The subject of the ‘introductory account,’ or the first part of the Sowdan, is nearly the same as that of the Destruction de Rome, differing from this poem only in the omission of a few insignificant incidents or minor episodes, and in greater conciseness, which latter circumstances, however, enters into the general plan of the author.
Indeed, the author of the Sowdan seems to have known the Destruction, as we see from a comparison of the two poems. Thus the following instances show a great resemblance of expression of the two versions:
| Sowdan. | Destruction. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | ‘With kinges xii and admyralles xiv’ | 420 | ‘Ensemble ou li issirent xv roi corone Et xiv amaceours’ |
| 1154 | ‘Bien i a xxx roi et xiv admiré’ | ||
| 689 | ‘xxx roi sont ou li et xiv amaceours’ | ||
| 163 | ‘Et xiv amaceours’ | ||
| 77 | ‘The Romaynes robbed us anone’ | 115 –16 | ‘De cels de Romenie que m’ont fait desrobber. Tiel avoir m’ont robbé’ |
| 75 | ‘to presente you’ | 119 | ‘vous quidai presenter’ |
| 76 | ‘a drift of wedir us droffe to Rome’ | 120 | ‘Uns vens nous fist à Rome parmi le far sigler’ |
| 110 | ‘An hundred thousande’ | 217 | ‘Par C fois M payen’ |
| 128 | ‘To manace with the Cristene lore’ | 228 | ‘pour François menacier’ |
| 332 | ‘Et menace François pour faire les loye’ | ||
| 175 –76 | ‘Oure sheldes be not broke nothinge, Hawberkes, spere, ner poleyne, ner pole’ | 546 –47 | ‘Quant encor nen est lance quassée ne brusie, Ne halbers derompus, ne fors targe percie’ |
| 224 –27 | ‘Lukafere, Kinge of Baldas, The countrey hade serchid and sought, Ten thousande maidyns fayre of face Unto the Sowdan hath he broghte’ | 613 –19 | ‘Lucafer de Baldas discent al mestre tre, Devant l’amirail vint, forment l’a encline: Voyant tot ses barnages l’a l’eschec presente, Moignes, prestres et lais, que sont enchenee, Hermites et enfants, a tous lor poign lié; As femmes et pucels les os furent bende, Totes vives presentent par devant l’admiré.’ |
| 228 | ss. ‘The Sowdane commaunded hem anone That thai shulde al be slayne . . . He saide “My peple nowe ne shalle With hem noughte defouled be”’ | 614 | ‘Maintenant soient tot occis et descoupé. Ne voil que mi serjant en soient encombré.’ |
| 278 | ‘He clepede his engynour Sir Mavone’ | 908 | ‘Sortibrans a mande Mabon l’engineor’ |
| 289 | ‘Mahoundis benysone thou shalt haue’ | 627 | ‘Mahon te benoie’ |
| 925 | ‘Mahon te doint honor’ [‹xxiv›] | ||
| 286 | ‘And fille the dikes faste anoone’ | 934 | ‘Si emplirons les fosses’ |
| 293 | ‘Men myght go even to the walle’ | 918 | ‘K’om poet aler al mure’ |
| 952 | ‘K’om pooit bien au mur et venir et aler’ | ||
| 307 | ‘The hethen withdrowe hem tho’ | 979 | ‘Payen se sont retrait’ |
| 317 | ‘His baner knowe I ful welle’ | 997 | ‘Jeo ai bien ses armes conu et avisee’ |
| 331 | ‘He entred to the maistre toure’ | 1011 | ‘Tantost le mestre porte aurons moult bien ferme’ |
| 332 | ‘The firste warde thus they wonne’ | 1057 | ‘Mais tot le premier bail ont Sarasin pople’ |
| 346 –50 | ‘And Estragot with him he mette With bores hede, blake and donne. For as a bore an hede hadde And a grete mace stronge as stele. He smote Savaryz as he were madde’ | 1090 –94 | ‘Estragot le poursuit, uns geans diffaes, Teste avoit com senglers, si fu rois coronés. El main tient une mace de fin ascier trempé, Un coup a Savariz desur le chef done’ |
| 587 | ‘Therfore Gy of Bourgoyne! Myn owen nevewe so trewe’ | 1179 | ‘Et Guion de Bourgoyne a a lui apelle, Fils est de sa soror et de sa parente: Cosins, vous en irrés . .’ |
| 647 | ‘He smote of the traytours hede’ | 1236 | ‘Le chief al portier trenche’ |
| 648 | ‘And saide “Gode gife him care, Shal he never more ete brede, All traitours evel mot thai fare”’ | 1244 | ‘“Diex” fist il “te maldie et que t’ont engendré, Kar traitour au darain averont mal dehé.”’ |
| 663 | ‘Ferumbras to Seinte Petris wente’ | 1260 | ‘Al moustier de saint Piere est Fierenbras ales’ |
| 727 | ‘Thre hundred thousande of sowdeours’ | 1403 | ‘iii C mil chevaliers’ |
| 743 | ‘Sir Gye aspied his comynge, He knewe the baner of Fraunce, He wente anoone ayen the Kinge, And tolde him of that myschaunce, Howe that the cursed sowdone, Hath brent Rome and bore the relequis awaye’ | 1409 | ‘Guis parceut le baniere le roi de saint Dine, Encontre lui chevalche, la novele ont conté Come la fort cité li payen ont gasté; La corone et les clous d’iloec en sont robbé Et les altres reliques . .’ |
| 771 | ‘Wynde him blewe ful fayre and gode’ | 1425 | ‘Li vens en fiert es voilles que les a bien guies’ |
| 778 | ‘To londe thai wente iwis’ | 1427 | ‘il sont en terre entré’ |
| 783 | ‘Tithinggis were tolde to Lavan’ | 1436 | ‘Les noveles en vindrent al soldan diffaié’ |
| 787 | ‘With three hundred thousand of bacheleris’ | 1443 | ‘iii C mile François’ |
Other instances of resemblance may be found in the following passages:
S 49–50 = D 94–99;[51] S 103 = D 202, 209; S 119 = D 385; S 146 = D 445–46; S 150 = D 503–4; S 157 = D 509; S 300 = D 967; [‹xxv›] S 303 = D 915; S 396 = D 977; S 312 = D 989; S 340 = D 1063; S 360 = D 1101; S 376 = D 1119, 1121; S 377 = D 1133; S 380 = D 1136; S 699 = D 1379; S 723 = D 1384, &c., &c.
Besides, there are some names which occurring in none of the French versions, but in the Destruction, point to this poem as to the original of the Sowdan. Thus Savaris[52] (S 171) seems to be taken from D 540.
Astragot or Estragot, S 346, 2944, 3022, the name of the giant by whom Savaris is slain, and who is said to be the husband of Barrock, occurs in D 1090.
The Ascopartes, a people subjected to the Soudan, are mentioned in D 98, 426, but not in F or P.
King Lowes, in the context where it occurs (S 24) is clearly taken from D 9.
Iffrez, S 165, is perhaps the same as Geffroi in D 1139, 1367, 1122.