p. 38, l. [1298]. Qwyntyn. The name of this Saint does not occur in any other version of our romance.
p. 38, l. [1308]. There is no mention made of this prayer in the Ashmolean version, the Sowdan here (ll. 1308–1340) agrees again with the French Fierabras, ll. 1164–1244 (and with the Provençal poem, l. 1493, et seq.), with the only difference, that the prayer which Charlemagne addressed to God, in order to bestow the victory upon the Christian hero, is much longer in F; and is stuffed with so many details of the Scripture, that in some way it may be regarded as a succinct account of the whole life of the Lord.
p. 38, l. [1320]. skomfited = discomfited, l. 1464. It is formed by the same analogy as stroyeth = destroyeth. See note to l. 780. The substantive discumfiture, O.Fr. desconfiture, occurs in l. 336; the same [‹p118›] word, without prefix, is found in M.H.G., cf. Kudrun, ed. Martin, 646, 2:
“dô si hêten gerne die porten zuo getân
dô muosten si daz lernen durch schumphentiuren verlân.”
The Italian noun is sconfitta, and the verb sconfiggere.
p. 38, l. [1327]. God aboue does not rhyme with lord almighty. The rhyme is easily restored if we read of might (cf. l. 2059) for aboue, and if we change almighty into almighte, so that we have:
| l. 1327. | “Tho Charles thanked God of myghte.” |
| l. 1329. | “And saide, ‘blessed be thou, lord almyghte.’” |
The adjective almiȝt is of frequent occurrence in Mid. Eng. writers. So in Allit. Poems, I. 497: “in sothful gospel of god almyȝt;” Syr Ferumbras, l. 3580, “God almyȝte: siȝte;” ibid. l. 3815, “god almyȝt: wyȝt.”
p. 39, l. [1349]. cas is an erratum for ras.—“Ras, shave.” “Rees 1693, evening.” These explanations given by the editor of the Roxb. Club ed. are wrong. Ras and rees being both derived from O.E. r