Version 1.

Notes de lecture
118

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

BOOK VI

CHAPTER 17. How Sir Launcelot overtook a knight which chased his wife
to have slain her, and how he said to him
1
So Sir Launcelot rode many wild ways throughout moors and marshes. And as he rode in a valley he saw a knight chasing a lady, with a naked sword, to have slain her. And by fortune as this knight
should have slain this lady, she cried on Sir Launcelot and prayed him to rescue her.
When Sir Launcelot saw that mischief, he took his horse and rode between them, saying, Knight,
e for shame, why wilt thou slay this lady? thou dost shame unto thee and all knights.
What hast thou to do betwixt me and my wife? said the knight. I will slay her maugre thy head.
That shall ye not, said Sir Launcelot, for rather we two will have ado together.
Sir Launcelot, said the knight, thou dost not thy part, for this lady hath betrayed me.
It is not so, said the lady, truly he saith wrong on me. And for because I love and cherish my cousin germain, he is jealous betwixt him and me; and as I shall answer to God there was never sin betwixt us. But, sir, said
the lady, as thou art called the worshipfullest knight of the world, I require thee of true knighthood, keep me and
save me. For whatsomever ye say he will slay me, for he is without mercy.
Have ye no doubt, said Launcelot, it shall not lie in his power.
Sir, said the knight, in your sight I will be ruled as ye will have me.
And so Sir Launcelot rode on the one side and she on the other. He had not ridden but a while,
but the knight bad Sir Launcelot turn him and look behind him, and said, Sir, yonder come men of arms
after us riding.
And so Sir Launcelot turned him and thought no treason, and therewith was the knight and the
lady on one side, and suddenly he swapped o his ladys head.
2

And when Sir Launcelot had espied him what he had done, he said, and called him, Traitor, thou

hast shamed me for ever. And suddenly Sir Launcelot alit o his horse, and pulled out his sword to slay
him, and therewithal he fell at to the earth, and gripped Sir Launcelot by the thighs, and cried mercy.
Fie on thee, said Sir Launcelot, thou shameful knight, thou mayest have no mercy, and therefore arise
and ght with me.
Nay, said the knight, I will never arise till ye grant me mercy.
Now will I proer thee fair, said Launcelot, I will unarm me unto my shirt, and I will have nothing upon
me but my shirt, and my sword and my hand. And if thou canst slay me, quit be thou for ever.
Nay, sir, said Pedivere, that will I never.
Well, said Sir Launcelot, take this lady and the head, and bear it upon thee, and here shalt thou swear
upon my sword, to bear it always upon thy back, and never to rest till thou come to Queen Guenever.
Sir, said he, that will I do, by the faith of my body.
Now, said Launcelot, tell me what is your name?
Sir, my name is Pedivere.
In a shameful hour wert thou born, said Launcelot.
3
So Pedivere departed with the dead lady and the head, and found the queen with King Arthur at
Winchester, and there he told all the truth.
Sir knight, said the queen, this is an horrible deed and a shameful, and a great rebuke unto Sir Launcelot; but notwithstanding his worship is not known in many divers countries. But this shall I give you in penance,
make ye as good skift as ye can, ye shall bear this lady with you on horseback unto the Pope of Rome, and of him
receive your penance for your foul deeds; and ye shall never rest one night thereas ye do another, and ye go to any
bed the dead body shall lie with you.
This oath there he made, and so departed. And as it telleth in the French book, when he came to
Rome, the Pope bad him go again unto Queen Guenever, and in Rome was his lady buried by the Popes
commandment. And after this Sir Pedivere fell to great goodness, and was an holy man and an hermit.

Sire Lancelot surprend un chevalier qui poursuivait sa propre femme

en vue de la tuer et le sermonne
1
Sire Lancelot emprunta ainsi cheval de nombreux chemins diciles travers monts et marais.
Chevauchant donc dans une valle, il aperut un chevalier qui, lpe nue au poing, poursuivait une
dame avec lintention de la tuer. Et le hasard voulut quau moment o ce chevalier allait tuer cette
dame, elle appela dun cri sire Lancelot son secours.
Comprenant quel crime allait tre commis, il sinterposa avec son cheval et scria : Chevalier,
quelle honte ! Pourquoi veux-tu tuer cette dame ? Tu jettes lopprobre sur toi-mme et toute la chevalerie.
Quas-tu intervenir entre moi et ma femme ? demanda le chevalier. Je la tuerai en dpit de toi.
Vous nen ferez rien, laissa tomber sire Lancelot, car nous allons de prfrence nous battre en duel,
vous et moi.
Messire Lancelot, objecta le chevalier, tu outrepasses ton devoir, car cette dame ma t indle.
Cest faux, coupa la dame, pure calomnie. Comme jprouve de laection et de la tendresse pour mon
cousin germain, notre proximit lui porte ombrage mais, aussi vrai que je devrai en rpondre devant Dieu, jamais
nous navons commis de pch ensemble. Mais, messire, poursuivit la dame, puisquon dit de toi que tu es le
chevalier le plus valeureux au monde, je te prie instamment, en ta qualit de chevalier digne de ce nom, de me
protger et de me sauver la vie car, vous aurez beau dire, il me tuera : il est inaccessible la piti.
Nen doutez pas, rpondit sire Lancelot, il ny parviendra pas.
Messire, enchana le chevalier, sous vos yeux je me plierai vos exigences.
Cest ainsi que sire Lancelot et la dame chevauchrent de part et dautre du mari. Il ne se passa
pas longtemps avant que le chevalier ne dise sire Lancelot de se retourner et de regarder derrire lui
car, expliqua-t-il, Messire, il y a l-bas des hommes en armes cheval qui nous poursuivent.
Sire Lancelot se retourna donc, ne songeant pas un subterfuge ; sur quoi, le chevalier et la
dame se trouvant cte cte, soudain il la dcapita.
2

Voyant ce que lautre venait de faire, sire Lancelot linterpella : Tratre ! tu mas jamais couvert

de honte. Et sire Lancelot mit aussitt pied terre, dgaina son pe pour le tuer, et lautre du coup se
prosterna, treignit les cuisses de sire Lancelot, implorant sa piti.
Honte toi !, scria sire Lancelot, misrable chevalier, tu ne mrites aucune grce, par consquent
relve-toi et bats-toi avec moi.
Non, rpondit le chevalier, je ne me relverai pas avant que vous me fassiez grce.
Eh bien, dcida sire Lancelot, je vais te faire une proposition honnte : je vais retirer mon armure et me
mettre en chemise, je naurai rien dautre que ma chemise et mon pe la main. Si tu russis me tuer, tu chappes dnitivement toute sanction.
Non, messire, rpondit Pdivre, jamais de ma vie.
Dans ce cas, trancha sire Lancelot, prends la dpouille de cette dame et sa tte et porte-les ; et tu vas
jurer ici mme sur mon pe de toujours les transporter sur ton dos, sans jamais tarrter avant darriver auprs de
la reine Guenivre.
Messire, rpondit lautre, je mexcuterai, jen donne ma parole.
Au fait, demanda sire Lancelot, dites-moi, quel est votre nom ?
Messire, je mappelle Pdivre.
Le jour o tu es n est marquer dune pierre noire, conclut Lancelot.
3
Pdivre partit donc, charg du corps et de la tte de sa femme, trouva la reine auprs du roi
Arthur Winchester, et l t un rcit vridique.
Messire chevalier, dclara la reine, cest l un forfait horrible, ignominieux, ainsi quun aront considrable inig sire Lancelot (mais il est vrai que sa rputation nest pas encore parvenue dans bien des pays dirents). Voici la pnitence que je vous ordonne : imposez-vous tous les eorts possibles, vous allez devoir porter cette
dame sur votre dos jusqu Rome auprs du pape et recevoir de lui votre pnitence pour vos forfaits odieux ; vous
ne devrez pas vous reposer deux nuits au mme endroit, et si vous vous couchez sur un lit, le cadavre devra reposer
vos cts.
Il pronona le serment sance tenante et partit. Le livre en franais nous apprend qu son arrive Rome, le pape lui enjoignit de retourner auprs de la reine Guenivre, tandis que sa femme tait
inhume Rome, par dcision du pape. Par la suite, sire Pdivre se tourna vers le bien, devint un saint
homme et se t ermite.

Tutoie-vouvoiement dans la totalit du chapitre.

1 How Sir Launcelot overtook a knight
MED :

Le sens usuel ( rattraper ) ne convient pas.

overtken (v.) Also overtak(e, -tac, owertake, ourtake & (N) overta, (distorted for rime) overto.
Forms: sg. 3 overtketh, etc. & (N) overtse; p. overtk, -tc & (N) aurtke & (error)
overteok; used as pr. subj. [4. (a), quot.: (c1440)]; ppl. overtke(n & (N) aurtken,
overtain, (N or NM) overtn.
1. (a) To overtake; overtake (sb. or sth.), catch up with; encounter; also g.; (b) to be suitable for (a
horse); ppl. wel overtaken, fortuitously overtaken, well-met; (c) to meet (sb.) in battle;
reach with a blow; (d) of the night: to come upon (a place), encompass.
2. (a) To catch (sb.), ensnare, seize; also g.; (b) to catch (sb.) in a crime or transgression,
condemn; detect and conrm (sin); ~ with (in, of), convict (sb.) of (a crime), catch in (a lie,
transgression); (c) ~ wille, to gain the good will or favour (of sb.).
3. To understand (God); conceive that (sth. might be); learn or master (a science).
4. (a) To overcome (sb. or sth.); beset; vanquish (an army); (b) of fate, plague, a storm: to befall (sb.
or sth.); (c) ppl. overtaken, destroyed or consumed by (re).
5. Miscell.: (a) ~ thurgh, of a re: to spread through (a eld); (b) to transgress (a rule); (c) to
extend down to (the earth); (d) to escape; (e) ~ of, to have excessive condence in
(oneself); (f)?error for outtaken: to empty out, evacuate; (g)?error for undertaken: to
undertake (a task).

 2 So Sir Launcelot rode many wild ways

Caxton :

SOo yre launcelot rode many wylde wayes thorou out mareys and many wylde wayes
J. Cowen :
So Sir Launcelot rode many wild ways, throughout marsh and many wild ways.
Winchester folio 111v :

So ir launcelot rode many wylde wayes thorow oute morys & mares & many wylde wayes
3 Sir Launcelot, said the knight
Au volet 115, la sur de Mliot de Logres reconnat Lancelot ; de mme, les Phlot
au volet 117 ; ici encore, les Pdivre lidentient sans hsiter : le hros est pourtant encore revtu de larmure de sire Keu et monte le cheval du snchal
4 in your sight alors que Lancelot, qui ny voit pas malice1, comprend : sous vos
yeux , Pdivre veut dire : aussi longtemps (et seulement aussi longtemps) que vous
poserez votre regard sur moi, tant que vous ne dtournerez pas le regard
5 gripped Sir Launcelot by the thighs une des formes
de la gestuelle de la supplication (/hikteia ; , toucher/embrasser les genoux, supplier, implorer ).
,
,

Devant lui elle sassit, saisit ses genoux de la main gauche [], et,
de la droite [] le touchant sous le menton, suppliante, adressa
ces paroles Zeus, le roi ls de Cronos Trad. Eugne Lasserre.
[ Ingres a pris sur lui dintervertir le geste. Manuel Jover, 2006]

Cf. Maria Kazanskaya, Le rituel de l chez Hrodote.

Camenulae n9 novembre 2013.
1

Aux purs tout est pur , , Omnia munda mundis.

 6 Nay, sir, said Pedivere comme au volet 112, cest le narrateur qui vente la mche
7 take this lady and the head, and bear it upon thee voir volet 54, 3.
8 make ye as good skift 1 as ye can MED :
skift(e (n.) Also scift.
[ON: cp. OI skipti.]
(a) A share, portion; lot, fate; (b) an eort, attempt, a try; yeven a ~, to make an attempt, begin.
(a) (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C) 682/15: There be many knyghtes that hath envy to us;
Therefore whan we shall mete at the day of justis there woll be harde skyte for us. volet 290
a1475 Bk.Courtesy (Sln 1986) 198: Yf Any man haue part with e in gyft, With hym ou
make an euen skyft.
a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1) 292/392: Bot fare well, thryfte! Is ther none other
skyfte Bot syfte, lady, syfte?
(b) a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3) 10480: Anna..lift hir hend vn-to e lift, And us to prai sco
gaf a scift.
a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290) 225/130: At oure soper as we satte..My skite come to scathe.
(a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C) 286/8: Make ye as good skyte as ye can, ye shall bere this lady
with you on horsebak unto the Pope of Rome.

Remarque
The Pope of Rome , pre ayant dabord t un titre honorique
donn divers vques et patriarches, il importait de distinguer chaque occasion de
quel dignitaire il tait question, et la mention du diocse susait. Pape de Romme sest dit
pendant des sicles et est sorti de lusage aprs les guerres de religion, tandis que Pope
of Rome sest maintenu beaucoup plus longtemps ; cf. der rmische Papst, de Rooms
Paus .

Le texte de J. Cowen porte shift, bien que Caxton et Winchester folio 112v soient daccord pour donner skyft.