d) well-being, happiness.
2. (a) Relief, deliverance; remedy (from a source outside oneself); a helper, protector [quot.:
c1390]; a means of saving oneself, a defence [quot.: a1450]; nden ~, nd relief; withouten ~,
without possibility of rescue, inevitably; (b) ~ of bale, deliverance from trouble, relief from
sorrow; don ~, bring relief or deliverance (from sth.); make a defence [quot.: c1325]; (c) a way out
of a diculty, a remedy (through ones own actions); nis ther no ~, there is no way out (except to
do sth., but death); other ~ nas, ther is (nis) non other ~, there is (was) nothing else to do, there is
(was) no alternative; (d) mercy, pardon; (e) in proverbs, etc.: after bale cometh ~, relief comes
after trouble; betere is that ~ bale adoun bringe, etc., it is better to right the wrong than punish
the oender; God do ~, God help us, God have mercy, God help (sb.); when (thonne) bale is
heghest, etc., when trouble is greatest relief is nearest, the darkest hour is before the dawn.
3. (a) Salvation, redemption; also, a means of salvation; bringen to ~, redeem; our soule ~,
salvation of our souls; (b) redeemer, saviour; herte ~, soule(s) ~; (c) pardon for sin, forgiveness.
4. (a) Amends; don ~, make amends; (b) redress of a wrong done by another; (c) penance, expiation of sin; comen to ~, don ~, gon on (to) ~, do penance, repent; (d) atonement for anothers sin;
(e) ~ dai, a day for penance.

5. (a) The cure of a disease or a wound, healing, recovery from illness; don ~, cure (sb.); shal to ~,
shall be the cure; taken ~, be cured; (b) a medicine, remedy.
6. The repair of bridges.

5 he saw a rownsepyk
terme inconnu par ailleurs. On comprend rough spike.
Caxton :
he awe a rownepyk a bygge bough leueles
Winchester folio 111r : he awe a rowepyk a bygge bowe leueles
Tout se passe comme si le terme tait glos a big bough leafless.
6 awaited how his own horse stood cf. volet 97, o Arthur awaited ever whereas the
Romans were thickest and most grieved his people, and anon he addressed him on that part. Le
sens est donc observer, examiner, scruter, guetter , conforme ltymologie, cf. tre
aux aguets .
Baudouin van den Abeele, op. cit. p. 352 :

[ .
Thei maden redi a snare to my feet; and thei greetly boweden my lijf. Thei delueden a diche bifore my face; and thei felden doun in to it.]

Herman Schlegel [1804-1884] et Abraham Henrik Verster De Wulverhorst [1796-1882],

Trait de Fauconnerie.
Verticalement, gauche et droite, deux spcimens dentraves.

An Smets et Magali Toulan Grandval, Les accessoires des faucons et des fauconniers dans les
traductions franaises du De arte uenandi cum auibus de Frdric II et du De falconibus dAlbert le Grand .
In Science translated. Latin and vernacular translations of scientic treatises in medieval Europe.
Goyens M., De Leemans P., Smets A. (eds.), May 2004, Leuven university press (Leuven/Louvain)

e-codices_bge-fr0170_160r (extrait)

Genve, Bibliothque de Genve, Ms. fr. 170 (v. 1485-1490)

Livre de lart de chasser aux oiseaux (De arte uenandi cum auibus),
de Frdric II de Hohenstaufen [1194-1250]