As it seems impossible to do justice to the story of Lancelot without giving due attention to the famous French Romance, and since a portion of the French text is really necessary to complete even that fragment of it which the Scottish author proposed to write, the following extracts have been made with the view of shewing (1) the general outline of the earlier part of the story, (2) the method in which the Scottish author has expanded or altered his original, and (3) the completion of the story of the wars between Arthur and Galiot.[1]
I. Headings of the chapters of the French Romance, from its commencement to the end of the wars with Galiot.
[The commas are inserted by the present editor, and the expansions marked by italics.]
¶ Cy commence la table du premier volume de la table ronde lancelot du lac.
Claudas, king of Scotland, deprives king Ban and king Boort of their lands.
¶ Comment apres la mort de vterpandragon roy du royaulme de logres, & apres la mort aramon, roy de la petite bretaigne, le roy claudas de la terre Descosse mena guerre contre le roy ban de benoic et le roy boort de gauues tant quil les desherita[2] de leurs terres. Fueillet. i.
Claudas besieges Ban in the Castle of Trible.
¶ Comment le roy claudas assiegea le chasteau de trible auquel estoit le roy ban de benoic, et comment ilz parlementerent ensemble. f. i.
King Ban, his wife, and his son Lancelot repair to the court of Arthur.
¶ Comment le roy ban de benoic, accompaigne de sa femme et de son filz lancelot, auecques vng seul escuyer, se partirent du chasteau de trible pour aller querir secours deuers le roy Artus a la grant bretaigne. Fueillet ii.