p. 25, l. [847]–50. These four lines seem to be incorrect. As they stand, the three first lines are rhymed together, and there is no rhyme to the fourth. The diction of the whole passage, which cannot be said to be ungrammatical, is nevertheless wanting in precision and exactness.
p. 25, l. [866]. rafe = rave.
p. 25, l. [868]. Moun-joye is the name of Charlemagne’s sword in this poem (cf. ll. 3111, 850), whereas, according to all other romances, the emperor’s sword was called Joyeuse. Mounjoie or Montjoie was the name of the French standard; it was likewise used as the battle-cry of the French, cf. Fierabras, l. 1703, and Syr Ferumbras, ll. 2285, 2652, 4577, 4727. The sword Joyeuse had been forged by the celebrated Weland or Galand, as we read in the French Fierabras, l. 635:
“Et Galans fist Floberge à l’acier atrempé,
Hauteclere et Joiouse, où moult ot dignité;
Cele tint Karlemaines longuement en certé.”
Compare Gaston Paris, Histoire Poétique, p. 374.
p. 26, l. [875]. Durnedale. This renowned sword was forged by the famous Galand or Weland. The French Fierabras (l. 645) is the only romance which attributes it to Munifican. It had been given by Charlemagne to Roland as the best of his warriors. As to the exploits achieved with it, Roland enumerates them himself in that celebrated passage, where in his death-hour he tries to break [‹p111›] Durnedale to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Saracens (Chanson de Roland, ll. 2316–2337). The steel blade of this sword has been highly praised for its extraordinary hardness. It had been tried by Charlemagne himself on that “perron,” or steel block before the emperor’s palace in Aix-la-Chapelle (see Histoire Poétique, p. 370). Durnedale proved good as well as Almace, the sword of Turpin. But Courtain, Ogier’s sword, was then shortened by half a foot. According to l. 1407 of the Sowdan, Durnedale broke; but this incident has been mentioned nowhere else. Cf. Syr Ferumbras, l. 997, and Fierabras, l. 1740.
p. 26, l. [876]. romme, spelt also rome, rowme, roum, is Mod. E. room, O.E. rûm, “spatium.”
p. 26, l. [880]. dinge; read gan dinge. Dinge is the infinitive mood, but the sense requires a preterite tense. The preterite of dinge is dong, dongen, which occurs in l. 1263. But as dinge cannot be altered here, on account of the rhyme, the passage is easily corrected by adding gan = “he began to strike, he struck.”