A saint Dynis de France premierement trovee.”
St. Denis also occurs in the beginning of the French Fierabras, l. 4:
“A Saint Denis en France fu li raules trouvés.”
Cf. besides note to l. 26. witnessith = attests, testifies; cf. Stratmann, p. 645. It occurs again in l. 1489.
p. 2, l. [25]. Romaunce, the French or Romance language. We often find the authors of romances, both of translations and of imitations from the French, referring to the original; cf. Syr Eglamour of Artoys, sign. E i:
“His own mother there he wedde,
In Romaunce as we rede.”
Again, fol. ult.: “In Romaunce this cronycle is.”
[Quoted by Warton, History of English Poetry, II. 146, footnote.]
p. 2, l. [26]. bokes of antiquyte. This is to be regarded as one of those frequent assertions of the authors of these poems, who in order to give more credit to their tales, thought it necessary to affirm their antiquity and celebrity in old times. Cf. Gautier, Epop. Fr., II. 87: “Il fut de bon ton d’annoncer, au commencement de chaque poème, qu’on avait trouvé la matière de ce poème dans quelque vieux manuscrit latin, dans quelque vieille chronique d’abbaye, surtout dans les manuscrits et dans les chroniques de Saint-Denis. On se donnait par là un beau vernis de véracité historique. Plus les trouvèrent ajoutaient aux chansons primitives d’affabulations ridicules, plus ils s’écriaient: ‘Nous avons trouvé tout cela dans un vieux livre.’”